Some I’ve tried that are great:
Kewpie mayonnaise (Japan)
Marie Sharp Hot Sauce (Belize)
Chili Crisp (China)
Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning (Louisiana)
Furikake seasoning (Japan)
Jerk seasoning (Jamaica)
Ones I plan to try:
Aromat Chilli Beef seasoning (South Africa)
Valentina Hot Sauce (Mexico)
ABC Chili Sauce (Indonesia)
Cholimex Hot Sauce (Vietnam)
What else should I try? I like almost all kinds of cuisine and flavors.
A couple of go-to blends I like, both from Penzeys are Chili 9000 blend, which has a lot of interesting things going on. Not hot, very flavorful. The other is their Baking Spice: lots of warm spices for everything from cookies to pancakes.
This stuff is ordinary grocery store fare around here, but has excellent flavor and quite a kick. Hot, but not merely hot: the flavor is what makes it. Definitely strong recommend. I use it as a condiment on eggs, or as a dipping sauce for steak or lamb.
Grace’s various jerk products are good too.
They also make a red sauce that looks a lot like Tabasco and comes in a similarly tall tapered bottle. It’s better than Tabasco, but not all that different: more heat, less vinegar. That one is not really worth hunting down.
Whatever sauces they make to serve with Venezuelan Arepas
The green sauce is called gusacaca and the yellow may be salsa de ajo. The one I had was spicy not mayo like. I don’t know if they are sold bottled in stores or not. I have not seen them.
Also chimmichuri. I did find that prepared in Wegman’s deli before covid closed most of that section down
Mexican mole. Has to be home or restaurant made for some reason. Every kind that comes in a jar is disappointing.
It’s pretty straightforward but I’ve largely swapped out black pepper for Turkish Aleppo Pepper.
Specifically:
Cerez Pazari Aleppo Pepper Moderate Heat | 5.29 oz - 150 gr | Crushed Turkish Red Chili Pepper-Aleppo Chili Flakes,Maras Chili Pepper | Halaby Pepper | Syrian Pepper | Middle Eastern Red Pepper | Product of Turkey https://a.co/d/g71IsVC
Oyster Sauce. I like Sun Luck brand Cantonese. Sweet, savory, umami.
Somehow I went most of my life without using it. A woman I used to work with who was from the Philippines used to bring in Lumpia, sweet savory little finger sized pieces of perfection, so I asked her what the secret was. Oooh mommy!
I too would like to know what this is.
And I definitely want to follow this thread, especially if it continues with general sauces/condiments, and avoiding specific brand names. There are so many discord out there that are specific to a particular region or food - but not necessarily a brand.
Sambal Olek
Golden Mountain Sauce - Very useful in Thai food. A light colored soy sauce with a sweet flavor. I think I read something about it being more popular in Australia than common soy sauces.
Other options.
Any quality hoisin sauce is a wonderful thing, similar but not the same in flavor profile to Oyster Sauce mentioned earlier.
A good Ponzu sauce is also a thing of wonder. I mean the “ponzu” (scare quotes needed) that you see in stores with citric acid added to soy sauce is actually okay on some things, but the real stuff is best. A good cost / compromise option is Trader Joe’s Ponzu sauce. A touch pricy, as all such things are by volume, but it’s absolutely worth it. Note, the TJ version is a ponzu infused hot sauce, not a straight ponzu or a ponzu-soy blend.
Peri peri sauces are also great for pungent flavorful hot sauce, and TJ’s option is again, good value for money.
Tajin - Mexican - it’s a mix to sprinkle on fruit made with salt, red pepper, and lime or lemon. It’s so cravable, especially in the summer.
I like Penzey’s Justice on and in a lot of stuff. It’s Shallots, garlic, onion, green peppercorns, chives, and green onion.
That’s what’s on the rim of every margarita I’ve been served in the last ten years. Tastier than salt.
If you like 5 spice powder then jump right over it and get 13 spice powder.
Links are just basic information to give you ideas to look for better versions.
Garam masala: blend of hot spices commonly used in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Caribbean cuisines.
Ras el hanout: spice mix found in varying forms in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
Dukkah: Egyptian and Middle Eastern condiment consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts (usually hazelnut) and spices.
Sauce gribiche: cold egg sauce in French cuisine, made by emulsifying hard-boiled egg yolks and mustard with a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed. The sauce is finished with chopped pickled cucumbers, capers, parsley, chervil and tarragon. It also includes julienne-cut hard-boiled egg whites.
Pepitoria sauce: The name comes from a way of cooking chicken. Brown chicken and set aside. In another (small) pan, carefully brown almonds and saffron separately and without oil, setting each aside. With a little olive oil, brown garlic and set aside, and do the same with a couple of slices of day-old crustless white bread. Blend all the sauce ingredients with a little white wine and chicken stock (or water) and the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs. It should be somewhat thick and not too runny. In a good non-stick pan and over low heat, finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. Chop parsley and the whites of the boiled eggs and sprinkle over each serving.
I acquired a taste for gochujang when I was in Seattle and it was easy to acquire. Spicy and funky, but when you get used to it, it goes with a lot. (Stir a spoonful into your chicken noodle soup, frex.) Now that I’m in western Europe, it’s impossible to find and I miss it.
The best thing on earth that comes in a jar, Jimmy’s Sate Sauce
It’s mainly MSG, not really much to write home about.
If you want real South African flavours:
Nandos Peri-peri sauces - recommend the Hot.
Mrs Balls Chutney - again, recommend the Hot.
Koon Chun is the brand of hoisin sauce you want to look for. Others you will likely find in America are near universally too thin and runny. It should be thick, more like paste.
Lee Kum Kee is the brand of oyster sauce you want to look for.
Basically, you want to buy the one with the least amount of English printed on the label.
I’m a huge fan on Nando’s hot sauces. They’re not super spicy to me, even the “Extra Extra Hot” but they all have excellent flavor. Really lemony/citrusy. They’re primarily a chicken joint but it’s magical on seafood.