In today's globalized world, we are confronted with choices every day, and perhaps no place represents that better than the aisle of sauces and condiments at a Chinese grocery store. There are literally hundreds of bottles of different sauces, pastes and oils, each with different coloring and labeling. Even if your Chinese is impeccable, it's easy to go cross-eyed just looking for one simple bottle of soy sauce. There are just too many choices! However, it doesn't have to be that way.

Despite the overwhelming selection, it's essential that a Chinese kitchen be well stocked with a few bottles of sauces. In the same way you wouldn't go to the beach without a towel and sunscreen, you can't make good Chinese food without these must-haves.

Sniffing out the perfect soy

A Chinese kitchen simply can't be complete without soy sauce. It's in virtually every Chinese dish. The first thing to know is that Chinese soy sauce is fermented, which means that when you shop, there will be different varieties and different brews. Some soy sauce bottles will have words like "elite" and "select" on the label to mean that the soy sauce has been fermented for longer, giving it a more robust flavor. Although that sounds great, for your basic Chinese cooking needs, a longer-brewed soy sauce isn't necessary.

In addition to the differently aged brews, there are two main types of soy sauce in Chinese cooking: light and dark. Light soy sauce is versatile and tastes better when fresh, for example in a dipping sauce for dumplings or when added to a bowl of noodles. Dark soy sauce is more suitable for marinades and adding color to dishes because of its darker color.

One example of the importance of dark soy sauce in creating color is lo mein. If you try making lo mein at home without dark soy sauce, the color of your noodles will be on the lighter side, like pad thai. Because light soy sauce is not strong enough to influence the overall color of the dish, you won't get the deep brown color you find when eating the dish at a restaurant. To get that deep brown color that will make your mouth water, replace the normal amount of soy sauce you would add with dark soy sauce. In my experience, two tablespoons should be enough.

Vinegar variety

Another must-have is vinegar. While we might assume that this condiment is best used as a dipping sauce for dumplings or pork-filled steamed buns, there are quite a number of ways to add vinegar to Chinese dishes. As with soy sauce, a typical Chinese grocery store will contain many varieties. While its flavor is quite strong and not for everyone's tastes, I really like the flavor of  Lao Chen Vinegar, commonly used at dumpling houses and restaurants that serve dishes from Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. For a simple cold dish, try adding 120 milliliters of Lao Chen Vinegar to a shallow bowl with a roughly chopped cucumber and a minced clove of garlic. For those who prefer a lighter vinegar flavor, other brands, particularly those from the south of China, will fit your tastes nicely.

If making great stir-fried dishes at home is one of your goals, a bottle of rice wine would be a great addition to your shelf. When stir-frying assorted vegetables like bok choy, broccoli or celery, a dash of rice wine will add a touch of light rice flavor and acidity and blend well with a bit of soy sauce and oil. For most stir-fries, a light sprinkling of rice wine a few minutes before removing the wok from the heat will be sufficient.

Another great use for rice wine is in marinades. The alcohol will help tenderize the meat and add acidity to balance the flavors of the oil and soy sauce. In order to have great, tender pieces of meat in your dishes, consider adding some rice wine to the marinade to infuse the meat with flavor.

One simple marinade I often use combines 12 grams of cornstarch with 15 milliliters of each of the following: light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and water. Mix together the marinade until blended uniformly, making sure any clumps of cornstarch are broken up. After mixing well, the marinade should be thick enough to nicely coat raw chicken pieces. Gently add the chicken with chopsticks to the marinade until each piece of meat is thoroughly coated. Let the chicken marinate for 20 to 30 minutes. While waiting, you can prepare the other ingredients for your dish. This marinade will add great flavor to your meal, thanks to the combination of rice wine, soy sauce and oil, with the cornstarch acting as a thickening agent so the marinade doesn't drip off the meat. If you are out of chicken or are avoiding poultry, this marinade will work with pork and beef just as well.

Oils for balance

Since many of these sauces add a saltiness to food, you might consider adding some chili oil to balance the salty flavor of the soy sauce and vinegar with a bit of spice. The Laoganma brand of chili oil is a personal favorite of mine, because it includes black beans, which add great flavor, in addition to the heat of the oil.

For those who aren't fond of spiciness in their dishes, one simple way to counteract the salty flavor is to add a bit more cooking oil before you start stir-frying your dishes. For example, when I make lo mein, I might start out with an extra tablespoon of oil at the beginning to balance the tablespoon each of dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and vinegar I will add later. With the extra tablespoon, the oil and sauces should be about the same amount, allowing my lo mein to come out with a less salty flavor. Another easy way to reduce salt is to replace your regular soy sauce with a reduced-salt brew.

The next time you head to the grocery store, just bring along this simple shopping list, and your Chinese dishes should impress any Chinese mother: a bottle each of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Lao Chen Vinegar and rice wine, and a jar of Laoganma chili oil.