14 Staple Asian Sauces & Pastes For Your Pantry

Asian cuisine is incredibly diverse, with different flavours and cooking methods prioritised in different countries and regions. That being said, there are various ingredients and condiments that crop up in several nation’s culinary traditions.

If you love cooking different meals from around Asia at home, it’s certainly worth ensuring your cupboard is stocked with all the must-have Asian sauces and condiments. This way, you can always achieve delicious, authentic flavours when creating your favourite dishes from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea or Vietnam!

Essential Sauces For Asian Cooking

While the above-mentioned cuisines are very different, you’ll likely find that these key sauces, pastes, condiments and oils come in handy when cooking up a range of traditional treats from across East and Southeast Asia.

• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Shaoxing rice wine
• Mirin
• Sriracha
• Chilli oil
• Sesame oil
• Gochujang
• Miso
• Wasabi
• Curry paste
• Kewpie mayonnaise

1. Soy Sauce

Even if you’re new to cooking Asian cuisine, you’ll still be familiar with soy sauce. This sauce is an absolute staple and is commonly added to a wide range of dishes – from stews, to stir fries to marinades to dipping sauces – to give them a hit of umami flavours.

There are several varieties of soy sauce, such as light, dark, tamari and kecap manis; these have slightly different flavour profiles, but they all work to add depth and complexity to your food.

See our Kikkoman soy sauce range for a delicious blend.

2. Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is another essential if you love Thai and Vietnamese food in particular. It is usually used alongside other sauces and condiments (like soy sauce) to provide a rich, umami backdrop for your other fragrant ingredients.

It is made from anchovies, salt and sugar and is characterised by a strong salty smell and taste. Use this for your curries, soups, meat marinades, noodle dishes and pretty much anything else you want to add a delicious savoury bite to. Squid Brand is a popular manufacturer of fish sauce.

3. Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce usually has a thicker consistency than soy sauce or fish sauce, but it serves a similar function. As the name suggests, it is made with oysters, but it doesn’t have a fishy taste. Instead, this rich, syrupy sauce has a powerful umami flavour with sweet and salty notes.

You’ll often find oyster sauce used in a range of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese dishes, helping elevate all manner of vegetable and meat dishes.

4. Hoisin Sauce

Oyster and hoisin sauce are sometimes confused with one another because they have a similar consistency and richness. However, hoisin sauce is made with fermented soybeans rather than oysters and is flavoured with five-spice powder, garlic and sugar.

Hoisin sauce is deliciously sweet and makes a fantastic addition to marinades and dipping sauces or a tasty condiment to add the finishing touch to your dish. It is sometimes likened to American BBQ sauce as it can be used in a similar way.

5. Shaoxing Rice Wine

Rice wine and vinegar are often used in Asian cooking, helping provide that characteristic taste of authentic Chinese cuisine. Shaoxing rice wine, made from fermented rice, is named for the city of its origin. It is a particularly popular Chinese rice wine as it is sweet and complex and will help you achieve that restaurant-like quality.

6. Mirin

In a similar vein, mirin is a Japanese rice wine that imbues your food with a sweet, tangy flavour. It can be used to add complexity to your ramen and stir fries or used as a base for other sauces, like teriyaki.

Like with sake, you can get different grades of mirin with varying alcohol levels and tastes. Hon mirin is the purest, while aji and kotteri mirin have lower alcohol levels.

7. Sriracha Sauce

Sriracha is a favourite for those who love all things hot and spicy. Originating from Thailand, this sauce is a staple in various Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam. It is made with chillies, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt, producing a spicy, tangy condiment that’s often eaten with seafood.

But sriracha can be added to almost anything to give it a fiery kick! Pho and various noodle dishes pair brilliantly with the hot condiment. Flying Goose is one of the most recognisable sriracha brands – they produce various enticing flavours, including coconut, ginger and wasabi chilli sauces.

8. Chilli Oil

Spiciness is a key characteristic of several Asian cuisines, with Korean food particularly known for its next-level hotness. Chilli oil is made from flash-fired chillies soaked in oil, often with other fragrant ingredients added to enhance the flavour.

These chilli infusions are ideal for spicing up stir fries, rice dishes, veggies, meat marinades and much more. Crispy chilli oil is a popular version because it adds a moreish garnish as well as that deep chilli flavour and delicious burn.

9. Sesame Oil

Sesame oil has a nutty, almost sweet taste, which adds an unbeatable fragrance to your dish. It’s made from toasted sesame seeds and can be used when sauteing meat or veg, but works especially well as a dressing or seasoning. It’s a common ingredient in dipping sauces as well.

10. Gochujang

For another layer of spiciness, gochujang is certainly one to try. This Korean chilli paste is made with red chilli peppers, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt. Like sriracha, it is incredibly versatile and can be added to most things that require that distinctive Korean spiciness.

Gochujang is also quite sweet, making for a delicious addition to soup, stews, noodles and marinades.

11. Miso

Miso is another paste that offers a deep, umami, salty flavour. It is a Japanese staple made from fermented soybeans and kōji – other Asian countries have their own version of fermented soybean paste, but miso tends to be the most well-known one in Western countries. Whether it’s added to a dish or used to make a simple miso soup, there are so many ways to make use of its powerful flavour.

Miso is available in white, yellow and red variations. Yellow miso tends to be thought of as an all-purpose miso paste you can use in most dishes, whereas the other colours are milder and richer, respectively.

12. Wasabi

Real wasabi is made from the rhizomes of the Wasabia japonica plant, which is part of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes horseradish and mustard. It has a very powerful, fresh flavour with a quick burst of heat (similar to a very strong mustard). You’ll most commonly see the bright green paste paired with sushi and other Japanese dishes.

Some products labelled as ‘wasabi’ may not actually be made with true wasabi but with horseradish instead – while the taste is similar, imitation wasabi can be much stronger and may overwhelm your dish.

13. Curry Paste

Many countries have a different take on curry, with Thailand being particularly known for its aromatic curry dishes. Curry paste or sauce is a cupboard essential for any curry lover, as it’ll instantly bring authentic flavours and depth to your home cooking.

Curry paste is made from a range of spices like cumin, turmeric and coriander, along with fragrant ingredients like ginger, lemongrass and fresh chillies. Along with using it in curries, you could also use it to flavour sauces or marinades.

14. Kewpie Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise can be a somewhat divisive condiment, but Kewpie mayonnaise might just change the naysayers' minds! A classic in Japan, Kewpie mayo is richer and creamier than regular mayonnaise. This makes for an especially delicious spread for sandwiches or condiments for okonomiyaki, yakisoba and salads.

You can find all of these brilliant staples and much more at Oriental Mart. We also stock plenty of ready-made sauce jars from much-loved brands like Lee Kum Kee to bring authenticity and convenience to your kitchen.

See our full range of cooking sauces for more authentic flavours.