Kitchen guide
Ingredients, techniques and basic recipes of Asian cooking, explained for your home kitchen. Start with the basics or look up an ingredient in the lexicon.
Basics & techniques
All guide articles →-
Sambal
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Frying Krupuk
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Vietnam Street Food
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Rice Paper
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Dim Sum
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Thai Snacks
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Thai Street Food
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Korean Street Food
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Banchan
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Japanese Breakfast
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Onigiri Fillings
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Ramen Toppings
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Thai Curry Pastes
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Rice Cooker
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Types of Rice
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Types of Tofu
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Hot Pot at Home
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Substituting Asian Ingredients
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Umami
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How to Cook Jasmine Rice
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How to Cook Basmati Rice
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How to Cook Rice
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Asian Pantry List
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Seasoning a Wok
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Ramen Tare
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Upgrading Instant Noodles
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Cooking Sticky Rice
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Preparing Shiitake
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Light and Dark Soy Sauce
Ingredient lexicon
From oyster sauce to yuzu: what it is, how it tastes and what to swap in.
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- Bamboo ShootsBamboo shoots give curries, soups and ramen bite. Here you learn how to cook fresh shoots...
- Black RiceBlack rice comes as sticky rice for desserts and as grainy rice for side dishes. Here...
- Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi)Bonito flakes, in Japanese katsuobushi, give dashi its smoky fish flavor and dance on okonomiyaki. Here...
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F
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- GalangalGalangal looks like ginger but tastes of resin and citrus. Here is how to recognize it,...
- Garam MasalaGaram masala is the warm spice blend of North Indian cooking. Here you find a recipe...
- GochujangGochujang is Korea's red, fermented chili paste: sweet, spicy and salty at once. Here is what...
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- Palm SugarPalm sugar tastes of caramel and sweetens curries, sauces and desserts in Southeast Asia. Here you...
- PandanPandan leaves smell of vanilla and jasmine rice and turn desserts green. Here you learn how...
- PankoPanko makes tonkatsu and ebi fry airy and crisp. Here you learn what it is made...
- PonzuPonzu brings acidity, salt and umami to hot pot, gyoza and tofu. Here is how the...
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- Sa Cha Sauce (Shacha)Sa cha is the hot pot dip of Taiwan and Chaozhou. Here is how the paste...
- SakeSake is Japanese rice wine made from rice, koji and yeast. Here you read how it...
- Sambal OelekSambal oelek is pure chili paste from Indonesia. Here you learn how it differs from sriracha,...
- SeitanSeitan is pure wheat gluten and has been a meat substitute in China's Buddhist cooking for...
- Sesame OilSesame oil comes toasted and untoasted, and the two do different jobs. Here you learn which...
- Sichuan Pepper and MalaSichuan pepper tingles and numbs the tongue, and with chili it makes mala, the flavor of...
- Silken TofuSilken tofu is tender as pudding and is not pressed. Here you learn how it is...
- Soba NoodlesSoba are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat. Here is how to read the buckwheat content, cook...
- Star AniseStar anise brings the sweet, warm anise note to pho, braises and five-spice powder. Here you...
T
- TamarindTamarind is the sour fruit behind pad Thai and many Southeast Asian soups. Here you learn...
- TempehTempeh is made from soybeans and the fungus Rhizopus. Here you read how it tastes, why...
- Thai BasilThai basil tastes of anise and belongs in green curries, while holy basil (krapow) goes into...
- Tonkatsu SauceTonkatsu sauce is the thick, fruity-tart sauce that sits next to every cutlet in Japan. Here...