10 Ingredients Every 20-Something Should Have In Their Pantry

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By James Clark, Executive Chef, Mama Fu’s Asian House

Stir fry is an essential entrée everyone should know how to make. It’s an easy, one-pan dish you can fit nearly all your food groups into. With only 10 ingredients to keep on hand, you can easily whip up a world-class stir fry in minutes to impress your date, and to show your mom you will survive in this world. And, because I remember what it’s like to be a 20-something, I’ve chosen ingredients that are inexpensive and have a very long shelf life (you’re welcome).

1.Kosher salt: Salt makes food taste good. A kitchen without salt is like a world without love – it’s not worth being in!

2.Sugar: The other bedrock of flavor. A pinch of sugar can help balance out the flavors of so many ingredients.

3.Soy sauce: It’s basically liquid umami, and the base of a million marinades, sauces and dressings. You probably have a drawer full of take-out packets, but you should buy a bottle of soy sauce, too.

4.Soybean oil: You need this if you are going to stir-fry or sauté something, marinade proteins or veggies, or even make a salad dressing. Soy oil is very neutral in flavor and has a fairly high smoke point (that’s a good thing for cooking oils). This is my everything oil, and I save the expensive extra virgin olive oil for special occasions.

5.Vinegar: If you have oil, vinegar, salt and sugar, you have a dressing for any salad. You can also pickle those vegetables you bought with good intentions that are about to go bad in your fridge’s produce drawer! My favorite type of vinegar for flavor and versatility is rice wine vinegar.

6.Toasted sesame oil: OK, this one is a little more expensive, but you need only sparing amounts for a lot of flavor. You can add just a dash of it to the soybean oil to bring out big flavor in your stir-fry.

7.Sriracha: You probably already have some of this, but if you don’t, go to the grocery store right now and buy some. It’s great to dip things into and drizzle on top of everything, but you can also learn to use it as an actual ingredient!

8.Garlic: Ah, a flavor powerhouse. A little minced garlic helps nearly every recipe, and those heads will last for months in the fridge. Plus, my Nana swore by swallowing a clove or two anytime she started feeling sick, so I do too.

9.Ginger powder: This is one of my secret ingredients. A little pinch of this added to any stir fry, sauce or marinade brings out loads of flavor.

10.Rice vermicelli noodles: Look, I know those instant ramen packets got you through college, but it’s time to move on to the adulting version. These noodles cook up in just three or four minutes, and with the rest of the ingredients above, you can make something that won’t make you feel like you still live in a dorm room.

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