Unlock the Secrets to Start Cooking Asian Cuisine at Home with this List of Essential Ingredients and Equipment.
Ever dreamed of cooking Asian cuisine at home? Don’t be intimidated! With this list of essential ingredients and equipment, you can start creating delicious Asian dishes right in your own kitchen. This beginners guide to Asian cuisine will allow even the most novice home cook to embark on an exciting culinary journey through Asia.
What is Asian Cooking?
Asian cuisine, with its vibrant flavors and diverse techniques, can seem intimidating to the home cook. However, with the right ingredients and equipment, even beginners can master the art of creating delicious and authentic Asian dishes. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the essential ingredients and tools you need to embark on your Asian cooking adventure.
Before we dive into the specifics, let’s clarify what we mean by “Asian cooking.” Asia is a vast continent with countless ethnicities and cultures, each with its own unique cuisine. While Chinese cuisine is often associated with Asian food, it’s important to remember that Asia also encompasses Indian, Middle Eastern, Russian, Japanese, Southeast Asian, and many other diverse culinary traditions.
For this post, we’ll focus on Thai and Chinese cuisine, as they both share similar cooking techniques, like stir-frying, and are personal favorites of ours. Our blog is filled with delicious Thai and Chinese recipes to inspire your culinary adventures.
Essential Ingredients for Beginners to start Cooking Asian Cuisine
With this short list of pantry staples, you can whip up countless delicious Asian dishes. They’re easy to find at your local supermarket or Asian market, and once you have them, they’ll last for a long time.
- Soy Sauce: A staple in many Asian cuisines, soy sauce adds a salty and umami flavor.
- Fish Sauce: This pungent liquid condiment is essential for Southeast Asian dishes, providing a unique salty-sweet taste.
- Rice Vinegar: Adds a tangy and slightly sweet flavor to dishes like sushi rice and stir-fries.
- Chinese Cooking Wine: a rice wine used for cooking. It is generally clear in color. shaoxing wine is another type of Chinese cooking wine that is amber in color with a more complex flavor than ordinary Chinese cooking wine.
- Sesame Oil: A nutty and fragrant oil used for flavoring and finishing dishes.
- Coconut Milk: A creamy and versatile ingredient used in Thai and Indian curries and desserts.
- Hoisin Sauce: A thick, sweet, and savory sauce commonly used in Chinese barbecue.
- Oyster Sauce: A thick and dark brown sauce that is sweet and salty sauce The sweetness isn’t one-noted being complex like caramel. The saltiness is more subtle, like ocean water. Actually made with oysters, all that oyster flavor adds a deep umami and rich savoriness to the sauce
- Black Bean Paste: An aromatic, black, salty, slightly sweet, umami and earthy paste made with a mixture of soybeans, flour, and caramel and then fermented. This paste adds a complex and robust flavor that is too salty to use plain and is often diluted when making a sauce.
- Sriracha: A spicy chili sauce that adds heat and flavor to a variety of dishes.
- Curry Paste: Curry paste is used in many Thai dishes. It is simply an array of spices made into a paste. It can be yellow, green or red and range from mild to spicy.
- Ginger, Scallions and Garlic: These versatile aromatics are essential for many Asian dishes.
- Corn Starch: a thickening agent used to thicken sauce in Asian cuisine.
Must-Have Equipment to begin Cooking Asian Cuisine
Start your Asian cooking journey with these essential tools. A wok and rice cooker are indispensable, while the other items will make your life easier.
- Wok: A wok is a versatile cooking vessel that is essential for stir-frying and other Asian cooking techniques. They come in different sizes that you can select from depending on how many you cook for. We use a small nonstick pan that is a perfect size for two and simple to clean.
- Rice Cooker: A rice cooker is a convenient appliance for cooking perfect rice every time.we have used the Aroma rice cooker for years of flawless cooking.
- Steamer Basket: A steamer basket is ideal for steaming vegetables and dumplings.
- Chopsticks: Essential for eating many Asian dishes.
- Mandoline Slicer: A useful tool for creating thin, even slices of vegetables. Mandoline slicers substantially reduce the time spent cutting vegetables for Asian recipes.
- Mortar and Pestle: For grinding spices and herbs.
What Rice do I Use with Asian Cooking?
The type of rice you use depends on your preference. Jasmine and medium-grain rice are common in Chinese and Thai cuisine, while short-grain rice is ideal for a stickier texture.
No matter which rice you choose a rice cooker is recommended. These cookers make it impossible to screw up cooking rice and cleanup is a breeze.
No matter which rice you chose, we recommends simplifying your rice-cooking experience with a rice cooker. It’s a reliable tool that guarantees delicious results and minimal cleanup.
Tips for the Beginner
- Start with simple recipes. Don’t overwhelm yourself with complex dishes right away.
- Preparation. Before you start cooking, be sure to have all your ingredients chopped and sliced and sauces prepared. You won’t have time to to do any of this once the wok is started. Most recipes get assembled and cooked very quickly.
- Taste as you go. Adjust flavors to your preference.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Asian cuisine offers endless possibilities for creativity. We have even used a griddle on our grill in place of the wok to create fried rice! It was fantastic and fun to make. Check out the video below!
Armed with these essential ingredients and kitchen equipment, you’re ready to embark on a delicious journey through Asian cuisine. Don’t hesitate to start your culinary adventure today!
Simple Asian Recipes
We cook Asian food about 2-3 times a month. Why? We love the healthy aspects of it, like the lean protein and abundance of vegetables. However, Asian sauces can be high in sodium and unhealthy fats. By making these dishes at home, we can control the ingredients and ensure a healthier meal overall.
Start your Asian cooking journey with our delicious recipes below! From mild Cantonese and Chinese-American dishes to fiery Thai stir-fries, there’s something for everyone. These recipes are simple to follow, and with the ingredients and equipment from our beginner’s guide, you’ll be creating amazing Asian food in no time.
Please be sure to comment if this post helped you, if you had success with the recipes or share a photo in the comments or to our Instagram @thefiftiesfightclub.
Cantonese Chicken and Vegetables
Difficulty: EasyTraditional asian stir-fry with delicate Cantonese flavors. A healthy, quick and easy meal.
Thai Basil Chicken
Difficulty: EasyA simple and fiery dish you thought you could only enjoy at your favorite Thai place. Thai basil chicken is simple, healthy and should be part of your dinner repertoire!
Chicken and Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce
Difficulty: EasyA healthy and simple Asian dish full of flavor!
Thai salad with Chicken and Lime (Larb Gai)
Difficulty: EasyA light and healthy meal or salad that is loaded with essential Thai flavors.
Khao Soi: The Ultimate Thai Comfort Food
Difficulty: EasyA filling and health northern Thai soup loaded with flavor.
Kimchi Fried Rice with Chicken
Difficulty: EasyClassic fried rice with an added punch. Kimchi adds a powerful punch and nutritional benefit to this popular Asian dish.
Chinese Lemon Chicken
Difficulty: EasyA tangy and light lemon flavored dish loaded with fresh vegetables and crunchy chicken tenders.
Better Than Takeout Drunken Noodles
Difficulty: EasyClassic southeast Asian dish, specifically Thailand, made with your choice of protein, rice noodles, vegetables, Thai basil, lots of garlic and a spicy sauce. Our version allows you to control the level of spice and oil added during the stir fry.
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