Cooking guides, shopping guides & recipes
How to cook with gochujang, miso, fish sauce and curry pastes, plus where to buy them: the best-stocked shops in London, city round-ups and more. Every store we mention links to its listing, with up-to-date hours and directions.
Lunar New Year 2027 gift ideas: red envelopes, decorations, tea and sweets to take when visiting, kit for the reunion dinner, and customs to know.
Read the guide: Lunar New Year gifts: red envelopes, decorations and moreHow to use the sauces, pastes and staples you bring home, with techniques and recipes that work in a UK kitchen.
Asian supermarket shopping tips: where things are, reading imported date labels, cash and cards, what to buy in bulk, fresh produce days and cool bags.
Read the guide: Asian supermarket shopping tips for first-timers
How to use gochujang, the Korean chilli paste: what it tastes like, 10 easy ways to cook with it, the best substitutes and how long it keeps.
Read the guide: How to use gochujang: 10 easy ways to cook with it
Light vs dark soy sauce explained: which to use for flavour and which for colour, plus tamari, Japanese shoyu, kecap manis and a soy sauce chow mein.
Read the guide: Light vs dark soy sauce: what's the difference?
A Chinese sauces guide to the 12 pantry essentials: oyster sauce, doubanjiang, Chinkiang vinegar, Shaoxing wine and more, plus a batch stir-fry sauce.
Read the guide: Chinese sauces guide: 12 pantry essentials explained
How to stir fry on a gas, induction or electric hob: preheating, cooking in batches, velveting, sauce ratios and when to add each vegetable.
Read the guide: How to stir fry at home: heat, timing and wok hei
How to cook jasmine rice on the hob, plus sushi and sticky rice: when to rinse, water ratios by cup and by weight, timings, and reheating leftovers safely.
Read the guide: How to cook jasmine rice, sushi rice and sticky rice
Thai curry paste guide: red vs green, yellow, massaman and panang compared, how much paste to use, and how to make shop-bought paste taste homemade.
Read the guide: Thai curry paste guide: red vs green and the rest
How to use fish sauce in cooking, dressings and dips, Thai nam pla vs Vietnamese nước mắm, what 40°N means, substitutes, and a nước chấm recipe.
Read the guide: How to use fish sauce: buying, cooking and nước chấm
Types of miso explained: white vs red vs mixed miso, how each tastes, how to use miso paste, the best substitutes and how to store it.
Read the guide: Types of miso: white vs red vs mixed, and how to use them
How to use a bamboo steamer: first-use prep, lining, wok vs saucepan, steaming times for dumplings, fish and bao, and cleaning it so it never goes mouldy.
Read the guide: How to use a bamboo steamer: setup, timings and care
How to store lemongrass, galangal, ginger, Thai basil, pak choi, bean sprouts, rice noodles and tofu: fridge and freezer times, and signs it's past it.
Read the guide: How to store lemongrass, Thai basil and Asian greens
Types of Asian noodles explained: rice, egg, udon, soba, ramen and glass noodles, how to cook each without sticking and which to use for which dish.
Read the guide: Types of Asian noodles and how to cook each one
A classic Filipino chicken adobo recipe: which vinegar to use and substitutes, adobo sa gata with coconut milk, and the Filipino pantry essentials.
Read the guide: Filipino chicken adobo recipe: vinegar, soy and garlic
How to do hot pot at home: the equipment, mala, clear and tomato broths, what to put in, dipping sauces and how much food per person.
Read the guide: Hot pot at home: broths, ingredients and dipping sauces
How to cook tofu: firm vs silken, how to press it, how to make it crispy, plus tofu puffs, tofu skin, freezing tips and a sticky soy-garlic tofu recipe.
Read the guide: How to cook tofu: types, pressing and crispy tofu
How to make bao buns at home: a soft bao dough, folding gua bao, steaming times, why bao turn yellow or wrinkled, freezing and the best fillings.
Read the guide: How to make bao buns: soft, fluffy folded gua bao
How to make bubble tea at home: cook chewy tapioca pearls, make brown sugar syrup, pick the right tea, and fix pearls that turn out hard or mushy.
Read the guide: How to make bubble tea at home with tapioca pearls
How to make chilli oil at home: which chilli flakes to buy, Sichuan peppercorns, the right oil temperature, how long it keeps and how to use it.
Read the guide: How to make chilli oil: Sichuan-style recipe and tips
How to make dashi at home: awase dashi with kombu and katsuobushi, kombu and vegan dashi, instant granules, substitutes and what to do with used kombu.
Read the guide: How to make dashi: kombu, awase, vegan and instant
How to make egg fried rice like a takeaway: which rice to use, why day-old rice matters, the best oil, fixing soggy rice and storing leftovers safely.
Read the guide: How to make egg fried rice like a takeaway
How to make laksa at home: curry laksa vs assam laksa, how to upgrade shop-bought laksa paste, the best noodles and toppings, and a prawn laksa recipe.
Read the guide: How to make laksa: paste, noodles and toppings
How to make mochi at home in the microwave: which glutinous rice flour to buy, red bean and strawberry daifuku, keeping mochi soft and eating it safely.
Read the guide: How to make mochi at home: microwave daifuku
How to make nasi goreng: the spice paste, kecap manis, what terasi and belacan are, how it differs from fried rice, toppings, and a recipe with fried egg.
Read the guide: How to make nasi goreng with kecap manis
How to make pad thai at home: a tamarind pad thai sauce, which rice noodles to buy, how to soak them so they don't clump, and a prawn pad thai recipe.
Read the guide: How to make pad thai: sauce, noodles and method
How to make pho at home: a quick beef broth with charred onion, ginger and star anise, the right rice noodles, thin-sliced beef and the herb plate.
Read the guide: How to make pho at home: a weeknight beef pho
How to make ramen at home: shoyu, shio, miso and tonkotsu broths, what tare is, ramen eggs, fresh vs dried noodles and a 30-minute shoyu ramen recipe.
Read the guide: How to make ramen at home: broth, tare, noodles and eggs
How to make sushi at home: seasoning sushi rice, rolling maki and inside-out rolls, what kit you need, and buying salmon that is safe to eat raw in the UK.
Read the guide: How to make sushi at home: rice, rolling and safe fish
How to use kimchi: 12 easy ways to eat and cook with it, what to do with old sour kimchi, how long it keeps once opened and whether it's vegan.
Read the guide: How to use kimchi: 12 easy ways to cook with it
How to use lemongrass: which part to use, how to chop it, making paste, fresh vs frozen vs dried, substitutes and a Vietnamese lemongrass chicken.
Read the guide: How to use lemongrass: prep, paste and substitutes
Korean BBQ at home: the best cuts (samgyeopsal, bulgogi, galbi), which grill to use indoors, ssamjang, banchan and where to buy sliced meat in the UK.
Read the guide: Korean BBQ at home: cuts, grills, sauces and bulgogi
Matcha guide: ceremonial vs culinary grade, how to make matcha without lumps, a matcha latte recipe, baking tips, storage and why matcha tastes bitter.
Read the guide: Matcha guide: grades, whisking, lattes and baking
Vegan Asian ingredients to buy at an Asian supermarket: tofu, tempeh, mian jin, yuba, mushroom sauces, vegan fish sauce swaps and the labels to check.
Read the guide: Vegan Asian ingredients: pantry staples to buy
How to make dumplings at home: which wrappers to buy, pork, prawn and veg fillings, three easy folds, boiling, steaming, pan-frying and freezing.
Read the guide: How to make dumplings at home: wrappers, fillings and sauces
Lunar New Year food explained: lucky dishes and their meanings, a simple supper menu, Seollal and Tết dishes, a UK shopping list and longevity noodles.
Read the guide: Lunar New Year food: lucky dishes and what they meanWhere to find what you need: the best-stocked shops, city round-ups and what the directory data says.
Gift ideas for anyone who loves cooking Asian food: stocking fillers, matcha and sushi kits, carbon-steel woks, rice cookers and hot pot sets.
Read the guide: Gifts for Asian cooking lovers: a 2026 UK gift guide
How many Asian supermarkets does the UK have, and where are they? 438 shops counted by nation, city, cuisine and chain from every directory listing.
Read the guide: The UK's Asian supermarket map: 438 shops by city
What to buy in the frozen section of an Asian supermarket: dumplings, gyoza, bao, fish balls, edamame, pandan and durian, with from-frozen cooking times.
Read the guide: Asian supermarket frozen aisle: what to buy and cook
Asian snacks to try, by country: Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai and Filipino favourites, sweet and savoury, plus drinks and stocking fillers.
Read the guide: Asian snacks to try: the best from an Asian supermarket
Gochujang, gochugaru, kimchi and rice cakes: what to look for, and the 125 UK shops in our directory that stock Korean groceries, from New Malden to Manchester.
Read the guide: Where to buy gochujang and Korean groceries in the UK
From SeeWoo in Chinatown to the Korean shops of New Malden: all 79 London Asian supermarkets in our directory, grouped by area, with what each does best.
Read the guide: The best-stocked Asian supermarkets in London, area by area
Rice, miso, dashi and mirin explained, plus where to find them: 111 UK stores in our directory stock Japanese groceries.
Read the guide: Japanese grocery shopping in the UK: what to buy and where
Where to buy rice, noodles, sauces and snacks from home in 12 UK university cities, from Edinburgh to Cardiff, with 112 Asian supermarkets between them.
Read the guide: International student guide: finding home ingredients in UK university cities
Where to buy Chinese, Korean and Thai groceries in Manchester and Liverpool: 25 shops by area, with late hours, Sunday opening and parking.
Read the guide: Asian supermarkets in Manchester and Liverpool: area guidePrefer a feed reader? Subscribe via RSS.
