5 steamed bean sauce see Recipes

water-packed soft tofu (see notes ), chinese black-bean garlic sauce (see notes ), shaoxing rice wine (also called shaohsing wine) or dry sherry, sesame oil, soy sauce, dark soy sauce (see notes ) or 1 1/2 tsp. regular soy sauce mixed with 1/2 tsp. molasses, minced garlic, sugar, skinned halibut or salmon fillet, about 1/2 in. thick, peeled fresh ginger slivers, green onions , cut in 2-in.-long slivers

pork spareribs, cut into 1-inch lengths (have your butcher do this!), light soy sauce, dry sherry or 1/4 cup rice wine, garlic cloves, minced, fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed (dow see), brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and red chile paste or 1 tbsp hot bean paste, cornstarch, green onions, green pepper , cut into julienne strips

boned , skinned chicken breasts, garlic, peeled and minced, cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, vegetable oil, chinese salted fermented black beans (see note above), rinsed, drained, and minced, salt, hot cooked long-grain white rice

green papaya (see cook s note), green string beans, freshly squeezed lime juice, thai fish sauce , nam pla, palm sugar , available in most mexican, latin or asian supermarkets, or substitute brown sugar, or white sugar, carrots (peeled and shredded to the same strip-size as papaya), loosely chopped cilantro leaves, loosely chopped mint, dried thai shrimp , optional, thai chiles also called prik chiles, minced, unsalted peanuts, toasted and lightly crushed, thai grilled shrimp , recipe follows, jasmine sticky rice , or steamed vermicelli rice noodles, optional, as an accompaniment, thai sweet chili and garlic sauce (recommended: mae ploy now available in most grocery stores), hoisin sauce, garlic, finely minced, ponzu sauce , or substitute the juice of 1 lime, soy sauce, splash thai fish sauce , nam pla, sriracha sauce, curry powder, ground ginger, mint, leaves removed and finely chopped , or substitute thai basil, handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped, shrimp