MAIN INGREDIENTS
Toum is an authentic Lebanese and Syrian garlic paste. It is made with whole garlic cloves, which are slowly crushed using a mortar and pestle, or nowadays simply ground in a food processor. During this process, oil (preferably neutral oil such as canola, or the flavorful olive oil) is gently added to create a homogeneous garlic paste with an unusual, fluffy texture.
Finally, salt and lemon juice are added to the mix, giving the paste a salty flavor and ivory color. Toum is used for marinades, sauces, and dips, and can enrich any meal. It is usually combined with chicken in traditional dishes such as roast chicken, chicken skewers or chicken shawarma, but is also commonly combined with beef, lamb, or goat meat.
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Gaeng is a Thai word for the world-famous Thai curry paste, either yellow, red, or green in color, sorted by the order of spiciness where yellow curry is slightly spicy and green curry is the spiciest. Yellow curry consists of coconut milk as its base and toasted and powdered variety of spices such as turmeric, anise, cinnamon, dried chilis, bay leaves, ginger, coriander, cumin, and fermented shrimp paste.
Yellow curries are often prepared with bits of beef, lamb or chicken, onions, potatoes, and pineapple. Red curries consist of coconut milk, red chili powder, white pepper, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and grated kaffir limes.
VARIATIONS OF Curry Paste
This traditional Chinese seasoning mix is said to have originated in Sichuan cuisine, which is known for spiciness and bold flavors, but has since spread to other regions as well. The word yuxiang also refers to the sauce in which the meat or vegetables were cooked. Yúxiāng literally translates to fish fragrance, although it contains no seafood and is not commonly used in seafood dishes, but rather to create a flavor base for vegetarian recipes and various dishes containing beef, pork, or chicken.
The mix typically consists of finely minced pickled chili called pao la jiao, white scallion, ginger, and garlic; in more or less equal amounts. To create the sauce, on top of the basic mixture, cooking with yúxiāng almost always includes the use of sugar, salt, chili peppers, soy sauce or vinegar and doubanjiang - a spicy fermented broad bean, soybean, and rice paste popularly known as the soul of Sichuan cuisine.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Mala is a brothy, spicy sauce consisting of Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, oil, and a handful of various spices. In Chinese gastronomy, it is considered as one of the most popular sauces with many regional varieties. The sauce is so spicy that it is even implicated in its name, the term málà literally meaning numbing and spicy, caused by the Sichuan peppercorns.
Although the origins of the sauce are still unclear, the most popular theory suggests that it was invented in Sichuan in the 19th and 20th century, when it was full of pier workers who were regularly eating cheap foods such as beef stomach, kidney, and solidified blood.
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MAIN INGREDIENTS
In its basic form, this ubiquitous Vietnamese sauce is prepared with a sour base of lime juice, or optionally vinegar, sugar, water, and fish sauce. Common additions include finely sliced chili peppers, garlic, shallots, spring onions, ginger, or fresh herbs.
The sauce comes in many regional varieties, and the final composition may also depend on the type of meal which it accompanies. Nước chấm is usually served as a dipping sauce alongside chả giò (spring rolls), bánh xèo (crispy pancakes), and various meat or seafood dishes, as well as noodles and soups.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Sambal terasi is a traditional and Malaysian sauce and a variety of sambal. It's made with a combination of red chili peppers and shrimp paste (terasi) as the main ingredients. Various other ingredients are added to the sauce such as garlic, shallots, tomatoes, onions, lime juice, oil, sugar, and salt.
This fiery sauce is used as a condiment or an accompaniment to many dishes such as Malaysian lam mee noodles. In Malaysia, sambal terasi is known as sambal belacan.
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MAIN INGREDIENTS
Nam phrik phao is a versatile Thai concoction and a secret ingredient in numerous Thai dishes. It is made with a combination of roasted chili peppers, dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, ginger, fish sauce, tamarind paste, fermented shrimp paste, and palm sugar.
It can be used as a sauce, condiment, a dip, or a spread, along with being used in a number of different dishes as a cooking ingredient.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This quintessential Southeast Asian condiment is usually made only with spicy chili peppers and salt. It is occasionally adapted with lime juice, onions, sugar, ginger, shrimp paste, or vinegar. Traditionally prepared in a mortar, it is characterized by its thick consistency and an incredibly strong and sharp flavor.
This original Indonesian creation has gained worldwide acclaim, and store bought varieties are available at numerous Asian food markets and international stores around the world. Sambal is used in a variety of Asian dishes, usually as a spicy condiment, seasoning, or a topping served alongside meat, seafood, vegetables, or rice.
MOST ICONIC Sambal
View moreIndonesian pecel may refer to a fragrant peanut sauce or a combination of the sauce and various vegetables, when it is commonly referred to as a salad. The base of the sauce is prepared with roasted peanuts and spices that typically include chili peppers, palm sugar, garlic, tamarind juice, shrimp paste, kaffir lime leaves, salt, and kencur, an aromatic ginger variety.
Usually associated with Java, the sauce is characterized by its distinctive combination of sweet and spicy flavors. When served with rice, the dish goes under the name nasi pecel.
MOST ICONIC Pecel
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
The term nam phrik refers to a vast range of chili-based sauces that are found throughout Thailand. Although the sauces may vary in consistency, they are traditionally prepared in a mortar, and apart from fresh or dry chili peppers, they usually consist of lime juice, garlic, seasonings, as well as fish sauces or shrimp paste.
Different regional varieties include ingredients such as galangal, sugar, tamarind, and even dry or fermented fish and fruits. Most nam phrik are served as dipping sauces with vegetables and meat or fish.
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VARIATIONS OF Nam phrik
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 49 Asian Sauces” list until April 15, 2025, 3,788 ratings were recorded, of which 1,405 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.