The 10 essential ingredients of your Asian pantry
If you’re just getting into the wonderful world of oriental food, this article is for you. We’ll tell you the main Asian ingredients used in the best-known oriental cuisines. Would you like to try some of the best-known dishes from the Asian continent? Discover Ta-Tung’s specialties and enjoy authentic oriental food without stepping out of your front door.
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is undoubtedly an essential of Asian cuisine. It’s fermented from soybean seeds. Widely used in stir-fried recipes, it’s also used as a sauce to accompany dishes such as spring rolls, Vietnamese nems, stir-fried noodles, prawn hakao, gyozas and special fried rice, among many others.
Rice vinegar
This mild vinegar is made from fermented rice. It has a subtle acidic taste and is much milder than other types of vinegar. It’s widely used in Japanese cuisine (popularly in sushi) and to make other Asian sauces.
Sriracha sauce
This famous Asian sauce is made from tomato, hot chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It’s hot and spicy with sweet notes. Sriracha sauce is used as a condiment for a range dishes including all kinds of spring roll, chicken wings and fish.
Fresh ginger
Ginger is a root that’s widely used in Asian cuisine. It has a powerful aroma and a fresh, citrusy and slightly hot taste.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is obtained from a mixture of water and crushed ripe coconut. It’s an important ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine and is used as a base for different sauces and soups.
Rice noodles
These are made from rice flour and water and there are different types according to their thickness. They’re used in many traditional Asian dishes.
Rice
Sushi, fried rice of all kinds … Rice is the undisputed sovereign of the Asian diet. Numerous Asian dishes are made with this cereal, but special fried rice is definitely the most popular.
Spring onion
This plant is a member of the garlic family (so it comes from the same family as onions and leeks). It has a grassy flavour and is very aromatic and tasty. It adds a lot of flavour to vegetable and meat stir-fries. Both the green and white parts are used. The two have different flavours and textures.
Teriyaki sauce
This sauce is made of soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake. Its name comes from the Japanese cooking technique used for roasting. Teri refers to the shine this sauce gives the food, while yaki means roasted. Teriyaki sauce is often used to marinate meat, but also in all types of stir-fries. It has a sweet and flavourful taste.
Yakisoba sauce
Yakisoba noodles are a very popular dish in Japan. They’re one of the mainstays of street food in this Asian country. The sauce used to sauté the noodles (yakisoba sauce) is what gives this dish that special flavour everyone likes so much.
We hope you’ve taken note of these basic Asian ingredients. Oriental cuisine is a world in and of itself and so it can be quite tricky to learn its techniques and tricks. The good news is that you can enjoy the taste of authentic oriental specialties at home in just a few minutes by putting the tray in the microwave. Discover Ta-Tung’s Asian range and enjoy traditional dishes from the Asian continent!
