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The Best Asian Pantry Essentials in Australia
Preparing an Asian inspired feast at home? Make sure your pantry is well stocked so you can tackle any recipe without having to run to a specialty store at the last moment to source difficult to find ingredients. Whether you’re cooking something Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, or Indian, here are some ideas to get your pantry stocked.
10 Best Asian Pantry Essentials in Australia
For the cooking enthusiasts who don’t want anything too spicy, add a jar of Agri’s Green Chilli Paste to your pantry. Made using green Cayenne Chilli which is a little less hot than the red chilli, but still full of big flavour. We like using this for Thai or Indian green curries, but it can also be swirled into soups, added on pizza, and in any other dish for extra flavour. Yum!
Features of Green Chilli Paste:
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Natural, low in sugar, and 100% Australian-made
Made with long green cayenne peppers, apple cider vinegar, green birdseye chilli, garlic, brown sugar, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil.
A good one to keep in your fridge to dress asian noodles, stir-fry, or vibrant green salads. This tasty dressing is deliciously pungent and vibrant. It’s made using young ginger finely diced with Chinkiang vinegar and Higashimaru soy sauce. It’s great tossed through salad leaves or for dressing steamed veggies.
Features of Ginger Soy Dressing
Made using Higashimaru soy, chinkiang vinegar, young ginger, water, sugar, kombu extract, sesame oil, salt.
Allergens - sesame, wheat, soy beans
A must-have for pairing with dumplings (or drumplings!), adding to noodles or fried rice, or pouring over steamed veggies for a kick of heat. We love the original Crispy Chilli Oil from Chotto Motto, packed with fried garlic and onions for extra crispiness and covered in sesame oil.
Features of Crispy Chilli Oil:
Vegan-friendly
Made using Sesame oil, vegetable oil, soy sauce, dried chilli, sesame seeds, fried garlic, fried scallion, fermented black beans, love, salt, sugar
4. Red Sriracha
Especially popular in Thai and Vietnamese cooking, Red Sriracha is another staple to add to your Asian shopping list. A deep, rich, respectful heat featuring an explosive depth of fermented flavour. Not only is it great in pho, noodles, or when used as a condiment for spring rolls, you can really add to any dish where you want some chilli heat.
Features of Red Sriracha:
Made using bird's eye and cayenne chilli whizzed together with locally sourced apple cider vinegar and garlic
100% Australian-made
All-natural, low amount of sugar used
Gluten, dairy, nut & soy free
Vegan & vegetarian
5. XO Sauce
Another staple in Southern Cantonese cooking, enter XO sauce.This is a sweet, smoky, and salty spicy seafood sauce. Originating from Hong Kong, it takes its name from extra old cognac and is made using a premium mix of dried crustaceans and anchovies. It can be used in so many recipes but we like it especially on roasted vegetables, grilled meats, cooked noodles, fried rice, steamed fish, and pork ribs.
Features of Lagoon XO Sauce:
Made using canola oil, dried scallop, dried anchovy, shallot, garlic, long red chilli, dried shrimp, brown sugar, bird's eye chilli
Allergens - crustacean, seafood
Whether you’re whipping up an Indian style curry, or Thai red curry and want a time saver and flavour booster, use this! It’s made using fermented chilli pulp and bursting-with-flavour skins saved from the siracha-making process. The result? This intense paste with a whole lot of punch. Keep in your pantry to pull out for the base in curries or stir fry. Yum!
Features of Red Chilli Paste:
Made using Fermented red chilli (long red cayenne peppers, apple cider vinegar, red birdseye chilli, garlic, brown sugar, sea salt), extra virgin olive oil
Gluten & dairy free
Vegan and vegetarian
Only for real hot chilli lovers! This is a great one to keep on hand for extra sizzle when a craving strikes. It’s got an olive oil base made with roasted yellow scorpion chillies and Carolina reapers for serious, long-lasting heat. Try it on pasta, pizza as well as staple Asian inspired dishes (dumplings, noodles, stir-fry).
Features of Scorpion Pepper Chilli Oil:
Made with Australian award-winning extra virgin olive oil and Australian grown chillies
No flavour enhancers, MSG, preservatives
Love Thai flavours but don’t have a ton of time to spare in the kitchen? Add this to your pantry supply! It’s got all the flavour of a real Thai Satay meal in the form of a seasoning with crunch. Try it sprinkled over eggs, noodles, stir frys, or your own Thai green curry - it works just the way you’d use a salt and pepper. Too easy!
Features of Coconut Satay Topper:
made using peanuts, coconut, brown sugar, shallots, ginger, and salt.
vegan and gluten-free
Enough to flavour 20 meals
Add instant heat and flavour with these Fermented Red Chillies from The Fermentalists. They’re made using the very top quality of Australian red chillies. They work perfectly as a condiment to Asian inspired meals you’ll whip up at home- try them in rice, stir-frys, on top of pho, or eaten straight from the jar!
Features of Fermented Chilli:
Vegan and vegetarian friendly
Gluten-free
Made using Red Chillies, Vegetable Oil, Himalayan Pink Salt
Last but not least, we leave you with tasty spiced salt from Lagoon. It’s an easy way to inject flavour into any of your dishes, but particularly well suited to any Asian feast you’re cooking up at home.
Features of Lagoon Spiced Salt:
Made with salt, MSG, coriander seeds, sugar, Sichuan pepper, white pepper, cassia bark, cumin, black pepper, chilli flakes, and cloves.
Looking for more Asian pantry ingredients and meals? Discover our full Asian food collection online at CoLab.
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