Seasoning Sauces and Condiments.
I like to use marinades and sauces- for meats, noodles or rice, and even tofu. Plus there are certain liquid ingredients that are a must-have for Thai curries, for instance.
You know how to get tofu to soak up a marinade, right? First you must squeeze the liquid from the tofu. I wrap a block of tofu in several layers of paper towels, cover the top with a sheet of wax paper and put a big book on it. Leave it for an hour or so and then I cut the tofu into squares and toss in a plastic bag with my marinade. Set it in the fridge until ready to use. Easy as pie… except I can’t make pie crust. So maybe easier than pie!
Soy Sauce or Tamari. Low-sodium soy sauce is fine. Must-have for Asian cooking and as a seasoning for meats, soups and stews. I use a soy-orange marmalade marinade for our Thanksgiving turkey every year. Hugely popular around this house. (Soy Sauce is not gluten free.)
Tamari.
Ponzu. Ponzu is a Japanese citrus sauce. It’s tart, salty, rich and it makes a great marinade for fish or a fresh addition to vegetable dishes. Good on rice and noodles as well.
Ponzu.
Mirin. Japanese rice wine with a low alcohol content, a low sodium content (much lower than our cooking sherry), and a lot of sweetness. I use this, sparingly, all the time in marinades and salad dressings.
Mirin.
Rice Vinegar. I tend to buy seasoned rice vinegar, but plain Rice Wine Vinegar works fine. This is a wonderful less-acidic light-tasting all purpose vinegar. Great with fresh vegetables. Makes an outstanding spicy dipping sauce if you simply add sliced fresh hot chilies.
Rice Vinegar.
Balsamic Vinegar.
Balsamic Vinegar. Most of the Balsamic Vinegar sold in the United States is nothing more than wine vinegar with added caramel color and sugar. Real balsamic vinegar says~ Grape Must on the label. Real balsamic vinegar is expensive but it lasts a long time because a little goes a long way. I use it to drizzle over meats, cheeses, pizza, bread, fruits. I keep the cheap stuff around for salad dressing, but frankly red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are just as good and all those are always in my pantry, along with-
Malt Vinegar. This deep rich round vinegar is perfect with fish and wonderful sprinkled over potatoes, especially French fries. Adds great flavor to a summer potato salad or macaroni salad.
Malt Vinegar.
Tabasco.
Tabasco Sauce. We are never without Tabasco. My kids sprinkle this over eggs and fried potatoes, hash. We add it to mayo for a kick. Which leads me to another spicy favorite-
Sriracha. This is basically the Asian version of ketchup. It’s a spicy dipping sauce but it can be added to almost any marinade, even poured over noodles and rice dishes.
Sriracha.
Ketchup. I love Ketchup. Not catsup. Ketchup. And, forgive me, but after many taste tests I have to admit Heinz is the best, high-fructose corn syrup notwithstanding. Ketchup is a basic building block in many of my sauces and marinades. You simply cannot make beef or chicken Stroganoff without it.
Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
Worcestershire Sauce. This is an interesting sauce. Has quite a history starting way back with the Romans and their fish sauce. It probably goes back much farther than that. Yes, this is a fish sauce which, along with dry mustard, is an essential ingredient in Welsh Rarebit- which is not rabbit but rather bread and melted cheese. Of course I can’t discuss Worcester Sauce without discussing its cousin-
Worcestershire Sauce.
Thai Fish Sauce. I am never without this. It is an essential ingredient in Thai soups and stews. My husband says this is the worst smelling best tasting sauce ever. He’s right. Smells awful, tastes fantastic in food. Not alone. In soups and stews.
Thai Fish Sauce.
Whole Grain Mustard/Dijon Mustard. I keep both in my fridge. Either makes a tasty, spicy addition to any salad dressing or marinade. And of course they are required for a turkey sandwich.
Dijon Mustard.
Maple Syrup. I know… Maple Syrup? I use this all the time in marinades. It’s especially good with salmon, but it also works with beef and pork. I’m not kidding. Because it’s expensive I always buy Grade B, which I think has more flavor anyway, and I buy in bulk from Trader Joe’s or Costco. It keeps forever in the fridge. (Maple Syrup makes the list of sweeteners too.)
Maple Syrup.
Wasabi Paste or Cream Horseradish. Sometimes you just have to stir a sinus clearing dollup of Wasabi or Horseradish into a dish. I prefer the Cream Horseradish. It doesn’t have quite the same eye-watering burn. Both match well with beef, fish, seafood and starchy vegetables.
Wasabi.
Sesame Oil. Sesame Oil is not for cooking. Like true Balsamic it’s for drizzling over steamed vegetables, rice, noodles, fish. The flavor is strong so a little goes a long way. I prefer Toasted Sesame Oil. The flavor is sweet and deep.
Toasted Sesame Oil.
And last but not least, an old family fave- Kitchen Bouquet. All the women in my family have used this intense browning and seasoning sauce since the late 1800′s. It’s made with caramel, water, carrots, onion, celery, parsnips, turnips, salt, parsley and spices. All you need is a tiny teaspoonful to add color and flavor to any soup, stew or gravy. Does anyone else use this or is Kitchen Bouquet a family thing?
Kitchen Bouquet.
Next time… Sweeteners? Fats and Oils? Hmmm, gotta think about this.
All these seasonings and condiments are available for less at Trader Joe’s, Cost Plus World Market, Costco and in the Asian section of your local grocery.
Love this post, I remember once out shopping and I was replacing some balsamic vinegar, Ishbel as you know prefers to be served and he food without the fuss of making it (although she can make a mean bolognese and sausage and tomato pie and her pastry is to die for - when she can be bothered to make any that is)or without the drudgery of visiting the shops, so anyway as I picked up the smallish bottle of balsamic she almost screeched at me, How bloody much is it for that size bottle?’
I think my reply of , ‘only the best ingredients when I am cooking for you my sweet’ saved the day
Great post Julia.
Most of these items are in my pantry too. None of the hot stuff though. I simply cannot tolerate heat.
However, I beg to differ on ketchup and Beef Stroganoff. Do you think the Tzars had ketchup when the dish was first dreamed up?????? I have a ‘to die for’ recipe for Stroganoff if you ever want it. And no ketchup.
But Roberta, Julia uses her ketchup to dip her asparagus into, so if she is daft enough to do that, well what more needs to be said ……
AAAaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh
I’m allergic to soy, so most Asian food is off my diet. Then I talked to Son, whose big food love is Thai food, and he told me about fish sauce-no soy. Now I have a little list, thanks to you, (and him) and can maybe bring some of that Asian goody-goodness back in the house. Thanks, Julia!
Haven’t had kitchen bouquet for years. Worcester is often said to contain Gluten. I don’t know. I use it but never ketchup in stroganoffs. That is of course, if I still made those. I tried it with ff Greek yogurt last year - eh
I also like to have sherry vinegar and buttermilk on hand.
Very instructive.
Hi Steph. I have a love/hate relationship with sherry vinegar. So many chefs love it but I’m not sold on it, even the expensive stuff. Every woman in my family uses ketchup in stroganoffs - and we make beef, chicken, and mushroom-green bean. Don’t know why. Family tradition I guess. I wouldn’t like it with yogurt either. Gotta be sour cream.
Poor you, Jaye! Yeah, fish sauce provides a whole lot of punch. As long as the smell doesn’t bother you. Before you buy Ponzu, make sure there’s no soy in it - some brands have soy, some don’t.
Really Tom and Roberta, it’s very good with ketchup!
Oh Roberta, I love heat. The stroganoff? Hee-hee! I imagine I could use tomato paste but I like ketchup. Also lots of paprika. Yeah - post your stroganoff recipe please!
Smart move, Tom. The good stuff is sooooo expensive! But if you use it correctly it lasts quite a while.
Excellent post, Julia. The only thing better would be a video of you demonstrating, especially the Thai Fish Sauce…wearing a gas mask. It IS a strong smell.
Like you, I choose Toasted Sesame Oil, but I’ve never used Sriracha, Mirin or Ponzu. They are now on my list!
LOL Marylin! That would be my husband wearing the gas mask. I tolerate it pretty well by quickly adding lime or lemon juice - totally cuts the fish! I love toasted sesame oil! So good drizzled over veggies! Watch the heat level with the Sriracha. Each brand is a little different.
This is seriously great info.
On the tofu, I fixed mine like a roast. I roast it in the oven loaded with veggies and it picks up the veggie flavors.
Yes, Sandra - tofu is great for picking up flavors. Doesn’t have all that much of its own, although brand new tofu is interesting.
I will tweet you the Stroganoff recipe. No ketchup and no tomato paste. Just sour cream.
I love ketchup. Perfect on french fries. But then so is Swedish mustard sauce. Love ketchup on hot dogs and hamburgers.