ลาบ

LAAB

earth

Cooking blend

In Isan temple kitchens, laab begins with the wok. Long-grain sticky rice toasted over dry heat until it smells like a warm field, then ground. That powder is the foundation: it binds, carries heat, adds a roasted depth that nothing else does. Chili, galangal, makrut lime, mint built around it. You add the lime at the end. Laab, chopped mushroom salads, grain bowls.

Year-round

ถั่วเน่า

THUA NAO

ferment

Aromatic blend

In the north, in Lanna and Mae Hong Son, thua nao is what shrimp paste is to the south. Soybeans fermented, pressed into discs, sun-dried for months in the dry-season heat. Buddhist cooks have built broths from it for centuries, no fish or allium needed. One teaspoon into hot water becomes a broth. Toast in oil first, then add coconut milk. Soups, curries, noodles.

Year-round

精進

SHŌJIN

essence

Foundational blend

Shōjin dashi has been made the same way in Japanese Buddhist temple kitchens for centuries: kombu and shiitake, nothing added, nothing removed. The glutamate in kombu and the guanylate in shiitake together produce an umami intensity eight times greater than either alone. This is that, dried to powder. One scoop, hot water, done. Miso soup, simmered vegetables, noodle broth, rice.

Year-round

香り

KAORI

fragrance

Finishing blend

Yuzu is harvested once in autumn, cold air and full color, the citrus Japanese temple cooks have used for centuries. Shiso through summer. Sansho in spring. Each freeze-dried at peak, combined here. Three aromatics that arrive in sequence: yuzu’s brightness first, then shiso’s anise warmth, then the slow tingle of sansho at the finish. A pinch between thumb and forefinger. Chilled tofu, pickles, rice, grilled vegetables.

Autumn · Winter

燻

KUN

smoke

Finishing blend

In Akita, where winter makes sun-drying impossible, daikon is hung over cherry and oak fires for weeks, then buried in rice bran to ferment. Iburigakko: two transformations before it reaches this jar. Ground fine with yuzu kosho and nori. Smoke arrives first, then the sharp acid of yuzu kosho, then brine from the ocean, then a long savory finish. A pinch on eggs, rice, ramen, grilled tofu.

Autumn · Winter