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I like how garlic is on the list twice---that's how it is in my house!

Sugar sake soy sauce is a standard Japanese flavor combo.

Haha! Thanks for noticing that, Mercy Street. I'll fix it, although maybe it is indeed symbolic!

thumbs up to sugar, sake & shoyu...you'd think everything would taste the same, but it really doesn't. Oh let's not forget mirin.

I love how you can use cilantro in Asian as well as Hispanic dishes. It's got to be my favorite herb. Good list! I'm searing it on my memory for next time I'm improvising. I get stuck in the soy sauce/ginger/garlic rut, and it's nice to expand that a bit. I notice that lime/ginger makes a good flavor, but I don't know how Asian that is.

i would add lime to the list, and possibly chili (flakes or peppers).

it would also be helpful to note the breakdown of flavors in your average curry powder for help/inspiration as well. or will indian food be separate? i guess curries alone could be a whole topic, eh?

I would also add lime, lemon (juice and zest) and chillies to the list. I'm from Malaysia, so cooking with chillies (fresh and dried) is key in any of my dishes, from fried rice to soups! Oooppsss.. I don't see oyster sauce on the list! That is the most basic sauce in almost all stir fries :P

Lime water sugar garlic fish sauce = ubiquitous Vietnamese seasoning.

Basically, limeade plus fish sauce and garlic.

Ooops, my plus signs didn't show up!

I'll have to second (or third, as the case may be) chilies -- us southeast Asians like our spice!

Hoisin sauce and black bean/ garlic paste

and second oyster sauce

Oh yup, mirin. I have a spice-averse husband and offspring. So it's just the basic Japanese combo noted above, sesame (I've been known to cheat and use tahini rather than toast and use the suribachi to grind the stuff), and kombu dashi. Bonito flakes go on the Japanese list, too. (I don't use it because I'm vegetarian, but it's a basic if you're not.) And shiro miso.

mirin is terrific stuff, but most of what's available has corn syrup as the first ingredient -- yuck. i have found real mirin at health food stores (eden brand, i think).