The evolving pantry: A dozen international flavor boosters to have in your kitchen

With so many of these condiments now readily available in any supermarket, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I’ve narrowed my focus to a dozen of the most versatile staples I’ve found in the international aisles that offer endless possibilities for exciting, low-hassle eating, while keeping kitchen clutter at bay.

Coconut milk

This nondairy alternative to milk or cream is fundamental to most Thai curries and adds silky body to a range of other stews, braises, soups and sauces. Open a can, have a jar of curry paste and bottle of fish sauce at the ready, and you’re well on your way to a delicious dinner. Be sure to use full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk rather than sugary cream of coconut, which is mostly used for pina coladas.

Fish sauce

A few shakes of this pungent, prized product of Vietnam instantly adds dimension to a stir-fry, curry, noodle dish or marinade. Made of heavily salted, fermented fish, it’s the very definition of “the fifth flavor” known as umami and has become as ubiquitous in Western kitchens as soy sauce. Garlic, ginger and lime juice are some of its favorite playmates. Cooked down with sugar and aromatics, it becomes the tableside dipping sauce known as nuoc cham. Quality and flavor vary quite a bit from one brand to the next; many cookbook authors swear by the purer taste of Red Boat, which contains no MSG or sugar.

Gochujang

This concentrated hot chile paste fortified with fermented soybeans, glutinous rice and sugar is an essential component in Korean classics like bulgogi, and it’s won a steady following in this country for its role in myriad other dishes, including barbecue sauce for grilled meats and spicy sauces for noodles. Look for it in small tubs or squeeze bottles at any supermarket. Some labels come with spice level indicators; taste before using and adjust amounts according to your heat tolerance.

Harissa

Ubiquitous to Moroccan and Tunisian kitchens, this puree of roasted sweet and hot peppers, olive oil and spices (often caraway, cumin and coriander) is as versatile as ketchup. Like salsa or spaghetti sauce, seasonings can vary, as can the consistency — some are thick as paste, others are loose enough for dipping or pouring. Most are red; some are green. Recipes for homemade versions abound online. Drizzle it in a falafel-stuffed pita pocket, swirl it into a creamy soup, slather it all over a pork roast before braising.

Kimchi

Essential to Korean cooking for thousands of years, these fiery, pungent relishes of fermented cabbage and other vegetables come in more than 100 varieties, and can make themselves at home even on an all-American Thanksgiving buffet. Serve it as a side dish or pickle, stir a spoonful into a slaw or a cold noodle dish, or add as a flavorful garnish to a brothy soup. Kimchi stores well for weeks in the fridge but gets sharper and tangier with age.

Miso

Made of fermented soybeans and grains, this salty, earthy paste is dissolved in hot water for soup to start a sushi meal. But that’s just the beginning. Its complex, umami-rich flavor is turning up everywhere these days: in salad dressings, marinades, mashed potatoes, flavored butters — even cookie dough. The longer it ages, the stronger the taste. Salty-sweet white miso (shiro) is the mildest; red miso the most robust; yellow somewhere in between.

Pomegranate molasses

Throughout the Middle East, pomegranate juice is boiled down into a syrup with a touch of sugar and acid, bottled, and drizzled over grilled meats or roasted vegetables, and mixed into sauces, dips and salads. This intensely tart, rich-tasting condiment has become increasingly popular here as well — in kitchens as well as bars. I've never seen it in a regular grocery store — I get it at Your DeKalb Farmers Market — but it's easy to make at home by reducing pomegranate juice and sugar into a syrup. Interestingly, Andrea Nguyen gives a recipe for it in "Vietnamese Food Any Day" (Ten Speed, $24.99) and suggests it as a substitute for harder-to-find tamarind, which she combines with fish sauce and other Southeast Asian ingredients in a shrimp stir-fry.

Sambal oelek and Sriracha

These two tongue-searing Southeast Asian chile sauces contain nearly identical ingredients, but the textures are entirely different. Sold in small jars, sambal oelek is a coarse mixture of crushed hot red peppers with seeds intact, salt, sometimes vinegar or citrus juice, maybe garlic and/or sugar. Stir in a spoonful to punch up a soup, a sauce or a marinade. Sriracha is smooth, slightly sweeter than Tabasco, and packaged in squeeze bottles to be squirted onto most anything that needs some kick, from scrambled eggs to bloody marys.

Tahini

Rich in protein and other nutrients, this thick paste of crushed sesame seeds is best known here for its role in hummus. Mixed with yogurt or another creamy base, it also makes a great dip, sandwich spread or sauce for falafel, and has many uses in desserts.

Thai curry paste

Packed with chile peppers and aromatics such as lemongrass, Thai ginger, and garlic, those little red and green jars in the Asian condiment section deliver big flavor on short notice. Stir a spoonful into coconut milk for a rich and complexly flavored soup base that’s ready in minutes. Whisk a little into yogurt or mayo for a dressing or a dip. Or add it to a peanut sauce for Asian noodles.

Thai sweet chile sauce

This crimson mixture of chiles, sugar, vinegar and garlic thickened with cornstarch is at once spicy, tangy and sweet — the ideal dipping sauce for a spring roll, but also great for glazing a pork tenderloin, dumping over a block of cream cheese and serving with crackers, stirring into a mayonnaise dressing for shrimp salad, or adding to a stir-fry.

RECIPES

Here are a few easy ways to explore the possibilities of some of my favorite international condiments beyond their traditional uses — one from the bar of one of my favorite neighborhood haunts, the others from cookbooks I’ve reviewed and websites I’ve perused.

Rosemary’s Baby

Kasey Emmett, who heads the bar program at the Pinewood in Decatur, collaborated with bartenders Martín Aramayo and Zachary Williams on this aromatic, cool-weather cocktail whose sweetness is balanced by the deep tartness of pomegranate syrup along with bitters and a dash of salt. A splash of pomegranate juice stirred into a glass of club soda also makes a fabulous nonalcoholic drink.

Sambal Shrimp Skewers

These shrimp skewers take a quick dip in a savory-sweet, slightly funky, lip-tingling marinade that’s then reduced to a syrupy consistency for basting and dipping. The recipe is based on one by New York Times columnist and author Alison Roman. Her version features chunks of chargrilled chicken thighs; I cooked the shrimp I already had in my freezer under a broiler instead and was happy with the result. Served with a side of rice and a salad, it makes a tasty, low-hassle meal in less than half an hour.

Miso Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies

Margaret, Irene and Andrew Li call these their “ultimate chocolate cookies,” and tasting is believing. Generous dabs of Chinese sesame paste (or tahini) and fermented bean paste (miso) add a subtle nutty, savory flavor to this riff on the cookie classic, with extra wholesomeness and texture provided by oats and spelt flour. It’s one of many creative ideas for using these ingredients and other widely available Asian condiments in the Li siblings’ “Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes From Our Chinese-American Kitchen” (Roost Books, $35).

Reprinted in arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc.

Thai Coconut-Curry Seafood Soup

I tested this versatile, flavorful soup from New Orleans chef Tenney Flynn while working with him on his cookbook, "The Deep End of Flavor" (Gibbs Smith, $30), and now it's a favorite of mine as well. A can of coconut milk and a jar of Thai green curry paste are the secret weapons; if you can't find the kaffir lime leaf, some grated lime zest will suffice. This base is easily adaptable to whatever protein you have on hand, including chicken and tofu, or most any vegetable you want to throw in.

Harissa-rubbed Pork Shoulder with White Beans and Chard

This nearly effortless, incredibly delicious slow-cooked feast from Alison Roman's "Nothing Fancy" (Potter, $32.50) has convinced me why I need to keep a jar of harissa on hand at all times. I used Mina brand, a simple blend of red chile pepper, sweet red bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt, sold at Kroger. It's a loose sauce as opposed to the paste called for here, but still works great. I read that traditional versions commonly contain toasted and ground caraway, cumin and coriander seeds, so I added a teaspoon or two of each, and highly recommend these additions if yours doesn't already contain them, and you like some extra spice. There are many recipes for harissa from scratch if you're ambitious.

Korean Spicy Chilled Noodles (Bibim Guksu)

Gochujang, a Korean fermented red pepper paste, gives this Asian pasta salad its refreshingly assertive flavor, with an extra wallop of spice and crunch from jarred cabbage kimchi (available in the refrigerator cases of some supermarkets as well as Your DeKalb Farmers Market). Add some quick protein if you like by topping each portion with a halved or quartered hard- or soft-cooked egg. The recipe is from Christopher Kimball's "Milk Street: The New Rules: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook" (Little, Brown, $35), a terrific source of practical ideas using readily available global ingredients. Be careful not to overcook the tender, delicate somen noodles.

Thai Basil Beef with Peanut Salsa

Tieghan Gerard's "Half-Baked Harvest: Super Simple" (Potter, $29.99) is full of inspiration for a well-stocked global larder. My husband and I love this simple sweet-and-sour stir-fry that owes its distinctive character to Thai sweet chile sauce, which most of us recognize as the dipping sauce for spring rolls in Thai restaurants.

Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.