The 10 Basic Ingredients for Chinese Cooking RICE. An obvious one but Chinese cannot go without rice, even boiled rice. ... NOODLES. Some days you feel like rice and some days you feel like noodles. ... SOY SAUCE. Used for seasoning as well as to colour and brown your dishes. ... SPRING ONIONS. ... GARLIC. ... FROZEN MEAT. ... CORNFLOUR. ... BEANSPROUTS. More items...