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Frying chopped dried chili peppers with garlic is one of my favorite combinations. You get the nutty and sweet taste of garlic mixed with the smokiness and heat of chili peppers. This flavor combo is wonderful in stir fries and classic Chinese dishes like mapo tofu.

I’ve been using these stock cubes ever since I lived in Tokyo, over 20 years ago. They taste like chicken stock with some vegetables – and are kind of essential if you are making Japanese soups and stews. Perhaps it’s because they contain msg that they are so good – but I’m not interested in figuring out the secret. I only want to keep slurping that delicious broth!

Junmai sake is the recommended sake for cooking Japanese food as it has a pleasant flavor when served warm. If you cannot find it, you can try regular sake or Kikkoman Riyorishi Cooking Sake.

A few years ago, my mother mailed me a care package from Japan that contained this dashi powder. I instantly fell in love with its pure taste – you would think it was freshly made that morning. And I have to admit that I was shocked when I saw it being sold on Amazon! That’s a good though since I use this dashi powder for soups, stir fries, sauces, and so much more.

I keep a box of premade Japanese curry roux in my pantry as a quick way to flavor noodle soups like ramen and udon. I also make a lot of curry so it’s imperative that I always keep at least one box nearby for when the curry craving hits – which is weekly.

I always have regular dashi and kombu dashi powder in my pantry. This kombu dashi is vegetarian and has a lovely mineral taste that’s almost refreshing. Sometimes I like to mix both dashi to get a more complex broth, which is something many Japanese chefs like to do.

The difference between good oyster sauce and bad oyster is like day and night. A good oyster sauce should be salty, sweet, pungent, and have so much depth of flavor that a little drizzle is all that’s needed. I have tried many different brands and Lee Kum Kee’s premium oyster sauce is far superior than all the other ones.

My two favorite brands of rice vinegar are Nakano and Mizkan. This pure unpolished brown rice vinegar is absolutely delicious – it’s not as sharp as regular plain rice vinegar and contains fruity notes. It’s packed with subtle, yet, complex flavors.

Fun fact – all Japanese sesame oils are roasted which is why you don’t see it written on the bottle. Roasted sesame oil has a concentrated nutty taste and should be used at the very end of the cooking process since the smoke point is lower than regular sesame oil. If you cook on too high for too long, the flavor will become rancid. It’s also a wonderful addition to soups, salads, and sides – drizzle a little on top just before serving.

The only type of rice that should be used when making Japanese food is short grain rice. Most brands you find in Asian and regular supermarkets (Kokuho Rose, Nishiki, Botan) are medium grain rice, which yields a texture that’s tougher and less sticky. Less than ideal for making onigiri or sushi rolls. Tamanishiki is a super premium short grain rice that’s both affordable and extremely delicious. It’s the only brand I use.

I prefer using Japanese soy sauce in my cooking to other types because it’s milder and has a flavor that easily pairs well with any dish. Kikkoman is the most well known soy sauce but I prefer using Yamasa for its slightly less salty taste. Plus, it’s the brand that my mother has been using for years – and I trust her palate almost more than my own!

If you read my blog regularly you know I am obsessed with spicy chili crisp. There’s nothing else like it out there – it’s spicy, super pungent, nutty, salty, umami… And the list goes on. How do you use it? You open the jar, scoop up that fiery red sauce and dump it on everything! It’s one of those magical sauces that make everything better.