Traditionally served with seafood stews, aioli is a garlic mayonnaise that you can easily make at home. As raw egg yolks are included in its recipe, pregnant women should take it sparingly.

See recipe for:
Crunchy Fish Sticks

An emulsion is a sauce thickened by the emulsifying action of egg yolk, which acts to hold together ingredients that would usually separate – vinegar or lemon juice with butter or oil. This then creates a thick, creamy, stable texture. Mayonnaise is a cold emulsion sauce, while béarnaise and hollandaise are warm ones.

Click here to find out how to make your own Homemade Mayonnaise.

Also called nam pla in Thailand, this is made of salted, fermented anchovies. It is pungent and strong flavoured but is indispensible in Thai cooking.

A similar sauce is the Thai fish sauce made of fermented small prawns and fish. It has an unforgettable aroma and is very salty, so use sparingly to flavour a dish.

See recipe for:
Thai-Style Fish with Coconut Sauce
Green Chicken Curry

Made from fermented soy beans, onions and garlic, this thick, sweet sauce is used as a marinade or added to stir-fries and grilled food.

See recipes for:
 Spiced Garlic Beef Stir-Fry
Pork Stir-fry With Water Chestnuts & Chinese Greens
Honey Sesame Chicken Parcels.

This Indonesian sweet soy sauce is lightly flavoured with star anise and/or garlic and sweetened with palm sugar. It’s thick and caramel-sweet and often used as a condiment.

See recipes for:
Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)
Chilli Basil Stir-Fried Pumpkin
Chilli Chicken Stir-Fry

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A popular Asian seasoning that is a thick brown soy-based sauce, flavoured with oyster juice, salt and caramel and thickened with corn starch. Also available in a vegetarian version.

See recipes for:
Or Luak (Oyster Omelette)
Kuay Teow With Mushrooms And Kai Lan
Abalone and Mushroom Noodles
Wanton Mee

This herb-y Italian sauce is made with a mixture of Genovese basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Commonly used in pasta dishes.

See recipe for:
Chicken And Prosciutto Pasta

Concentrated chilli paste from Indonesia, this fiery sauce is made from a variety of chilli peppers with added ingredients of shrimp paste and fish sauce. Use sparingly to liven up a dish.

See recipe for:
Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)

Tamari is a thick, dark Japanese soy with a mellow flavour, often used as a dipping sauce or for basting.

Well-known Japanese sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger and other spices. It gives a distinctive glaze when brushed over grilled meat.

See recipe for:
Teriyaki Salmon Stir-Fry

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Know Your Asian Ingredients