Ingredient answers: Chili paste and rice vinegar

Kristi wrote in about her new love affair with P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce wraps. She tried to make the recipe at home, but had trouble tracking down some of the ingredients.

Here's a link to Kristi's original question.

OK, Kristi, let's start with the easy stuff. I know you are a big box shopper, but this is worth one trip to an Asian grocery store. You willl have to buy three bottles that will last you for the next year. Trust me, it will be worth it.

You can buy the basics at any of the Albany area Asian grocery stores, but if you want to try the Korean chili paste, I am not sure if the Chinese stores have it. I know you can get it at Kim's on Central Ave.

Let's start with the chili paste. Set down the chili powder and back away slowly. It won't work. If you are going to buy only one Asian chili sauce (it has plenty of garlic, just not in the name) start with sriracha. It isn't the authentic chili sauce from Thailand, but it's a great place to start and it is delicious on almost anything. It is pretty hot, so go easy at first.

There is also a Korean chili paste that I like a lot. Here's a picture of it.

As for the vinegar question, rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar are for all intents and purposes (that you would care about) interchangable. For a good explanation of the distinctions see this post by Lydia at The Perfect Pantry.

What you need for this recipe is rice vinegar. They sell it at supermarkets, but not the brand that tastes the best. It is also more expensive.

Buy this at the Asian grocery store. It comes in seasoned and unseasoned. Knowing that you are sushi lover, I'd guess that you'd like the seasoned better.

On another note, rice wine and rice vinegar aren't the same, but they are both essential to a lot of Asian recipes. A cheap but totally passable bottle of rice wine for cooking will only set you back a couple of bucks, so I'd pick one up while you are there. It will come in handy for other recipes. Here is the one in my pantry.