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Asian Pantry Essentials
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items Think of this list as your passport to Asia through food. Stocking a few of these essentials makes it easy to build layers of umami, spice, and fragrance — no matter what cuisine you’re craving. From everyday rice and noodles to flavor-packed sauces,...
Sections
6
🥢 Sauces & Condiments
🌿 Oils, Vinegars & Cooking Wines
🍜 Noodles, Rice & Staples
🥬 Pastes, Bases & Soups
🍄 Dried Goods & Seasonings
🥥 Pantry Boosters & Extras
🥢 Sauces & Condiments
Bold, complex, and versatile — these bottles add instant depth to any dish. A splash of soy, a dollop of gochujang, or a drizzle of chili oil can transform the simplest meal into something special.
A salty, savory base seasoning used across Asia, from Chinese stir-fries to Japanese sushi rice and Filipino marinades.
Sodium Soy Sauce
Pungent and salty, this is Vietnam’s backbone for dipping sauces and soups, and also used in Thai curries.
Fish Sauce
A Cantonese invention that adds sweet-savory richness to vegetables and meats. I absolutely put this in almost any dish I make. I love it!
Oyster Sauce
A chili paste that’s spicy, sweet, and fermented, essential for bibimbap and tteokbokki.
Gochujang, Hot Pepper Paste
My staple in every Korean BBQ meal. A thick, spicy-salty paste made of doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang, garlic, and sesame oil. It’s most famous as the dipping sauce for Korean BBQ lettuce wraps, but works anywhere you want punchy flavor.
Ssamjang Seasoned Bean Paste
Glossy and tangy-sweet, often used as a dip (Peking duck), stir-fry glaze, or barbecue sauce. Dark, tangy-sweet, and sticky, this sauce doubles as a dipping condiment and a glaze. Common in Peking duck wraps or Vietnamese rolls, it adds complexity in...
Hoisin Sauce
Ask any Asian and they know this. Smoky, crunchy, and addictive, with layers of heat and aromatics. It’s spooned over dumplings, noodles, or rice bowls across China — and now a pantry darling worldwide.
Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili Oil
One of the best sauces I have ever had in my life! Delicious, no need to season, a must-have for noodles and mutton hotpot.
Haidilao Original Hot Pot Dipping Sauce
Fresh coriander, mint, and chili blend for snacks and grills. It pairs wonderfully with cheeses, can be used with chicken on the grill, as a dip with your favorite veggies, or simply as a curry side. Honestly, everywhere.
Chutneys
🌿 Oils, Vinegars & Cooking Wines
Think of these as the hidden flavor builders. A dash of sesame oil or a splash of Shaoxing wine doesn’t just season your food, it elevates it — giving stir-fries, soups, and dressings their signature taste.
Nutty and aromatic, just a drizzle transforms noodles, soups, and marinades. Best used as a finishing touch rather than for cooking.
Pure Sesame Seed Oil
Delicate and slightly sweet, it’s the key to perfectly seasoned sushi rice and refreshing dressings. Great for balancing fried or fatty foods.
Natural Rice Vinegar
Smoky, malty, and rich, this Chinese vinegar adds backbone to dumpling dipping sauces and noodle soups. Think of it as the balsamic of Asia.
Chinkiang Vinegar
The “secret ingredient” in countless Chinese dishes. It deglazes woks, tenderizes meats, and deepens sauces with subtle warmth.
ShaoXing (Shao Hsing) Rice Cooking Wine
A sweet Japanese rice wine that balances salty soy sauce in teriyaki, sukiyaki, and dipping broths. Its gentle sweetness also adds shine to glazes.
Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine
Sharp yet fruity, often used in Filipino adobo and tropical marinades. It brings brightness to otherwise rich dishes.
Palm Sugar
🍜 Noodles, Rice & Staples
The heart of Asian cooking. From fluffy jasmine rice to slurpable ramen and chewy udon, these staples are the comforting base that hold all those bold flavors together.
Fragrant and fluffy, the everyday rice of Thai and Vietnamese tables. Its subtle aroma pairs beautifully with curries and grilled meats.
Jasmine Rice
Short-grain, sticky, and slightly sweet when seasoned. Essential for sushi, onigiri, or donburi bowls.
Sushi Rice
Long-grain, aromatic, and light, it’s the backbone of Indian biryanis and Pakistani pulaos. Its smell elevates any spiced dish.
Basmati Rice
From flat pad thai noodles to vermicelli in spring rolls, these are quick-cooking and endlessly versatile across Southeast Asia.
RICE NOODLES
Udon is thick, chewy, and cozy in broths, while ramen is springy and perfect for slurping. Both deliver serious comfort in a bowl.
Udon Noodles
Soft, chewy, and slightly sweet. Used in Thai mango sticky rice, dim sum dumplings, and Lao/Isaan savory meals.
Sticky Rice
Thin, translucent sheets made from rice flour, used for fresh spring rolls or fried rolls. They bring a chewy bite and hold fillings like shrimp, herbs, and noodles beautifully. An essential for light, refreshing Vietnamese meals.
Vietnamese Rice Paper Spring Roll Wrapper
I always have this in my fridge. ALWAYS. Soft, square sheets made of flour, egg, and water, perfect for dumplings, wontons, or even crispy fried snacks. They’re delicate yet versatile, soaking up flavors from broths and sauces. at all times.
Wonton Wraps
The star of every Filipino events. Ultra-thin pastry wrappers used for Filipino spring rolls. They fry up golden and crisp, sealing in savory pork, vegetable, or even sweet banana fillings.
Lumpia Wrapper Spring Roll Pastry Wrappers
🥬 Pastes, Bases & Soups
Flavor bombs in a jar. Curry pastes, miso, sambal, and tamarind instantly set the tone of a dish — spicy, savory, tangy, or sweet. A must for quick weeknight cooking.
A fermented soybean paste ranging from sweet white miso to bold red. Essential for Japanese miso soup, marinades, and even dressings. I always have this whenever I want some warm and light soup.
Organic Miso Paste
Spicy, aromatic blends of herbs, chili, and spices that instantly create restaurant-level curries at home. Just add coconut milk and protein. We always have curry night once a week at home.
Curry Pastes
Tangy and slightly sweet, tamarind gives Indian sambar, Thai pad thai, and Filipino sinigang their signature sour notes.
Tamarind Paste
A fragrant Malaysian/Singaporean mix of chili, lemongrass, and spices. Combine with coconut milk for a spicy, creamy noodle soup. I just made this last night haha.
Laksa Paste
Indonesian chili paste that’s bold and straightforward. Perfect as a base for stir-fries or simply stirred into noodles for instant heat.
Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
My favorite hot pot place ever is Haidilao. A concentrated paste or cube loaded with chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and spices. Just add broth and you’ve got the foundation for a bubbling, communal hot pot full of flavor and heat.
Spicy Hot Pot Soup Base
Pre-made seasoning packets or concentrates that deliver the star anise, cinnamon, clove, and fish sauce backbone of Vietnam’s most famous noodle soup. It saves hours of simmering while still giving that signature aromatic depth.
Vietnamese Pho Beef Broth
Usually tamarind-based seasoning mix for the country’s iconic sour stew. It creates a bright, tangy broth that pairs well with pork, shrimp, or milkfish, bringing instant comfort in a bowl.
Tamarind Soup Base
If you are craving for a quick meal, this is for you. Solid curry blocks that melt into a thick, mildly spiced curry sauce. Savory-sweet and cozy, it’s the heart of dishes like katsu curry or curry rice.
Japanese Curry Roux
🍄 Dried Goods & Seasonings
These are the “secret weapons.” A piece of kombu, a sprinkle of five spice, or a few dried shiitakes infuse dishes with depth that fresh ingredients just can’t replicate.
Rehydrated, they bring deep, earthy umami to soups, braises, and stir-fries. The soaking liquid itself becomes a natural stock.
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
Kombu & Bonito Flakes – The duo behind Japanese dashi broth. Kombu lends sea-kissed umami, while bonito adds smokiness — together they’re the quiet force behind countless dishes.
Dried Bonito Flakes
Crisp and briny, perfect for sushi rolls, kimbap, or even quick snacking. This is also good when you make Japanese siomai.
Japanese Nori Seaweed Sheets
Fragrant and citrusy, essential in South Indian curries and dals. Best bloomed in oil to release their aroma.
Dried Curry Whole Leaves
A warm blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel. Adds depth to marinades, braises, and roasted meats.
Chinese Five Spice Powder
Citrusy, floral, and famously numbing. A cornerstone of Sichuan cuisine’s “málà” (numbing-spicy) flavor profile.
Szechuan Peppercorns
🥥 Pantry Boosters & Extras
Finishing touches that bring balance. Creamy coconut milk, tangy pickles, or a spoonful of bagoong can turn everyday meals into something memorable.
Creamy and subtly sweet, it enriches Thai curries, Filipino ginataan, and Indian kormas. A must for both savory and sweet dishes. This is always present in my cart.
Coconut Milk
Funky, salty, and deeply savory. A staple in Filipino cooking, it’s eaten with green mango or cooked into dishes like kare-kare.
Bagoong Sauteed Shrimp Paste
Korea’s iconic fermented side dish. Adds crunch, tang, and probiotics to rice bowls, stews, and pancakes. You can also make kimchi rice with its juices and all. Kimchi is just that flexible.
Kimchi
Korea’s rustic cousin of miso. Stronger and earthier, it forms the base of stews and sauces. I have completed all the jangs in my list. Yay!
Soybean Paste, Korean Doenjang
I have this as a side in my meals. Sweet-pickled green papaya relish, often served as a side to fried or grilled meats. Its crunchy, tangy-sweet profile cuts through rich or oily dishes perfectly.
Atsara
A dry seasoning mix of seaweed, sesame seeds, and bonito flakes that instantly upgrades plain rice, noodles, or even popcorn. It’s salty, savory, and crunchy, making it one of those “sprinkle on anything” essentials.
Furikake (Japanese Seasoning)