What are your favorite special kitchen ingredients?

bgc
Thu, 19 Dec 2024 05:47:19 +0000

I’m looking to explore a bit so i’d love to hear your thoughts. These are the items that make my kitchen special. I mainly cook Asian style food (Chinese, Japanese), so my ingredients trend in that direction. This is a combination of ingredients, condiments, and even snacks that bring joy to me.

If there’s a particular special brand that you think is extra special, i’d love to hear it too!

Mirin (in Toronto there is a small store that makes homemade mirin)

Yuzu ponzu sauce (same supplier)

Furikake / shichimi

Korean seasoned salt

Perilla Oil (an amazing nuttier substitute to sesame oil) - great on subtle dishes like zaru soba

Szechuan peppercorns - amazing to put into the mortar with other aromatics

Chinese cured pork belly - wow how immensely flavorful - I like the five spice one. Small cubes makes fried rice sing

Oyster sauce (two ladies LKK not panda LKK)

Nem Chua

Good butter (Kerrygold or St Brigid)

Sambal Oelek

Pandan leaves and frozen chopped lemongrass

Maldon salt

Frozen cheap chocolate squares (Swiss Delice)

Lao Gan Ma black bean chili crisp

Salted yolk potato chips, Honey Butter chips

Korean seaweed sheets for stock along with the little anchovies

Frozen unshelled clam meat - just throw a handful into anything like pasta or stir fries. So cheap and so good!

Chinese cooking wine

Perilla leaves (gganib)

when I can find them, Alphonso, Kesar, or Colombian Sugar Mangos

Concord or Muscat grapes

fatty Biltong (Florence meats is best)

wavy soba (for some reason I like the mouth feel)

frozen special handmade ramen

Calabrian peppers

Peperoncinos (I like the ones from Terroni)

Peruvian sweety drop peppers

Thai kefir leaves (frozen)

Thai birdseye peppers

Vietnamese veggies (rau ram) and Thai basil mmm

fermented tofu bricks - kinda smelly but adds a slickness and sourness when stir frying Chinese veggies

Korean coque d’asses (Japanese ones are a bit dry for me). Great frozen as well.

mango gummy candy from cocoa land lot 100

Chinese snow pear

kewpie mayo (creepy baby)

kozlik triple crunch mustard

Vietnamese fried onions (need to figure out what brand is best)

affordable soy sauce (made in Japan ones - yamasa or kikkoman)

fermented black pepper (I like the Trader Joe’s ones - I put it into ramen broth)

kecap manis (abc brand) for making Indonesian stuff

Hungarian Hunters sausages - great snacks that last

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