Condiments, Sauces & Pastes

They also make a great “I-definitely-did-NOT-forget-Valentine’s-Day” gift.

Chaat masala adds salty-tangy flavor to this pan-fried fish, and balances the sweet and herby tamarind sauce and cilantro chutney.

This alternative to peanut butter is a little bit salty, a little bit sweet, and 100% nut-free.

This sweet-sour Indian pantry staple makes everything better.

Tamarind concentrate gives this chicken its sticky, glossy quality, not to mention its sweet-and-sour flavor.

We’ve swapped out the ground nuts in a classic linzer for tahini, which makes for a rich, buttery crust that gets filled with jam.

Crispy tofu cubes get tossed in a sweet and savory glaze that hits all the umami notes.

Crispy roasted sweet potato wedges get tossed in a sweet and nutty tahini dressing in this quick vegetarian weeknight dinner.

A salty-umami chocolate chip cookie from chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Tiana Gee to add to the Great Chocolate Chip Cookie canon.

This cloudlike version of pumpkin pie uses tahini for extra nutty flavor.

My grandma used to make a version of this dish using pork and showers of Parmesan. I have updated it to include ground chicken and miso for a lighter, late-summer dish with equally deep flavor,  but feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer. Gently poaching the meatballs is not only faster than roasting, but means none of their flavor is lost to a baking sheet.

A quick sear gives corn kernels caramelized edges and concentrated flavor. Here, they're cooked with crisp chickpeas, then tossed with za'atar and dressed with a mixture of ginger, jalapeños, miso, and tahini. 

Peanut butter, jelly, and buttery crackers in (no-churn!) ice cream pie form.

You’ve heard of fully loaded baked potatoes, right? RIGHT? That’s what we’re doing with these grilled eggplants.

Brad Leone’s go-to charred, smashed, and miso-garlic-butter–tossed grilled potatoes.

Imagine a cross between butter pecan ice cream and salted caramel ice cream, except that the “salted” part comes from miso.

This barbecue chicken has the crackliest, stickiest skin.

This is the summery chicken salad you could eat plate after plate of without feeling like you’ve downed a jar of mayonnaise—because you didn't!

This recipe gives off major chicken-soup vibes but is entirely vegetarian—and you don’t have to simmer vegetables or cheese rinds for hours to get there. The lightning-fast broth gets its flavor from caramelized miso and nutritional yeast (a trick we picked up from Bay Area cookbook author and food writer Andrea Nguyen). The gluten-free dumplings are soft on the outside and pleasantly chewy on the inside. 

Spicy, funky, and sweet!

Hot-and-sour soup inspired this highly nontraditional springtime version. Miso gives just enough body so that you won't need cornstarch to thicken it, and you can use silken tofu or thinly sliced yuba instead of egg for that same silky effect.

It's worth it to seek out the good stuff.

We took millionaire bars—shortbread plus caramel plus chocolate—and gave them an upgrade (hence, billions) with sesame seeds and tahini. The shortbread is tender, the filling is gooey, and the chocolate ties it all together.

We took loose inspiration from Hainanese chicken rice to create this weeknight-friendly dish.