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[-] Eq0@literature.cafe 4 points 1 day ago

Compared to the other comments my answer is really bland!

Pesto

I just really really really like pasta al pesto. No versatility, no multiple uses. Just the one dish but man i love it

[-] ZDL@lazysoci.al 17 points 2 days ago

Here are my indispensable condiments and/or sauces:

  • 腐乳 (fǔrǔ, or "fermented bean curd"). If you've been in a Chinese grocery and saw the red or yellow cubes in a suspicious-looking slightly translucent liquid, that's the stuff. I use it in congee. I use it on steamed buns like butter (spread very thin). I toss a cube into a stir-fry to give it an instant lightly-sour, heavy-umami boost. It works well to jazz up slightly under-developed noodle soups too if you screwed up the broth and found out too late.
  • 豆豉酱 (dòu chǐ jiàng, or "fermented black bean sauce"). This is most popularly (for a good reason!) the 老干妈风味豆豉辣椒酱 (Lǎo Gānmā fēngwèi dòuchǐ làjiāo jiàng, or "Lao Ganma fermented black bean chili sauce). Lao Ganma (literally "old dry mother" but more accurately "old godmother") is a China-wide brand that has absolutely nailed this sauce. The only time I've had it better was made from scratch by a withered lady from Guizhou. The various sauce-alikes in grocery stores are inferior copies.
  • 剁辣椒 (duò là jiāo, or "[Hunan] chopped peppers"). This is a Hunan export that uses chilies grown in Hunan's terroir that then ... well ... as the name suggests, get chopped. They're then salted/pickled. It sounds simple, because it is, but that simple process results in the weirdest ambrosia I've tasted in my life. You want to liven up purple taro? Throw in a spoon or ten of this and what was once a pleasant, but a bit drab, staple turns into a lively, tasty thing that people look forward to eating. It can also be used, like the furu above, to spice up a drab stir-fry like bok choi or other leafy greens. It is used as a marinade for roasted chickens. And when I make OTHER pickles (like pickled string beans) a spoonful of this mixed in gives it a really nice sparkle.
[-] GiantChickDicks@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

Thank you so much for this informative and helpful comment! I'm trying to up my Asian cooking game, and you've given me some cheat codes.

[-] lasta@piefed.world 14 points 2 days ago

A good hot sauce (that has flavor and not just heat) for versatility and to save some bland foods. Also soy sauce; it’s essential to many of my favorite Asian recipes.

[-] ZDL@lazysoci.al 7 points 2 days ago

It never dawned on me to mention soy sauce (also Shanxi aged vinegar) because those have the same status as "salt" in my cooking.😂

[-] lasta@piefed.world 4 points 2 days ago

Hah, where I live there is not a great selection of international products so my answer is a basic one. I would love to try items you described!

[-] ZDL@lazysoci.al 5 points 2 days ago

The one most likely to be findable for you is the furu. If you have a Chinese/Asian grocer of any sort, they'll have it.

Somewhere.

Kept out of sight on a lower or upper shelf.

Because a lot of people think it looks very suspicious.

[-] lasta@piefed.world 3 points 2 days ago

Thanks! No Chinese/Asian grocers of any kind in my area, but I’ll be on the lookout when I go somewhere that has one or if I order online.

[-] tyler@programming.dev 10 points 2 days ago

Mayo. Not for the mayo itself, but because to make any aioli you must start with mayo. And aioli is fucking amazing for so many things. If you ever had a next level meal at a restaurant it was probably because of an aioli.

[-] StickyDango@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Same. Mayo is number one because it can be used as a base for so many things. I love mixing mayo and mustard, and mayo and sriracha. Also, making homemade honey mustard sauce is delicious.

[-] RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

I love mayo (make it every week for The Wife an me, kids don't eat because they are big commies) and I love aioli.

Equally I hate to be pedantic, but real aioli has no egg in like mayo does, nor any emulsifiers like mustard. Only garlic and olive oil, sometimes a splash of citrus.

It is a pain in the ass to make yourself, and no short cuts like with mayo. Worth it though.

[-] tyler@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago

Like mayonnaise, aioli is an emulsion or suspension of small globules of oil and oil-soluble compounds in water and water-soluble compounds. Many older recipes do not include egg, but nowadays, egg or egg yolk is the usual emulsifier

Purists insist that true aioli must contain garlic and no other seasoning (except salt).[12]

Kinda like claiming pizza doesn’t have cheese.

But yeah the majority of aioli you are eating will be mayonnaise based.

[-] RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

But yeah the majority of aioli you are eating will be mayonnaise based.

Yes especially in North America, and there is nothing wrong with that. But it is in fact a separate sauce and tastes different.

[-] OliveBrittle@piefed.ca 11 points 2 days ago

I know it's supposed to be a dip, but I treat hummus like a condiment half the time.

Love it to the point I eat it straight.

[-] ZDL@lazysoci.al 6 points 2 days ago

Wait, you're not meant to eat it straight?

Right. I never did that.

[-] GiantChickDicks@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

I'm a huge sauce and condiment slut, so it's hard to narrow it down. Sweet chili is versatile. Fish sauce, soy sauce, and hoisin are indispensable. Horseradish sauce and tomato paste are also staples.

As far as brands go, though, Marie Sharp's hot sauces are my absolute favorites. I love Caribbean food, though, so I'm biased. Now I want to make wings.

[-] anzo@programming.dev 8 points 2 days ago
[-] rustinmyeye@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 day ago
[-] BodePlotHole@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Sriracha. The ole 'rooster juice.'

Also sliced roasted green chiles. Almost anywhere you use a regular condiment, these work better.

[-] Leviathan@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Never heard 'rooster juice' but I've definitely heard 'hot cock sauce'.

[-] Sunshine@piefed.ca 4 points 2 days ago

Lemon hot sauce.

[-] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 days ago
[-] greatwhitebuffalo41@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago

You'll put that s@!t on anything! (I think that was the tag line anyways)

[-] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

For sure. It’s sour with a tiny bit of spice. Love it.

[-] LegoBrickOnFire@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Gun powder. A chili powder mixture from Ethiopia which is really strong but also really tasty. Makes everything great

[-] RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Do you mean mitmita or berbera? Love them both anyway just curious about the name of yours.

[-] LegoBrickOnFire@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Looking at pictures it's more like mirmita. quite red. fine and not clumpy

[-] LegoBrickOnFire@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Honnestly, I don't know. I'm sourced indirectly.

[-] RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

This maybe? https://thegourmetgourmand.com/mekelesha-spice-blend/ Used often in a finishing butter/oil.

South African mayo.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago
[-] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 2 points 1 day ago

Oi mate what's up

[-] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

I used to like ketchup a lot and used it on a lot of things. Maybe I've aged out of it or maybe the ketchup has changed but I now call it red sugar sauce. It is way to sweet for my liking.

[-] greatwhitebuffalo41@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 day ago

I have to get the low sugar ketchup and that's still more sugary tasting than my childhood

this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2026
35 points (100.0% liked)

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