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What are your favorite special kitchen ingredients?
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
If you're not using MSG you're missing a lot!
I recently got down a rabbit hole on youtube, and it turns out that in conjunction with MSG, certain ribonucleotides greatly increase umami. In my (very minimal) research, bonito flakes and dried shiitake mushrooms stood out as being particularly rich sources of both msg and ribonucleotides.
All of which is to say, my 2 new special kitchen ingredients are
A lot of Asian kitchens also use mushroom powder or chicken powder instead of MSG for the umami! Even my own mother who I fear has internalized a lot of the racist backlash against MSG usually uses chicken powder as a substitute.
I see a lot already listed so I'll list a couple of more obscure ingredients:
Piment doux d'Anglet - to use if you want the flavour of chilli peppers with 0 heat. Great if you're making something like a green curry or pico de gallo but for people who can't tolerate spiciness at all.
Colatura di alici - essentially a fish sauce, but specifically an anchovy extract. It's similar to a condiment that was used in ancient Rome. You can use it anywhere you'd use Worcestershire sauce but it tastes much better in my opinion, and you can use it sparingly. Adds some umami to soups and stews without overpowering the dish
Massa de pimentão - a paste made from red bell peppers used in Portuguese cooking, especially for marinades.
Edit - I thought of a couple more:
Black garlic - fermented garlic that's sweeter and less harsh than regular garlic. Makes an amazing garlic aioli and adds a nice layer to dishes where garlic is the star. I've seen it used in some fancy desserts but it's not my thing.
Belacan (fermented shrimp paste) - it's stinky but I think it's indispensable in certain dishes like thai curries
MSG
Furikake (amazing lightly sprinkled on some buttered toast)
Dashi powder
Mirin
Zaatar
Dukkah
Rose Harissa paste
Home grown garlic (incredible in comparison to store bought and it keeps for months and months)
Nutmeg
Ghee
The only thing I want to add to this is if you grow a commercial strain of garlic, it will tend to taste not much better than a supermarket garlic. I would recommend seeking out some heirloom varieties that are noted for their flavor. Some of them may be less productive than the commercial strains, but that is not normally an issue for the home gardener (since you aren't trying to produce tons and tons of it to sell), and you can try different varieties to see which grow best in your conditions.
My personal favorite variety to grow is Spanish Roja because it has a very strong, very good flavor and it can last in storage for over a year. It's also a variety that produces scapes, which I love in stir fry.
Pretty much any of the usual Thai stuff:
I have it on my list to get some smoked paprika. I've heard it is a great substitute for regular paprika, and I often partly or completely replace chili powder in recipes to dial down the spiciness for my family.
Came here to second smoked paprika. I have a tendency to put it in absolutely everything and have yet to be disappointed by the result.
"The bacon of spices"
Excellent on roasted potatoes!
There's a whole range of paprikas outside of "regular paprika"! I use a lot of both smoked and Hungarian sweet paprika.
Something that I don't see listed (that may have just been overlooked) is doenjang. It makes for an excellent noodle base and adds a lot of depth/flavor to anything you put it in, plus it keeps well.
I also would add Chinese black vinegar. It is a unique, multifaceted vinegar that can kick up sauces/noodles/etc, and is an excellent pairing for fatty meats.
Doenjang and miso paste are staples for me in much of my cooking, and my cuisine is mostly British/N.American. The umami it adds has a distinct quality, almost like parmesan but without any of the cheesiness, if you know what I mean.
ooh I was about to add Chinese black vinegar in my own comment. They're all flipping great.
You can make this fairly easily at home, if you have a metal sieve and eat resistant bowl (metal or pyrex/borosilicate).
Start with shallots, cut in desired shape (I do small discs), heat enough oil to cover everything (it's a deep fry after all) until 180C or so (temperature is flexible).
The unusual technique is that at the first sign of browning you strain the whole thing at once by dumping thr oil and shallots into the strainer (with the heat resistant bowl underneath) instead of fishing each piece with a strainer or spider. You do that to avoid burning the shallots (if your cut was super fine) and have uniform cooking for all pieces.
Bonus: you have now shallots-perfumed oil.
With such a long list, it's hard to come up with something not already mentioned!
The staples I always have stocked are:
soy sauce
fish sauce
miso paste / doenjang
gochujang
chipotle in adobo sauce
Apart from the chipotle, I use the others in all kinds of cuisines, including British, N.American, Italian, Thai, Mexican, etc. You won't necessarily taste them individually, but they add depth and complexity.
I have a small garden with a few plants, and two of them in particular waaaaaay overproduce compared to everything else in there: a rosemary bush and a cayenne pepper plant. So to combat this I try to use rosemary and cayenne in a ton of different things (and it's still not enough!).
Cayenne works great on a lot of meats and veggies. Everything from tuna salad to ground beef, chicken, vegetable soup, chili, etc. And rosemary honestly works on pretty much anything that I've tried it so far. I put it on virtually all my pastas (and I make a lot of pastas) as well as any meats and sauces and it generally just blends into the dish nicely. That or I've just grown so accustomed to these two that I don't even notice they're there any more. Oh and whenever I'm grilling a larger piece of meat like a chicken breast or fish fillet, I'll put a whole branch or two of rosemary on top and then I can really taste the flavor (I remove the branch first, of course).
Oh and separately from that: Balsamic vinegar glaze. Goddamn does that go well on damn near anything. Pizza? Yes. Pasta? Yes. Fried rice and veggies? Yup. Tacos? A bit weird but fuck it why not.
My wife made steaks marinated in balsamic vinegar once, and it was so good that it became our go-to for steaks. We also discovered that it's delicious on roasted brussels sprouts.
Ooh I've never tried marinating anything in it before. Usually I just drizzle some on top right before eating. So thanks for the idea! I'm gonna try that marinated steak and see how it goes.
Aleppo pepper
Black peppercorns in a grinder VS pre-ground black pepper (HUGE flavor difference)
MSG
Tons of hot sauces, particularly Chabe Sambal for pizza and Scotch Bonnet curry for fish
Lao Gan Ma (various)
Fly by Jing (various)
+1 to Ponzu, amazing with Gyoza/Jiaozi
Dijon Mustard
That’s a decent sized list! It’s also a good reminder that I still need to buy some shaoxing wine + mirin, too …
Minced Toasted Onion and Roasted Garlic powder are my secret ingredients in most savory dishes. I use them liberally, and they always add amazing, deep flavors to whatever I'm making.
Multiple fats: it's amazing how much you can change the taste of a meal by using different oils.
Peanut oil
Lard
Duck fat
Sesame oil (non toasted)
coconut oil
Light olive oil
Dank olive oil (EVOO for finishing)
Umami
Anchovy paste
Tomato paste
MSG (either bagged from an Asian market or Mrs Dash from the grocery store in the US)
Acids/salts
Apple cider vinegar
White vinegar
red wine vinegar
White wine
Balsamic vinegar (one for cooking one for finishing)
Tamari Sauce (AKA good soy sauce)
Bragg's Amino acids
The secrets:
Kifir lime leaves. Put a couple in chicken noodle soup and it becomes a Love Potion.
Nutritional yeast Braggs. Sprinkle on everything.
Recently I have been in love with the flavor of Melinda's Black Truffle Hot Sauce. I wouldn't really consider it a true hot sauce. The heat level is very very mild. But the flavor is soo good and goes with so many things. I've put it on ramen, tacos, burgers, roast beef, deli turkey, grilled chicken, pasta... The list goes on.
Edit: I Came back to say that I get it from our local Wal-Mart. It should be pretty easy to find, for anyone curious to try it.
Not yet mentioned:
Necessary for Middle Eastern pastries, and it really jazzes up a fruit salad or whipped cream (use like vanilla).
Expensive, but the taste is superior to most commercial chocolate and it makes a beautiful glaze or ganache.
Use as a seasoning whenever you need a bitter balance to the sweetness of roasted/stewed vegetables, especially in long-cooked braises. It can also boost umami perception.
These herbs are part of classic herbes de Provence blends. Use them when you're working with rich but mildly flavored fish or chicken dishes if you're thinking, "this needs a little something, but not too much". Good with fresh greens in salads, too. Lavender makes a pleasant appearance in lemony baked goods.
This may be controversial, but I think it tastes fantastic on pizza or other high fat, high acidity foods.
Edit: Miel de cacao
My brother got me a jar of this delectable substance and I'm still trying to figure out how to use it. It's got some similarities to balsamic vinegar, but it's both fruitier and has hints of chocolate. I've barely gotten past just eating it as a spread on good sourdough. It would be delicious as an ice cream topping, in barbecue sauce, or as a pastry filling.
I've got a few but my favorites are:
What do you do with the lime leaves?
I add them to a lot of our Thai and Thai inspired meals.
A lot already mentioned, a lot I didn't know about! A few things I can think of off the top of my head:
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh ground nutmeg
whole spices in general; I like to toast them first then grind to add to baked goods--I've been making pfeffernusse which has a lot of winter warming spices in it
molasses, but mostly because it let's me make brown sugar when I need it
kewpie mayo
Various chili crisps--I've been using a Momofuku one that has a citrus note to it which I've been enjoying a lot
vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract, in part because you get those pretty specs of vanilla in light colored uses
Lemon/lime zest in addition to citrus juice in recipes
Various fruit cheongs to add in to recipes but especially drinks
I'm allergic to garlic so I've been trying to use hing/asafoetida as a substitute, TBD on how it's going though.
One of the big ones was just using fresh veggies/fruit from when I worked on a farm: we grew varietals bred for taste, and lots of different leaves for spring mix. That was a cool way to make something like salad more interesting for people
I made a bunch of preserved lemons when I could buy them cheaply, but I'm honestly not totally sure how to use them most effectively.
On a similar note, a zester is a special kitchen tool I really find helps a lot! An immersion blender too
A tiny amount of Xanthan Gum makes bread dough amazingly springy and awesome.
When making pretzels, use real lye water, not the fake baking soda method that tastes like metallic disappointment. Sodium hydroxide will full thermally decompose, leaving no nasty aftertaste, just delicious Maillardy deliciousness.
Mushroom Ketchup is an amazing sauce, and is so easy to make, everyone should try it. The dried mushroom powder left after making it is just as good.
Most of my special ingredients are covered here, but I haven’t seen masa harina mentioned and that has become a must have in our pantry. So versatile and so cheap.
1:1 with water = corn tortilla dough. Add a little fat to it and you’ve got dough for tamales, or add some cornmeal to make arepas. Chochoyotes are fun replacement for dumplings in chicken soup. It also makes a good thickening agent for chilis and adds a little bit of that nixtamalised corn sweetness.
Also, we’ve always got some andouille sausage in the freezer. After a shitty day, some andouille on cheesy grits or a big pot of red beans and rice takes very little effort but is so comforting.
All the Asian stuff I use has already been mentioned, as well as smoked paprika. But something not yet mentioned -- I always have Hungarian double smoked bacon around. It's a bacon for seasoning or accents; you don't eat it by the slice. Most often I matchstick it and use it in quiches. Kolozsvari and Bende are both great brands. I did buy one of a different brand that had skin on and was generally kind of crappy flavor-wise, so there are not-good ones out there. Generally you find these in "European" groceries which often means Eastern European or Russian. They're not too fatty and will store in your freezer very well.
Two that have not been mentioned: liquid smoke; sodium bicarbonate, which has many uses - softening vegetables when boiling, helping during the Maillard reaction, modifying the balance of tastes, eliminating unwanted flavours from recipes.
I'm not sure sodium bicarb is really a special ingredient -- baking soda's a staple I think most people have in their kitchens! That said, definitely stealing some of your recs for how to use it.
Baking soda and sliced meats marinated for 20 minutes before cooking them in saucy things (the process is called velveting, iirc) is a good way to get more tender meat when doing stir fries and stuff!
True, but somehow I had the impression that people mostly use it as-is for cleaning. I know that I’ve received weird reactions IRL when explaining that I use it for the purposes I described.
a lot of good stuff --- ground white pepper is important for mushrooms and also HK style egg sandwiches (basically do Pepin's french omelette method... but with white pepper in the mix.) Just a great way to add a little earthiness to a dish.
Outside of this, I like to have a good ras el hanout blend on hand. Good for stews and stuff.
Knifewise, I strongly believe that everybody should have a good, large vegetable cleaver / CCK. My favorite style of knife.