Handcrafted by a master noodle maker, these multicolored guksu, or Korean noodles, are infused with clean vegetable flavor. Guksu Master Kim Hyun Kyu started his noodle operation in 1987, wanting to add flavor to basic, bland wheat noodles that only supplemented other recipe components. After years of experimenting with ratios, recipes and aging, Kyu developed vibrant, vegetable-forward twists on the classic noodle. These guksu get their distinctive color-true hues and flavor from garlic chives, sweet pumpkin, beets, and white and black rice. And the ingredients are more than natural food coloring; when cooked, the aromatic noodles impart a subtle but noticeable flavor to dishes and retain a pleasant chew. Try them in pasta dishes, Korean preparations—like bibim-guksu, a spicy noodle stir-fry, or kong-guksu, a cold soy milk soup—or boiled and tossed with oil and sea salt.

These handmade noodles stand out from the pack. With a versatile thinness unlike traditional udon, yet with the same slurpy, chewy texture that’s distinctive of the noodle, Inaniwa udon has been handmade by artisans for over 300 years. The process takes four whole days: The noodles are kneaded on a starched surface before drying, followed by a series of hand kneading sessions before they’re shaped into their final form and left to sit. The resulting noodles are silky smooth with a mild taste, with a lovely kick of salt that makes the flavor come alive.

Japanese soba noodles are crafted using traditional techniques handed down for centuries to achieve an optimal nodogoshi, or “throat feel”. And while we love the firm, nutty typical soba noodle, this one infused with premium green tea is earthy, fresh and elegant. Don’t be afraid of the flavor, it’s mild and wheatgrass-like, so it plays well with other tastes much like a plain noodle would while adding a little something special. plus, you can’t beat the soft, slippery, slurp-able texture.

These soft, fresh noodles are made from equal parts buckwheat flour and wheat flour, which yield an especially springy, yet tender texture and full flavor compared to other soba we’ve tried. The flour is milled in-house and no preservatives or other binding agents are used in the noodles—just a dash of salt to round out the flavors. We love the subtle nuttiness of buckwheat and how it plays up the overall umami flavor of soba. Plus, the wider surface area of these noodles allows them to sop up even more sauce.

Translucent and slippery with wonderful flavor-absorbing properties, glass noodles (harusame) are a staple on Japanese tables. But many typical brands of these harusame get mushy easily and also have to be soaked or parcooked. Malony’s noodles stand out, since they’re made from a combination of potato and corn starches instead of the conventional mung bean starch. This makes the noodles able to maintain the firm, springy texture glass noodles are known for—so there’s no rushing to finish your bowl before they go soggy. They even keep their shape as reheated leftovers. Plus, there’s no prep required—simply add straight to your soup. Although they don’t have a strong taste themselves, the noodles beautifully absorb the flavors they are cooked in, making for a versatile pantry staple that’s a step up from what you’d find in supermarkets.

Bring dan dan noodles, a popular Sichuan street food, home with this ready-to-use jarred sauce from Chinese Laundry Kitchen. The layered, umami-forward sauce gets its tingly spice from roasted Sichuan peppercorns and nutty flavor from sesame, a classic dan dan sauce ingredient. With a hint of sweetness and warm aromatic spice, it makes a near-instant dinner—just boil noodles and toss with the velvety sauce. But we also like it with other ingredients, like fried tofu or in a green bean stir-fry. Made with 100 percent real ingredients and no additives by a family-owned business in California.

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.

We were blown away by this Garlic Chili Crisp from KariKari. We find most chili crisps tend to be mostly oil, but this version is incredibly textured with thin slivers of golden garlic, shallots and peanuts—not surprising since the name KariKari which means crunchy in Japanese. Garlicky and spicy off the bat, followed with a hit of umami and a delightful tingling from Sichuan peppercorn, you can add this crisp to just about any dish for more flavor and complexity. We like it mixed into noodles, rice, veggies and dolloped on top of fried eggs. Or try it spooned over vanilla ice cream for a sweet and spicy treat.

Spaghettoni meaning thick, bigger spaghetti. Prepare Rustichella d'Abruzzo PrimoGrano Spaghettoni simply, so you can taste the unique flavor of the Abruzzo grown wheat. Sometimes the larger spaghetti can be found served with a rich and hearty ragu. But for us, PrimoGrano spaghettoni is best tossed with slightly heated cherry tomatoes, lots of basil and a healthy pour of the best extra virgin olive oil.

Spaghetti may be the world's most famous pasta, but with its rough texture and incredible bite, Rustichella d'Abruzzo Spaghetti rises above the rest. From the Italian word spago meaning "string" or "thread," these are the strands you seek for perfect spaghetti and meatballs, superior spaghetti carbonara, the ultimate spaghetti cacio e pepe. For simple perfection, just toss with melted butter and abundant grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.