Sauce

China

This traditional Chinese seasoning mix is said to have originated in Sichuan cuisine, which is known for spiciness and bold flavors, but has since spread to other regions as well. The word yuxiang also refers to the sauce in which the meat or vegetables were cooked. Y&uacute;xiāng literally translates to fish fragrance, although it contains no seafood and is not commonly used in seafood dishes, but rather to create a flavor base for vegetarian recipes and various dishes containing beef, pork, or chicken. The mix typically consists of finely minced pickled chili called pao la jiao, white scallion, ginger, and garlic; in more or less equal amounts. To create the sauce, on top of the basic mixture, cooking with y&uacute;xiāng almost always includes the use of sugar, salt, chili peppers, soy sauce or vinegar and doubanjiang - a spicy fermented broad bean, soybean, and rice paste popularly known as the soul of Sichuan cuisine.

Yúxiāng

Zhoug is a traditional Middle Eastern sauce and condiment that's believed to originate from Yemen, but it's also very popular in Israel. The sauce is usually made from green or red hot peppers, garlic, coriander, cumin, cardamom, salt, and various spices. There are many versions of the sauce, so people often add other ingredients into it, such as mint or lemon juice. What is important is that zhoug should always be spicy or pack some heat. Once prepared, zhoug is often used as an accompaniment to grilled meat, as a topping or a dip for vegetables, and sometimes as a sauce in sandwiches.