So, you’ve decided to make something a little more exotic than spaghetti with Chumak sauce. You’ve summoned the courage to go Chinese.

The Best Of team loves Oriental food – when not jetting off on an Asian adventure we’re inviting ourselves to the homes of our friends who love to cook. The Best Of team always supports the efforts of our friends.

But how long will those friends stick around if we never return the favor. We were afraid to find out. That’s why we decided to prepare our own special meal. But first we need the scarce equipment and ingredients necessary to cook, or shall we say wok up, a delicious meal.

We know that Chinese cooking can be a time‑consuming operation – especially in Kyiv where the Asian food section in most supermarkets consists of little more than Ramen cup o’ noodles, soy sauce and green tea. We loved Ramen when we were students, but the Best Of team is a bit more sophisticated these days.

When we have some Chinese cooking to do, we turn to the Kitaisky market within the larger Volodymyrsky Market outside the Lybidska metro station. If you’re looking for all the basic ingredients ‑ like rice vinegar, fish soy, chow mein noodles or a rice cooker or wok – you’ll find it there. Most items are Chinese imports and most of the sellers are Asian, so they know the difference between pelmeni and wontons. The ingredients are not labeled in English, but those who know what they are looking for will find the products affordable.

The stalls are located on the top level of a two‑story building, clearly marked “Kitaisky Rynok,” toward the back of the larger market.

The section is truly a Chinese market that sells merchandise as diverse as Western knock‑off fashions to jewelry to hardware. Back in the far corner is the treasure chest of cookware and food and sauces and spices.

The stalls are stocked with just about every kind of soy sauce imaginable – mild, hot, spicy ‑ in just about every size. A liter of basic sauce starts at a mere Hr 8, while the brown‑bean soy sauce used to make a thicker gravy costs Hr 3 for a half‑liter packet. Rice vinegar goes for Hr 11 a half‑liter. And since Chinese food isn’t Chinese food without the noodles, the stalls stock bean threads, known as cellophane or glass noodles, and broad noodles (each priced at Hr 15 for 300 grams). There are also sealed packages of marinated mushrooms and squid (both priced at Hr 8).

Become a regular, and merchants from far‑off cities like Harbin will probably share some of their recipes with you.

Kitaisky market

Inside Volodymyrsky Market

Lybidska metro.

Open 10 a.m. to dusk.