Glossary

Hoi sin sauce: A sweet, brownish-red Chinese barbecue sauce (not to be confused with western or American barbecue sauce), and usually containing soya beans, garlic, chillis and other seasonings. It can be obtained from Chinese or oriental provision stores. It is sold in both cans and bottles—if you use it only rarely, it is better to buy a bottle, which will keep better. If you are using canned, remove any leftover sauce and store it in a screw-top container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to six months. There is no substitute for hoi sin sauce—omit from the recipe if you cannot obtain it.