Rice, bok choy, chili peppers and even to-go containers — restaurants serving Asian-style food said sourcing the essentials has been a struggle since President Donald Trump added new tariffs as part of a trade war with China.

Facing rising costs, one Federal Hill restaurant is taking an unconventional approach: using Mexican ingredients.

“I realized that authenticity is about creativity, and about creating new ways to present your food and tell the stories behind your dishes,” said Colin Liang, who opened Water Song Yunnan Kitchen five years ago.

Liang, who was raised on his grandmother’s cooking, said the menu was inspired by his hometown in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, which shares a border with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The region’s natural wild mushrooms, cilantro, lemongrass, fish sauce and chilis are essential components of how Liang brought his culture to Baltimore, where in addition to opening Water Song, he became a supplier to other Asian food spots for key ingredients that could only be found in Yunnan.

That all changed earlier this year when Trump raised and then lowered import fees as he sought a trade deal with China.

Tariffs soared to 145% earlier this year and have now settled at 30% — with additional tariffs on some goods, such as steel — as the two countries face yet another new deadline, Nov. 10.

Herbs and seasonings such as five spice, ginger and cilantro — Yunnan’s has a specific flavor, Liang said — shot up in price. The import bottleneck caused a huge financial loss for the restaurant and supply business, Liang said.

Vital sauces, sweet soy sauce and Zhenjiang vinegar, for example, are costing an additional $60 per week.

“We do not want to increase our prices in a bad economy,” he said. “Everyone is scared of increasing the prices on their menu.”

Liang has priced most of his dishes at or below $15 since opening. Facing the choice of raising the price of beloved dishes, from xiao guo spicy pork rice noodle to dai-style jumbo lump crab fried rice, or changing the sourcing of its ingredients, Liang chose the latter.

“Five years ago I wanted it to be exact,” said Liang, believing that authenticity of Yunnan dishes at Water Song meant replicating its traditional equipment, tools and precise ingredients.

But to continue serving Baltimore’s foodies, he had to reframe his approach.

Liang quickly realized that the same ingredients he used to be able to import or get from H Mart can also be found at Mexican grocery stores: chili peppers, limes and other fresh fruits.

Crossover between Latin and Asian cuisine isn’t unusual. Hot chili oil, an essential Chinese ingredient and condiment, is similar to salsa macha and chili pastes used in Mexican dishes. Salsa verde and the Yunnan dipping sauce nanmi share a reliance on lime, sugar and vibrant herbs.

While Yunnan and Mexico are separated by over 6,000 miles, Liang described the similarities in flavors, cooking methods and tools that allowed Water Song to tell a new story of cultures and their cuisines.

As of July 30, Water Song’s new menu features street tacos and flautas, using spring roll wrappers as tortillas, grilled and fried seafood, and flavors such as cilantro, laksa and fish sauce that build off of the spice-hungry palates of both cultural traditions.

At dinner, there’s two styles of branzino. One is grilled and served with charred ginger, garlic and tomato with a side of nanmi, a Yunnan dipping sauce that blends lime, laksa, and soy sauce. The other is fried and topped with a salsa verde-inspired potato and mirin sauce, with fresh cilantro, lime and chopped red chilis.

Dayana Gaméz has been the manager of Water Song’s Federal Hill location since it opened. Gaméz, who is from Honduras, has used the flavors of her Latin roots to contribute to reshaping the restaurant’s menu. In a sparkling drink, she’s incorporated freshly sliced ripe mangos or honeydew melon with mint.

Dish by dish, Gaméz pointed to parts of the Yunnan menu that remind her of home. The sweet corn baba bread appetizer, made from ground corn, rice flour and syrup, often sells out, and reminds her of her home’s rigua, or sweet corn pancakes.

“I could not imagine that I would find home in a Chinese restaurant,” she said.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the location of Water Song Yunnan Kitchen, which is in Federal Hill.