Thailand’s most famous street food comes together quickly with Verve Culture’s delicious and easy Thai for Two Organic Pad Thai kit. The kit includes the type of rice noodles classic to the dish—soft, thin and flat—herbs, peanuts and a sauce that includes Thai ingredients, like tamarind, that are key to pad thai’s flavor but uncommon in the typical American pantry. Rich, sweet and salty, Verve Culture’s sauce doesn’t taste artificially sweet, like many supermarket brands, or too pungent from fish sauce; we find it more soy-forward. Simply stir-fry the provided ingredients with the protein and vegetables of your choice for a fast, flavorful meal. Verve Culture partners with a USDA-certified organic farm in Thailand that grows classic Thai produce—like makrut lime, galangal and lemon grass—so that every kit delivers traditional flavors and exceptional freshness. Plus, Thai for Two comes in a festive gift bag, so hosting or housewarming gifts are ready to go.

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Dinner is a snap with Verve Culture’s Thai for Two Organic Green Curry Kit. It comes with creamy coconut milk, whole dried herbs and a punchy curry paste starring classic Thai flavor agents like green chili, galangal, lemon grass and makrut lime. All you have to do is add the protein and veggies of your choice for a dinner that comes together in 10 minutes. In Thailand, green curry is prized for being herby and aromatic, with a good heat that doesn’t overwhelm. Verve Culture’s curry paste outperforms supermarket versions, offering a flavor profile that comes off balanced and surprisingly fresh. Verve Culture partners with a USDA-certified organic farm in Thailand that grows classic Thai produce—like makrut lime, galangal and lemon grass—so that every kit delivers traditional flavors and exceptional freshness. Plus, Thai for Two comes in a festive gift bag, so hosting or housewarming gifts are ready to go.

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We created our sofrito to be the perfect building block to cook a wide variety of recipes in less time, based on the tradition of Italian and Spanish grandmothers who make this by the jar to simplify cooking and boost flavor. After much testing, we came up with an aromatic base of sautéed onions, carrots and celery, complemented by the bright tones of tomatoes, white wine and vinegar. For additional depth, it has earthy, umami notes from mushroom powder, aromatic notes of rosemary and thyme, and just a hint of heat from black pepper and Kashmiri chili powder. A few tablespoons of this jammy sofrito is all it takes to spread rich, concentrated power into soups, sauces, stews, braises and nearly anything else that needs a boost of big flavor.

Tomatoes, peppers, onions and berbere spices come together to create this rich Ethiopian sauce that’s the cornerstone of many traditional dishes. Savory spices like garlic and paprika provide a balanced, savory complement to the vegetables, while some sweeter spices add depth without being cloying. What makes this simmer sauce stand out the most, though, is how pronounced each ingredient is—unlike some other supermarket sauces that can just taste muddled. This is a wonderful way to quickly spruce up meat, veggies and grains.

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Tomatoes, peppers, onions and berbere spices come together to create this rich Ethiopian sauce that’s the cornerstone of many traditional dishes. Savory spices like garlic and paprika provide a balanced, savory complement to the vegetables, while some sweeter spices add depth without being cloying. It’s not unpleasantly hot but does get a complex kick from red chilis. What makes this simmer sauce stand out the most, though, is how pronounced each ingredient is—unlike some other supermarket sauces that can just taste muddled. This is a wonderful way to quickly spruce up meat, veggies and grains.

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Kare Kare is a peanut-based Filipino stew traditionally made with beef or oxtail. Fila Manila makes it easy to create this authentic Filipino dish at home in combination with chicken, beef, pork, vegetables or your favorite plant protein. This peanut simmer sauce gets its depth of flavor from coconut vinegar, date nectar, garlic and onions. Try this versatile sauce with a satay or as part of a salad dressing, as there is a good amount of acid in it that counters the sweet nuttiness of the peanuts. We also love that it’s preservative-free.

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Caldereta is a traditional Filipino hearty tomato-based stew made with a variety of different meats. We like how this slow-simmered Calderata stew base from Fila Manila pairs with different meats, chicken and also with vegetables, such as cauliflower or root vegetables. Packed with tomatoes, red peppers, coconut vinegar, garlic, onion and a pinch of chili flakes, the combination lends depth to whatever is being added to it. This flavorful and preservative-free base provides for a quick, authentic Filipino dish that can easily be prepared at home by simmering with chicken, beef or your favorite plant protein.

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This amber-hued liquid is the epitome of full-flavored versatility. Used widely across Japan as a stand-along sauce, soup base and a quick and bold way to dress cold noodles, we love the umami-packed zing mentsuyu brings to the table, as its main ingredient is soy, but it also yields sweet, earthy, salty and smoky flavors. That unique balance is what makes its taste so distinctive and layered. We love this one, made from premium ingredients and no artificial additives. Savory awase dashi broth, briny kombu (seaweed) and rich katsuo dashi (made from bonito) come together to form a flavorful stock, while a special mixture called “hongaeshi” is added to draw out even more complexity. It entails slowly melting sugar into a mixture of soy and mirin over a low temperature. In our store, we have dashi bases, mushroom broths, soys and all sorts of flavoring agents from Japan, but this one is unique in that it is equal parts ingredient and finisher—it won’t overwhelm your dish while also being complete as is.

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With subtle Indian flavor influences, Mekhala yellow curry paste is mild, a little smoky and strongly flavored with turmeric. It’s quite good when blended with coconut milk and simmered with sautéed beef or lamb, though it works equally well with chickpeas or even meaty red lentils. Started in Singapore by a pair of entrepreneurial women disappointed in commercial curry pastes made from dubious ingredients, Mekhala products are organic and completely vegan. Even without the traditional underpinning of fish sauce or shrimp paste, this curry paste is bright and bold, living up to the classic flavor profile we love in Thai curries.

Mekhala red curry paste has bright chili heat punctuated by galangal, lemongrass, cilantro roots, ginger, shallots and white peppercorns. It is great blended with coconut milk and used as a simmer sauce for all manners of meats; the sweetness of hearty root vegetables like butternut squash or sweet potato also pairs well with this paste. We also like to use it “neat” as a quick and easy flavor enhancement. Try it as a rub for roasting meat or on salmon. Started in Singapore by a pair of entrepreneurial women disappointed in commercial curry pastes made from dubious ingredients, Mekhala curries are organic and vegan. We love that this red curry paste packs bold flavor even without the traditional underpinning of fish sauce or shrimp paste.

Characterized by the bold flavor of green chilis and fresh herbs, Mekhala green curry paste is spicy but not overwhelming, with a complex cumin/coriander earthiness and a verdant, floral aroma. We also like the clarity and citrus juiciness from lemongrass, Kaffir lime and galangal. This green curry paste is ideal for pairing with coconut milk. Try it for lighter foods like chicken or white fish, or make a dressing for vegetables: Blend a spoonful of the paste with thick coconut milk and lime juice, then toss with blanched green beans, spinach or roasted eggplant.

Creamy, sweet and nutty, Thai Fusions' Peanut Sauce has a rich foundation of ground peanuts and coconut milk, accented by medium-hot red chilies. Earthy brown sugar brings out the chili peppers' natural fruitiness, while savory ingredients like garlic and fish sauce add a subtle tang and temper the overall sweetness for a well-balanced and easy-to-use sauce.

With a slightly sweeter flavor than Thai red curry, Thai Fusions' Panang Curry features spicy red chilies, creamy coconut milk and umami-rich shrimp paste for a warming, vibrant sauce that can be used as a one-ingredient base for curries or thinned out with coconut milk or chicken stock. The sauce has an unbelievable aromatic complexity; flavors like ginger, lemon grass, makrut lime and garlic can be identified, but none weighs too heavily or stands out too assertively.

This Mango Ginger BBQ Sauce has a perfectly balanced flavor between tangy-sweet American barbecue sauce and warming Thai curry. Real mango and zesty ginger add a bright accent to a classic base of earthy-sweet tomato paste, brown sugar and molasses. Thai Fusions rounds out the sauce with a savory, complex combination of herbs and aromatics, including garlic, onion, shallots and lemon grass.

Maffé, a savory peanut stew, is the national dish of Gambia and a staple dish in West Africa overall, with many variations within the region. It's the perfect introduction to African cuisine, layering natural peanut butter with savory garlic, bright ginger, fresh lime juice and a touch of sugar for a robust, balanced sauce. Mushrooms and tomato paste give this sauce deep, umami-rich flavor, so that it can easily be used for vegetarian or vegan meals without sacrificing robust meatiness. Use Maffé Peanut Simmer Sauce as a stand-alone sauce for peanut stew with your protein and vegetables of choice (for a thinner soup, add chicken or vegetable broth). Serve with fresh garnishes such as cilantro, lime and fresh tomato over a bed of rice or couscous. You can even use it to make an easy, delicious dip: Mix with mayonnaise or sour cream, a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of hot sauce.

Jainaba Jeng was born and raised in The Gambia, a small country on the west African coast bordered on three sides by Senegal. When she moved to North Carolina in 1997, she noticed that she could find ready-made sauces for some international cuisines, but none from her native country—or, in fact, from Africa. So she took matters into her own hands, creating a line of small-batch simmer sauces that draw on flavors from West Africa to Jamaica. “When you taste our foods, I hope you will feel the warmth, love and soul of all women of Africa to whom I pay tribute on our packaging,” says Jeng. “They are responsible for most of the cooking in Africa.”

• Net Weight: 12 ounces
• Ingredients: Water, peanut butter, tomato paste, lime juice, cider vinegar, cane sugar, ginger, garlic, onion, salt, mushroom powder (mushroom, salt, mushroom extract), habanero pepper, paprika, spices, xanthan gum
• Place of Origin: United States

This decadent mole takes 5 days and 30 different ingredients to make. And the effort is well worth it. Most pre-made mole pastes and powders we’ve tried in the States have been awful—at best, they are bland and at worst, they are chalky and bitter. Xilli’s Mole Poblano, prepared by hand in small batches using traditional methods, is the polar opposite: It’s smooth and decadent with a pleasant moderate heat. Once it hits the palate, it truly opens up into an extraordinary melody of tastes. The first flavor to pop out is earthy dark-sweet dried chili and chocolate. This gives way to a nuttiness that is almondy and smooth. There is a warming, woodsy spice to it, but it’s not sticking out in a prominent way—just enough to round out the cacao flavor. The sweetness is caramel-like, as though many of the ingredients were carefully roasted, but a subtle brightness keeps it from becoming cloying. Though it takes days to make, this mole is the perfect kitchen shortcut, offering decadent, long-cooked flavor in little time.

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