We’ve all struggled with making the Asian food at home taste exactly like the one we had at our favorite take out place. That’s because most of the time we don’t have authentic Asian ingredients that are so seminal to the East Asian cuisine and make it taste just like it’s out of an Asian home or restaurant.

Asian cooking tries to focus on healthy dishes which are catered to promote wellbeing and should nutritious and delicious at the same time. Cooking and eating healthy foods is emphasized in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures because they priorities longevity and quality living.

With these popular eating habits and cultural habits related to dining in the most Asian way possible, you’ll be well versed in the most important aspect of their culture.

Asians eat healthier snacks

Even some of the most popular Asian snacks are healthier and add more value to your diet. Far from cookies and chips, seaweed snacks, seeds and dried fruits can be easily found at Asian grocery stores like SF Mart. These are great to keep handy when you travel or even in your office to avoid unwarranted end of the day hunger pangs.

There’s very little milk or dairy in their diet

One thing that Asian cooking doesn’t mix well with is cow’s milk. It does not feature heavily in the quintessential Asian diet primarily because it can reduce the pace at which your stomach digests the food. It also does not complement a lot of the food staples in Asian diet such as rice and curries. If you’re a really big fan of milk and can’t seem to ignore it with your food, there are organic kinds which are definitely worth a shot such as soy milk or almond milk.

Toasted Sesame Oil for everything

Whether it’s for a dressing to go well with your light lunch salad, or you need to make a mean marinade to spice up boring old chicken, you can use toasted sesame oil. It adds a unique flavor to your food and soon enough you won’t be able to cook any kind of cuisine without it.

Oyster Sauce

Stir fried vegetables in oyster sauce as a side that complements your main protein meal is as Asian as it gets. This sauce is both sweet and tangy to taste and it’s the right consistency and richness to elevate your dish to the next level.

In Korean cuisine, Kimchi is the most popular cabbage that is a favorite to cook for dinner amongst other vegetables. Most of these can be eaten raw as well.

Tempted to try out these new ingredients on your next culinary experiment? Look no further than your friendly neighborhood online store SF Mart to buy Asian ingredients and snacks for your grocery. We bring you weekly deals as well so you can buy organic foods on a budget.