Best Soy Sauces & Asian Condiments for Hawaiian Cooking (2026 Guide)

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Hawaiian cooking is a melting pot — literally and figuratively. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Portuguese influences all layered on top of Native Hawaiian traditions. And the condiment shelf reflects that. Walk into any local kitchen in Hawai’i and you’ll find a lineup of soy sauces, oyster sauces, sesame oils, and fish sauces that would make a mainland grocery store’s “international aisle” look pathetic.

These aren’t exotic ingredients to us. They’re everyday essentials. You can’t make shoyu chicken without good shoyu. You can’t make proper poke without the right sesame oil. And the difference between a great bottle and a mediocre one shows up in every single bite.

Here’s what I keep stocked and what I’d recommend if you’re building out your Hawaiian pantry.

Soy Sauce (Shoyu)

In Hawai’i, we call it shoyu (the Japanese word), and it’s the single most important condiment in local cooking. But not all shoyu is the same.

Best Everyday Shoyu: Kikkoman Soy Sauce

This is the standard. The one in every restaurant, every kitchen, every table in Hawai’i. Kikkoman is naturally brewed (not chemically hydrolyzed like cheap brands), which gives it a balanced, complex flavor with sweetness, saltiness, and umami all in harmony. If a recipe says “soy sauce,” it means Kikkoman.

Use it for: Everything — marinades, dipping, cooking, table condiment
Price: ~$4–$6 for 20oz

Best Premium: Yamaroku Kiku Bisiho Soy Sauce

If you want to taste what artisanal soy sauce can be, Yamaroku is a revelation. Aged 4+ years in 100-year-old cedar barrels on Shodoshima island in Japan. It’s rich, complex, almost syrupy, with deep umami that Kikkoman can’t touch. I use it as a finishing sauce — a drizzle over fresh poke, sashimi, or steamed rice.

Use it for: Finishing, dipping sauce for sashimi, drizzling over rice
Price: ~$25–$35 for 500ml (worth it)

Best Low-Sodium: Kikkoman Less Sodium

Same Kikkoman flavor with 37% less sodium. If you’re watching your salt intake but don’t want to sacrifice flavor, this is the only low-sodium shoyu worth using. I keep a bottle around for when I’m making dishes where the soy sauce is the primary seasoning and I want to control the salt level more precisely.

Use it for: Shoyu chicken marinades (where you can add salt separately), dipping
Price: ~$4–$6 for 20oz

For Korean Dishes: Sempio Joseon Ganjang

Korean soy sauce (ganjang) is different from Japanese shoyu — lighter in color, saltier, more pungent. You need it for proper kalbi marinade and any Korean-influenced Hawaiian dish. The Sempio brand is authentic and widely available.

Use it for: Kalbi marinade, Korean-style soups, namul
Price: ~$6–$9 for 500ml

Sesame Oil

Best Overall: Kadoya Pure Sesame Oil

Kadoya is the gold standard for toasted sesame oil in Hawai’i. That deep, nutty, roasted aroma is essential for poke, noodle dishes, and countless marinades. A little goes a long way — a teaspoon transforms a dish. This is the brand I see in every poke shop and every local kitchen.

Use it for: Poke, noodle dishes, stir-fries (as a finishing oil), marinades
Price: ~$6–$10 for 11oz

Runner Up: Ottogi Premium Roasted Sesame Oil

The Korean alternative to Kadoya. Slightly more intensely roasted flavor, which some people prefer. Excellent in Korean-Hawaiian dishes like kalbi marinade. Between Kadoya and Ottogi, it comes down to personal preference — both are excellent.

Price: ~$8–$12 for 10.8oz

Oyster Sauce

Best Overall: Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce adds a savory, slightly sweet depth to stir-fries, noodles, and glazes. Lee Kum Kee’s Premium version (in the glass bottle with the woman on the label, not the plastic bottle) is the one to get. It has a richer, more genuine oyster flavor than the cheaper versions.

Use it for: Stir-fries, chow fun noodles, vegetable glazes, fried rice
Price: ~$5–$7 for 9oz

Fish Sauce

Best Overall: Red Boat Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is the secret weapon in so much Hawaiian-Filipino and Southeast Asian-influenced cooking. Red Boat is the cleanest, highest-quality fish sauce you can buy — just black anchovies and salt, first press, no sugar or additives. The flavor is pure umami without the funky harshness of cheaper brands.

Use it for: Filipino-Hawaiian dishes like pork adobo, adding depth to soups and stews, poke variations, dipping sauces
Price: ~$10–$14 for 8.45oz

Budget Pick: Squid Brand Fish Sauce

If Red Boat is too pricey for everyday use, Squid Brand is a solid workhorse fish sauce. It’s what a lot of restaurants use. Slightly more pungent than Red Boat but perfectly good for cooking (where the raw edge mellows out).

Price: ~$3–$5 for 24oz

Other Essentials

Mirin: Kikkoman Aji-Mirin

Mirin is the sweet rice wine that gives teriyaki its sweetness and shoyu chicken its glaze. Kikkoman Aji-Mirin is widely available and consistent. For more authentic (and expensive) hon mirin, look for Mikawa Mirin — the difference is noticeable in simple preparations where mirin is a primary flavor.

Price: ~$4–$6 (aji-mirin), ~$15–$20 (hon mirin)

Rice Vinegar: Marukan Seasoned Rice Vinegar

Essential for sushi rice, poke marinades, and dressings. Marukan is gentle, slightly sweet, and has been my go-to for years. The “seasoned” version has sugar and salt already added, which is convenient for most Hawaiian cooking applications.

Price: ~$3–$5 for 12oz

Sambal Oelek: Huy Fong

Ground chili paste with garlic. Less vinegary than Sriracha, more pure chili flavor. I use it when I want heat without changing the flavor profile of a dish. A spoonful in kalua pig or mixed into a dipping sauce is perfect.

Price: ~$3–$5 for 8oz

Gochujang: CJ Haechandle

Korean fermented chili paste that’s become a staple in modern Hawaiian cooking. Sweet, spicy, funky, and incredibly versatile. Mix it into mayo for a spicy poke bowl drizzle, use it as a marinade base, or add it to stews for depth.

Price: ~$6–$9 for 500g

Building Your Condiment Shelf

If you’re starting from scratch, here’s the order I’d buy these in:

1. Kikkoman Soy Sauce — the foundation of everything
2. Kadoya Sesame Oil — essential for poke and finishing dishes
3. Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce — for stir-fries and noodles
4. Kikkoman Mirin — for teriyaki, glazes, and marinades
5. Red Boat Fish Sauce — for umami depth
6. Marukan Rice Vinegar — for sushi rice and dressings

Those six bottles, combined with the ingredients in my Essential Hawaiian Pantry guide, will let you make virtually every recipe on this site. Everything else on this list is a great addition once you’ve got the basics covered.