Asian Food Spices

Quick Notes:

Common Asian food spices are shown in the following chart. An "X" indicates that the cuisine uses the given herb or spice to flavor foods.

All of the Asian cuisines incorporate generous uses of rice and noodles. Some other notable influences are as follows: 

Chinese

Szechuan, Fagara, berries from a prickly Ash tree; cornstarch used to thicken sauces and soups; generous use of dried seafood (e.g., oysters, scallops)

Indonesian

Hot chilies, blachan (pungent dark brown dried shrimp paste), garlic, onions, tamarind

Japanese

Dashi - soup stock made from dried Bonito (tuna) flakes; Sansho berries from an Ash tree; miso; wasabi; tempura; Zen Buddhism and Shinto influences on food flavors; limited use of spices

Korean

Chicken, pork; unique flavors of ginseng and ginkgo; more limited use of other spices

Malaysian

Hot chilies peppers, shallots, turmeric, lemon grass, garlic, blachan (pungent dark brown dried shrimp paste)  

Thai

Curries are made with pastes, not powders; main ingredients are slivered, not diced; coconut milk instead of dairy; hot chilies; Krachi; lighter fare than Chinese food; blachan (pungent dark brown dried shrimp paste)

Vietnamese

Chinese (northern areas) and French (southern areas) influences; herbs, peanuts, chicken, pork and beef are used heavily for soups and entrees 

Asian Food Spices:

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