Trips to the Asian Markets and This Month's Theme

So this month, we're going to try to make a few asian dishes.  Nothing too complicated, we'll be sticking to some common dishes from Chinese and Thai cultures.  And to do that, we're going to need some special ingredients.  Things like srirachi, hoisin sauce, black fungus, tofu, rice papers, etc.  Things you don't normally toss into your grocery cart on a regular basis.

Now most, if not all of them are available in your larger grocery stores.  With the growing popularity of ethnic cuisines, there are many more products carried in your everyday supermarket.  For example, the Harmons just a short drive from my home has a few shelves of Asian items and almost everything I need is there.  All the sauces, noodles and condiments are side by side.  And if you need other ingredients, like tofu and egg roll wrappers, items that are normally refrigerated, you can find them in the produce sections, usually near the mushrooms or bagged salads. And you can also find the dried woodear mushrooms over there too.

Finding the basic ingredients in the grocery stores may be easy, but you can find a greater variety of items and some really funky and great items at a local Asian market.  Yes, it's going to be a different.  But it's worth the trip at least once in your life.  You've got to expand your horizons, see what the rest of the world really eats.  Because I'll gurantee you, the authentic sweet and sour sauce they use in China is NOT radioactive neon pink.

Asian grocery stores usually have ingredients from all over the continent. Be it Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Thai, or Vietnamese meals, you will find everything, and I mean EVERYTHING you need here. 

For some people, ethnic grocery stores can be a little frightening, but there's nothing to be scared of.  It's a grocery store just like any other.  It just has ingredients that you may have never seen before with labels in a language you may not understand.  No big deal.  And by entering this type of store, you open yourself to all sorts of culinary options. 

Still a little scared?  Well, let me help ease your mind...  First, almost every item will have some sort of english on it, so you will have an idea of what's in the package.  You won't be taking some mystery package home.  Can't find a recognizable characrter?  Well, since it's food, the USDA requires that it have the Nutrition Facts label somewhere on the packaging.  Most likely, a description of the food will be there. 

Second,most of the package while have some area that is see-through, so you can actually see what you're buying.  This comes in handy when you're selecting noodles, mushrooms, or meats.   And many of them, like these rice paper wraps will show how you can use them.  For example, these are perfect for spring rolls or thin wrapper egg rolls.

Third, in my experience, there are very nice people working there.  If you tell them what you need, they'll direct you tgo the item quickly and kindly.

Fourth, it's great to wander the aisles and just LOOK at what is on the shelves and consider for a moment what recipe would use it.  Yes, you may find a few things you may never even consider eating, but it's still pretty cool.  In this example, there are all sorts of different frozen meat.  There's squid, which we can use for a stir fry or quick batter fry.  But then there's the coby fish, octopus, sea urchins, and every type of sea-faring critter you could see in an IMAX 3D movie.

Fifth, usually they sell a lot more than groceries.  My store has an enitre section of woks, hundreds of different chopsticks (which would probably double as those hair sticks that some of the girls like), a whole wall of teapots, the entire set of sushi preparation tools and more serving and decorative ceramic bowls that you possibly use in your life. So you can buy the ingredients for the dinner and then purchase the serving pieces at the same time. 

Sixth, they have some great things in the frozen section.  I get a craving for potstickers every so often and I don't have the time to make them.  It's great to know that I can buy a bag of frozen dumplings here and cook them up in minutes at home.  And there's a number of dim sum options as well. 

Finally, you need to walk down the candy aisle.  There are all sorts of exotic sweets available in little bags, so you can sample something new for about a buck and a half.

Oh, and if you'd like some MSG in your food for that extra flavor... they have it... in large bags.  So if you have an Asian market anywhere close to you, stop by to pick up a few ingredients for this month's recipes and pick up something outside your normal menu.