15 AAPI Women-Owned Food Brands You Need on Your Shopping List

When Mama Lam emigrated from Malaysia to New York City in the 1980s, she quickly learned that none of the hot sauces sold in the US compared to any of the curry pastes used back home. 30 years later, after her daughters Cassandra and Carissa convinced her that her homemade curry paste was too good not to share, the Mama Lam's brand came to be.

Still operating as a mother-daughter business to this day, Mama Lam's now sells both traditional and vegan curry pastes, hot oils, and hot sauces. However, Mama Lam's Malaysian Traditional Medium Curry Paste ($8) is the product that started it all. This versatile curry paste can be used to add heat and flavour to meat, seafood, and vegetables, combined with coconut milk to make a delicious sauce, or even used as a dip.

As daughters of Chinese immigrants, Ashley Xie and Hedy Yu grew up on both American food and Chinese food. But after leaving home for college, when they didn't have access to as many home cooked meals and Asian grocery stores, Xie and Yu felt the need to reconnect with their roots. Thus, Rooted Fare was born, featuring modern, uniquely Chinese American pantry staples such as Black Sesame Crunchy Butter, Dried Chili Sichuan Dressing, and Roasted Peanut Dan Dan Sauce.

This Rooted Fare Black Sesame Crunchy Butter ($15) is a recipe inspired by 汤圆 (tang yuan), a Chinese New Year dessert consisting of a glutinous rice ball filled with ground black sesame seeds, lard, and brown sugar. The spread is best served on toast, oatmeal, apples, or ice cream.

Whenever Emshika Alberini's grandmother would make her Thai tea, it was never the bright shade of orange most Americans are used to seeing. While you can find that sort of drink in Thailand, it's actually known as a Thai tea latte, and it only exists because of Western influence on the country's street food scene. Alberini believes there's a much better way for people to enjoy Thai tea stateside, and that's why she started Emshika's, her own brand of canned Thai teas and coffees.

Keeping with the simplicity of traditional Thai tea and her family's recipes, Emshika's beverages are made with sustainably sourced tea leaves, 100 percent natural ingredients, and they're also nitro infused and dairy free. Emshika's Oat Milk Iced Tea Latte ($27 for a 6-pack) is like the Thai tea you're already familiar with, but better. It's dairy free and sugar free, getting its creaminess from oat milk and sweetness from monk fruit.

Pooja Bavishi always loved experimenting with spices, and realised ice cream was the perfect blank canvas for them. In 2015, she decided to launch Malai, which features flavours like Pumpkin Garam Masala Crumble, Saffron Pistachio, and Golden Turmeric. Thanks to its use of South Asian ingredients, Bavishi's creations are giving other ice cream lovers a new way to enjoy the frozen dessert.

This variety pack of Malai Signature Ice Cream ($90) comes with four pints of the brand's signature flavours, including Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds, Masala Chai, Orange Fennel, and Sweet Milk. They can be enjoyed on their own or in one of Bavishi's recipes.

If you thought butter only came in salted and unsalted, it's probably because you've never heard of Liko Lehua tropical fruit butter. Owned by Hawaiian entrepreneur Dawn Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder, who took over the business from her Aunt Diane Kānealiʻi, Liko Lehua started out as a football team fundraiser and grew into a local delicacy. Though the butters are now available nationwide, the brand still remains entirely family run, and continues to use Hawaiian grown products and all-natural ingredients like it did in 1996.

Liko Lehua butters are available in seven flavours including Passion Fruit, Tahitian Lime, Vanilla, Guava, Mango, Pineapple, and Coconut. Liko Lehua Tahitian Lime Butter ($10) is a sweet and tart combination of lime and vanilla that works with spicy and savory foods like sautéed fish and burritos, in addition to cheesecake and ice cream.

Ninong's Dessert Lab is a family-run Filipino bakery that initially opened in 2008 and is led by Kissa Ortega. Thanks to the overwhelming success of the brand's Ube Pancakes, the brand's line of ube flavoured Filipino pastries has continued to grow. Branching out to online and wholesale operation, Ortega's business is now making its way to becoming the authority on all things ube flavoured.

With Ninong's Dessert Lab Ube Cookie Butter ($7), anything from pancakes to pandesal can be ube flavoured. Use it as a spread or eat it by the spoonful, this cookie butter can satisfy any sweet tooth or ube craving.

Afghan American sisters Yasameen and Sheilla Sajady and their two other siblings grew up putting their mother's "Magic Green Sauce" on everything, and one day came to the realisation that it was good enough to be bottled and sold. Taking on the name Maazah after the Farsi word for flavour, the Sajady sisters and their mother Fatima took to the kitchen to come up with a recipe for what eventually became the brand's original chutney.

Never eat bland food again with this Maazah "Mild" Chutney ($9). Made with coriander and ginger, this chutney is the best way to spice up any dish.

As a microbiologist and food studies professor who grew up eating natto — a fermented soybean superfood popular in Japan — Ann Yonetani started NYrture with the goal spreading the word about this delicious side dish and snack. Unlike other natto that is typically imported into the US from Japan, NYrture's natto is cultivated locally, made with premium non-GMO soy, and packaged in a recyclable glass jar.

Enjoy this NYrture New York Natto Original ($10) with soy sauce, chopped scallions, egg yolk, seaweed, and rice for a traditional Japanese breakfast. Each jar includes five servings of the freshest natto in the US.