Asian Grocery Staples
A practical guide to the pantry staples that anchor Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino home cooking. If you're shopping at an Asian supermarket for the first time — or stocking a kitchen for stir-fries, ramen, pho, curry, or bibimbap — these are the ingredients to buy first. Need jasmine rice, fish sauce, gochujang, or rice noodles? Browse Asian grocery stores near you to find a shop that stocks them.
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Thai jasmine for Southeast Asian, Japanese short-grain (Koshihikari) for sushi and rice bowls, basmati for biryani.
Light (regular all-purpose) and dark (deeper color, sweeter) — Pearl River Bridge, Lee Kum Kee, Kikkoman, Yamasa. Tamari for gluten-free.
Red Boat, Three Crabs, Squid — the umami backbone of Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino cooking.
Toasted sesame oil (Kadoya) — a finishing oil, never for frying. A few drops transforms a stir-fry or dressing.
Pho rice sticks, rice vermicelli, ramen, udon, soba, wonton noodles, glass noodles (mung bean).
Korean fermented chili paste and soybean paste — base of bibimbap sauce, jjigae, and tteokbokki.
White (mild, all-purpose), red (deeper, for stews), awase (blended). Refrigerate after opening.
Thai red, green, and massaman pastes (Maesri, Mae Ploy); Japanese curry roux blocks (S&B, Vermont).
Chaokoh, Aroy-D — Thai brands with thick cream layer for curries and desserts.
Lao Gan Ma, Fly By Jing — on noodles, dumplings, eggs, rice.
Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce, Koon Chun hoisin. For stir-fries, glazes, dipping.
Marukan rice vinegar for sushi rice and dressings; Mirin for teriyaki and sukiyaki.
Fresh ginger, garlic, scallions, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, Thai basil — the foundation of stir-fries and curries.
Shrimp shumai, xiao long bao, gyoza, mandu, Filipino lumpia, Vietnamese cha gio.
Silken (for soups, mapo tofu), firm (for stir-fries), fried tofu puffs, fermented tofu.
Furikake rice topping, sushi nori, wakame for miso soup, kombu for dashi.
Pocky, shrimp chips, Hi-Chew, Calpis/Calpico, Yakult, milk tea kits, sake, soju.
Soy sauces (light + dark), Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, Chinkiang vinegar, dried shiitake, doubanjiang, Sichuan peppercorns.
Short-grain rice, dashi powder, miso, mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, nori, panko, Japanese curry roux.
Gochujang, gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), doenjang, sesame oil, soy sauce, kimchi, short-grain rice, anchovy stock packets.
Fish sauce, palm sugar, coconut milk, curry pastes, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, jasmine rice, tamarind paste.
Fish sauce, rice paper, rice noodles, hoisin, sriracha, Maggi seasoning, lemongrass, Thai basil, cilantro.
Soy sauce, cane vinegar, fish sauce (patis), bagoong, banana ketchup, calamansi concentrate, jasmine rice.
If you can only buy ten things: jasmine rice, light soy sauce, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, gochujang, coconut milk, dried rice noodles, and a jar of chili crisp. From there you can cook stir-fries, simple curries, dipping sauces, and noodle bowls.
Asian supermarkets (H Mart, 99 Ranch, Patel Brothers for Indian crossover, Mitsuwa, T&T, Hung Dong, Hong Kong Supermarket), Asian mini-markets, and broader international markets. See our Asian Grocery Stores Near Me directory.
Light soy sauce is the all-purpose, saltier soy used for seasoning. Dark soy is aged longer, thicker, less salty, and sweeter — used in small amounts mainly for color in braises, fried rice, and noodle dishes. Most Chinese recipes use both.
No — fish sauce is fermented anchovy liquid, intensely savory and funky. It's the primary salt in Vietnamese and Thai cooking. Soy sauce is fermented soybeans and wheat, primary in East Asian cooking.