Tips from the RecipeKick Kitchen: Asian Pantry Staples

At RecipeKick our chef’s get asked lots of Q’s and today we’re answering one of our favs: what are the must-have Asian pantry staples. While this list includes ingredients the most widely used in South Asian, Southeast Asian, West Asian, and East Asian cuisines, the best thing about these ingredients is that they are in no way limited to just cooking Asian cuisines.

Once you have these ingredients we encourage you to use them in all of your cooking. Add miso to your pork chops, like Chef Shay did here. Add sumac to your beef stew, or dashi to your bouillabaisse. (More on sumac here!)

1. Fish Sauce:

Chef recommended brand: Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce

Adds saltiness and umami to soups, curries, rice, stir-fries, and just about anything. Ever swapped salt for fish sauce in a steak marinade? Try it! 

2. Soy Sauce:

Adds savory and saltiness to marinades, stir-fries, and dipping sauces. Explore light, dark, and sweet soy sauces while you’re at it! 

3. Rice Vinegar:

Perfect to brighten up dressings, add acidity to a dish, and great to pickle vegetables.

4. Garam Masala:

Chef-recommended brand: Diaspora

Adds warmth to curries, stews, and grilled meats.

5. Coconut Milk:

Adds creaminess to curries, soups, and desserts. Great to cook rice with!

Check out Santana’s class on coconut milk.

6. Sesame Oil:

Chef-recommended brand: Kadoya Pure Sesame Oil

Perfect for dressings, noodle dishes, and stir-fries. Great for use as a finishing oil. 

7. Tamarind Paste or Juice:

Adds sourness/acidity to any dish. A great replacement for limes or vinegars adding some je ne sais quoi to your dish. 

8. Sumac:

Chef-recommended brand: Curio Spice

A type of berry, sumac adds a bright purple/pink color to a dish and a tart brightness, perfect to finish off most dishes. Check out how Zonya uses sumac in a salmon stew. 

9. Pomegranate Molasses:

Adds a sweet-tart flavor to dressings, marinades, and stews.

10. Miso Paste:

Creates savory soups, marinades, and glazes. 

11. Dashi:

Chef-recommended brand: Ajinomoto Hon Dashi

Great base for soups, noodle broths, and sauces, providing a deep umami flavor.

12. Cornstarch: 

A great thickening agent, and helps retain moisture and creates a crispy outer layer when used as a marinade and coating for meat. 

13. Turmeric:

Chef-recommended brand: Diaspora or Curio Spice

Adds warm and earthy flavors and a beautiful yellow hue to dishes. Great for marinades, curries, and cooking with rice. 

14. Dried fruits:

Well used in South and West Asian cooking. It adds brightness to a curry or rice dish and makes a perfect garnish. 

15. Various “chili paste/oils”

Sambal Oelek – chili, salt, and vinegar (sometimes with garlic) chili sauce. Great for dressings and sauces.

Chili Oil – As the name suggests it is simply fried chili in oil. Sometimes various brands will add garlic, mushrooms, or shallots. Laomanga is the OG brand, but if you have a peanut allergy try any sort of “chili crisp or crunch” Momofuko has a great one, and Trader Joe’s has an affordable delicious version. Great to add to anything from soup to salad, whenever you want a little zip!

Gochujang – A mixture of red chili powder, glutinous rice, and a couple of other ingredients. Gochujang makes a great marinade or soup base. 

16. Rice: Have 3 kinds on hand at all times.

Jasmine: This is the go-to rice. Great for simple white rice, fried rice, and as a base to seasoned rice. 

Basmati: Great for biryanis, rice puddings, and pilaf.

Sushi: Starchier and stickier than its counterparts. Great for sushi (obviously) but also donburis, poke, bibimbaps, rice cakes, and much more!

We want to end this list with a very simple disclaimer: in NO way is this list the most comprehensive and we would love nothing more than for you to share your pantry staples that you just can’t live without in our RecipeKick community. It’s free to join and post! Check it out here.

Hungry for more Asian-cuisine content? Check out Santana’s Japchae (Korean Beef Noodles) class, Mariano’s Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chicken class and Zonya’s Thai Green Curry class here. You can see (and search) all available RecipeKick content here. Happy cooking!