Asian Market Staples- Long Lasting and Versatile

A thick paste of fermented soybeans that normally requires significant dilution to be used, Miso is probably the most easily recognizable of all the fundamentals of Asian cuisine. After all, nearly every Japanese restaurant has Miso Soup. What you'd see at those restaurants is typically made with a variety known as White Miso. This picture is just what I have on hand- Red Miso, which has a stronger, slightly saltier flavor than White, and is my personal preference for adding salt, depth, and body to many dishes. It also makes for an excellent glaze when mixed with sweet and spicy items, like tamarind or chiles.Lasting far longer than fresh, this is not the bright pink sugary drek you'll find in most asian restaurants- but if you want to treat it that way, this size container can benefit hugely from a tablespoon of sugar. Adulterated or not, once opened the container should be refrigerated to keep it in good condition. Ginger alone has a powerful flavor, adding brightness, heat, and intensity to most any dish. The pickling juices can also be reserved to enhance sauces and soups as well- something I highly endorse.A popular mainstream brand of Japanese curry (even sometimes find-able at places like Giant), it's an excellent box to have in your pantry for those days you really don't feel like getting fancy with dinner. Follow the directions on the box with your meat and vegetables of choice, ladle it over some rice, and voila, a meal.  Don't be fooled by the 'Extra Hot' label, it's really quite mild. There are several other milder spice levels if you really must, but a good rush of spice is just the thing to perk you up after a long day.View the list »
Of all the herbs you'll find at ethnic markets, this is typically the most prevalent, potent, and affordable. Buy a lot, pluck the leaves, bag them, and freeze them. They will darken, but retain the fresh scent and lushness that harms dried herbs. Also it will shatter brilliantly once frozen, saving chopping time.

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For those of you that can't make it to an Asian Market every day, I thought it prudent to devise a list of some long-lasting staples that will add endless versatility to your kitchen repertoire. All of them will create a huge amount of impact when compared with the quantity used, and they last for ages when properly stored, so there's no worries about having to throw anything away. The fridge and the freezer are your friends, and the food you cook will thank you for having these fixings on hand.

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  • Of all the herbs you'll find at ethnic markets, this is typically the most prevalent, potent, and affordable. Buy a lot, pluck the leaves, bag them, and freeze them. They will darken, but retain the fresh scent and lushness that harms dried herbs. Also it will shatter brilliantly once frozen, saving chopping time.
  • A popular mainstream brand of Japanese curry (even sometimes find-able at places like Giant), it's an excellent box to have in your pantry for those days you really don't feel like getting fancy with dinner. Follow the directions on the box with your meat and vegetables of choice, ladle it over some rice, and voila, a meal.  Don't be fooled by the 'Extra Hot' label, it's really quite mild. There are several other milder spice levels if you really must, but a good rush of spice is just the thing to perk you up after a long day.
  • Lasting far longer than fresh, this is not the bright pink sugary drek you'll find in most asian restaurants- but if you want to treat it that way, this size container can benefit hugely from a tablespoon of sugar. Adulterated or not, once opened the container should be refrigerated to keep it in good condition. Ginger alone has a powerful flavor, adding brightness, heat, and intensity to most any dish. The pickling juices can also be reserved to enhance sauces and soups as well- something I highly endorse.
  • A thick paste of fermented soybeans that normally requires significant dilution to be used, Miso is probably the most easily recognizable of all the fundamentals of Asian cuisine. After all, nearly every Japanese restaurant has Miso Soup. What you'd see at those restaurants is typically made with a variety known as White Miso. This picture is just what I have on hand- Red Miso, which has a stronger, slightly saltier flavor than White, and is my personal preference for adding salt, depth, and body to many dishes. It also makes for an excellent glaze when mixed with sweet and spicy items, like tamarind or chiles.
  • Now this is some powerful stuff. a teaspoon thinned to a syrup will add intense spiciness to any glaze, marinade or sauce. Essentially ground and pasted hot peppers, this makes sriracha look like sissy sauce. Refrigerated, it lasts pretty much forever, which is great- even a small container lasts for ages (I do a *lot* of cooking at home, and mine is still perfect after a year in the fridge), and its uses are manifold. Like miso, it requires thinning with some form of liquid to be used in most applications- I like a dash of vinegar and some honey, then tossing my fried chicken around in it. Now that's a meal! I also mix it with citrus, tamarind, and pickled ginger for a piquant sweet and sour sauce that's delightful on fish or pork, and can also be thinned for a powerful salad dressing.
  • This is the lemon and lime of southeast asia- particularly in places like the Phillipines. Instead of reaching for a lime, they'll go for tamarind, and it's easy to understand why. Younger folks have an easy comparison- it tastes like Sour Patch Kids. A good splash of that is guaranteed to liven things up!  The brick pictured is what you'll tend to find most often- carve off a hunk (mind the seeds!), rehydrate in a bowl with some boiling water, and you'll have plenty of sweet, tart juice to play around with. I was fortunate enough to find a concentrate that's pictured as well, which removed the need for hacking up the brick and dodging the seeds. Tamarind is a lovely substitute for citrus fruits in most applications, also serving quite nicely in tea, soups, and desserts. The only downside is that since it's a seed pod instead of a whole fruit, there's no zest, so things like gremolata are out.
  • The primary reason I place coconut milk here is because it's so very much cheaper at Asian markets than it is in conventional supermarket- likely about a 40% savings, plus there are many more brands, variants, and derivatives (coconut cream, coconut water, and the like).  Among the easiest of many applications- use it as a liquid when making curries. For example, the spice level in that Golden Curry mix shown a few pictures ago will mellow out a little, and the finished product will gain in body and richness, something that wouldn't happen with plain water or most stocks. Coconut milk is also wonderful to cook rice in, for both savory and sweet applications. It adds a mild but still distinct character to any dish it touches, and I highly recommend it. Some may squawk at the fat content, but at the end of the day, taste reigns supreme in my mind.
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, DC Asian Restaurants Examiner

Jacob Wojnar is a professional chef and east asian scholar residing in the DC Metro area. He applies his intense training and advanced education to exploring the minutiae of East Asian food culture in the nation's capital and its widespread suburbs.. Contact Jacob.

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