Asian Grocery.....list please!

I love the asian grocery (and I mean a REAL asian grocery, they don't speak english, very few signs or labels are in english, they have live fish that I can not identify and TONS of other **** I can not identify) .

I love their cheap chopsticks and vietnamese coffe makers, I love all of the noodles, the bullions, the spices, etc. but honestly, most of the place is little more than a museum to me.

What should I be getting there?? I love to cook and eat. I am not gonna make calf head soup, but I am open to most things.

Asian is a pretty broad term. If you a looking at making southeast Asian dishes then I would get hold of the less common ingredients like:

Fish sauce
Lemon grass
Kefir lime leaves
Shrimp paste (challenge you to open the jar and give it a long deep sniff without passing out)
Galangal
Tamarind
Light and dark soy sauce

Don't be afraid to stock up, the fresh ingredients freeze well and the rest will last for years. Can help more if you give an idea of what you want to cook.

BadMrFrosty said:

Asian is a pretty broad term. If you a looking at making southeast Asian dishes then I would get hold of the less common ingredients like:

Fish sauce
Lemon grass
Kefir lime leaves
Shrimp paste (challenge you to open the jar and give it a long deep sniff without passing out)
Galangal
Tamarind
Light and dark soy sauce

Don't be afraid to stock up, the fresh ingredients freeze well and the rest will last for years. Can help more if you give an idea of what you want to cook.

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This is what I was looking for!!

I really like the frozen dim sum you can get at Asian markets. Steamed at home, with some soy sauce and sambal oelek on the side, and it's just like dim sum, without the carts!

Char siu bau (steamed buns stuffed with pork), shao mai (shrimp/pork dumpling), har gow (shrimp dumpling), and dozens of varities of Jiǎozi (pot stickers). They'll last a long time in the freezer and are quick/easy to make.

Also, fresh produce can usually be much cheaper at Asian markets, specifically snow peas and hot peppers.

Don't pass on the sauce aisle - dozens of varieties of sambal oelek style chili sauces that are amazing.

Soup mixes can be great (egg drop, hot & sour, chicken/corn, or may favorite Tom Yum Gai).

If you spend a little time researching ingredients/recipes, and buy a good wok (I use it outside on by SQ14 burner I use for brewing), you can make restaraunt quality Asian food at home.

BadMrFrosty said:

Asian is a pretty broad term. If you a looking at making southeast Asian dishes then I would get hold of the less common ingredients like:

Fish sauce
Lemon grass
Kefir lime leaves
Shrimp paste (challenge you to open the jar and give it a long deep sniff without passing out)
Galangal
Tamarind
Light and dark soy sauce

Don't be afraid to stock up, the fresh ingredients freeze well and the rest will last for years. Can help more if you give an idea of what you want to cook.

Click to expand...

Excellent list, I'd add dark soy sauce, good Chinese cooking wine, birds eye peppers and a good assortment of dried mushrooms.

You might also be able to buy the Chinese mustard powder.

At least at the one by me, shallots are dirt cheap at the Asian market while they're ridiculously expensive at the usual suburban grocery store. Can't hurt to look around for deals like that

Look for those little shaker bottles of seaweed/sesame/chili - they come in a lot of different flavor combos. Awesome. Ichimi Togarashi is the name in my cupboard, and some of the dried fish flakes for stock.

AZ_IPA said:

I really like the frozen dim sum you can get at Asian markets. Steamed at home, with some soy sauce and sambal oelek on the side, and it's just like dim sum, without the carts!

Char siu bau (steamed buns stuffed with pork), shao mai (shrimp/pork dumpling), har gow (shrimp dumpling), and dozens of varities of Jiǎozi (pot stickers). They'll last a long time in the freezer and are quick/easy to make.

Also, fresh produce can usually be much cheaper at Asian markets, specifically snow peas and hot peppers.

Don't pass on the sauce aisle - dozens of varieties of sambal oelek style chili sauces that are amazing.

Soup mixes can be great (egg drop, hot & sour, chicken/corn, or may favorite Tom Yum Gai).

If you spend a little time researching ingredients/recipes, and buy a good wok (I use it outside on by SQ14 burner I use for brewing), you can make restaraunt quality Asian food at home.

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Awesome Az. Didn't realize you were a black belt foodie!

JonM said:

At least at the one by me, shallots are dirt cheap at the Asian market while they're ridiculously expensive at the usual suburban grocery store. Can't hurt to look around for deals like that

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I remember dill being dirt cheap, and lots of veggies I didn't recognize

mchrispen said:

Look for those little shaker bottles of seaweed/sesame/chili - they come in a lot of different flavor combos. Awesome. Ichimi Togarashi is the name in my cupboard, and some of the dried fish flakes for stock.

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I will definitely look for all of that!

cheezydemon3 said:

Awesome Az. Didn't realize you were a black belt foodie!

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And Asian is my specialty!












Here's my wok set up:

AWESOME.

so I need one of those steamer basket thingies too, right? and a wok, and a silver server thingy, and those cool big white spoons

cheezydemon3 said:

AWESOME.

so I need one of those steamer basket thingies too, right? and a wok, and a silver server thingy, and those cool big white spoons

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The cool spoons are cheap......at the Asian market!

AZ_IPA said:

The cool spoons are cheap......at the Asian market!

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Those will wait, but the steamer basket is a probable purchase.....and more chopsticks! I use them for cooking so often!

I use chopsticks to pop out the poppets from my kegs when they need a cleaning. They fit perfectly.

AZ_IPA said:

I use chopsticks to pop out the poppets from my kegs when they need a cleaning. They fit perfectly.

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I use them for deep frying tortillas, mixing batter, picking up hot things, stirring gin and tonics, etc.

a google search turned up this seemingly similar query on another forum.

Apparently, we aren't real foodies. This thread should have devolved into an argument over forms of broccoli so bad that the thread has to be closed, lol.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/858265

Sounds like maybe a rice cooker and a few other good ideas before the broccoli rab bloodbath ensued......

cheezydemon3 said:

a google search turned up this seemingly similar query on another forum.

Apparently, we aren't real foodies. This thread should have devolved into an argument over forms of broccoli so bad that the thread has to be closed, lol.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/858265

Sounds like maybe a rice cooker and a few other good ideas before the broccoli rab bloodbath ensued......

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It is surprising how the most seemingly benign topic can bring out drama queens in battallions.

I may not like broccoli, but I'll steadfastly defend your right to eat it.

i love stupid stuff like that. "Thread shut down over Broccoli feud"....

AZ_IPA said:

And Asian is my specialty!

Here's my wok set up:

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Ho-Lee-Fook does that look good!

Here's a pretty good list I found.

Great list... It jogged my memory of something I want to try: Tea Smoking.

I forget which show, but the chef poured white sugar in the bottom of a aluminum pan, then sprinkled a handful of Chinese white and green teas. He put a rack above that, and laid snapper filets on the rack. That went into a very hot oven, covered in foil. Apparently the sugar burns, and then slowly burns the tea... You get a tea smoke and very slight caramel on the fish. Doesn't take long - I think like 10-15 for a thin filet.

I would think any light fleshed fish would work. Bet salt would work as well as sugar.

That served with stir fry and a nice sweet/sour spicy orange sauce over the fish...

May have to try this over the weekend.

I go crazy in asian markets, Black bean paste, chili pastes, miso, seaweed, rice noodles, lo mein,soba, I buy things I have no idea what they are and play.
It's the only place I can walk in and find pork belly to make bacon without special ordering it, memo to self, make bacon!
AZ, your photos look awesome!! What time is dinner??

mchrispen said:

Great list... It jogged my memory of something I want to try: Tea Smoking.

I forget which show, but the chef poured white sugar in the bottom of a aluminum pan, then sprinkled a handful of Chinese white and green teas. He put a rack above that, and laid snapper filets on the rack. That went into a very hot oven, covered in foil. Apparently the sugar burns, and then slowly burns the tea... You get a tea smoke and very slight caramel on the fish. Doesn't take long - I think like 10-15 for a thin filet.

I would think any light fleshed fish would work. Bet salt would work as well as sugar.

That served with stir fry and a nice sweet/sour spicy orange sauce over the fish...

May have to try this over the weekend.

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Sounds awesome, like something Morimoto would do on iron chef.

If you do make it let us know how it turns out, sounds like an awesome recipe.

It seems that when you guys say Asian you are really talking about Chinese? Not that thats a bad thing but the food of Asia is massively diverse and it would be a shame to miss out on the rest of the goodies on offer.

Kimchee. This alone has so many varieties.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
Curries

Here we are lucky enough that the asian supermarket ( think costco size) is divided not only by meat , veg, etc but also by region and sometimes even country. Most days they have samples available to try

kimchee - korean fermented cabbage (acquired taste, but it's awesome)
cardamom pods - get both green and black (mandatory for Indian cuisine)
asafoetida - mandatory for Indian cuisine
garam masala - Indian cuisine
frozen frog legs
frozen scampi
red, green, yellow, black lentils - for Indian curries such as "tarka dhal"
frozen won ton skins
korean chili sauce (comes in a rectangular plastic container)
bok choy
seaweed snacks
dried squid snacks

etc...

BadMrFrosty said:

It seems that when you guys say Asian you are really talking about Chinese? Not that thats a bad thing but the food of Asia is massively diverse and it would be a shame to miss out on the rest of the goodies on offer.

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The name of the place is

THE ASIAN MARKET

I know it is generic and non-specific, but it seems to be mostly chinese and Japanese stuff.

I wouldn't have called it that.

headbanger said:

Sounds awesome, like something Morimoto would do on iron chef.

If you do make it let us know how it turns out, sounds like an awesome recipe.

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The old Iron Chef was SO much better!

I know Morimoto came over, but it isn't the same.

Kobe, Morimoto, Nakimura, Ishiban(? not sure of the last and too lazy to google)

cheezydemon3 said:

The name of the place is

THE ASIAN MARKET

I know it is generic and non-specific, but it seems to be mostly chinese and Japanese stuff.

I wouldn't have called it that.

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The wet dream of product managers is to have their product's name taken into use as THE everyday word for that item. Band-Aids, Velcro, etc. Marketing 101.

DOH!!

It does say ASIAN MARKET real big, but evidently Du Phua is the name. No website no nothing.

Dated a girl who had lived in Vietnam for 4 months and "gone native", married a vietnamese guy (who turned out to be a royal dick) and KNOWS where the real authentic stuff is. She led me to this place.

Look for kecap manis it's a thick medium sweet soy sauce that's thick like syrup

Fantastic for marinating pork for satay and makes an awesome fried rice also

Also shrimp chips are fun and tasty fried in wok the puff up like Funyuns

Also wonton skins and thanks for making me hungy !

cheezydemon3 said:

The name of the place is

THE ASIAN MARKET

I know it is generic and non-specific, but it seems to be mostly chinese and Japanese stuff.

I wouldn't have called it that.

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OK so you will likely find most of the stuff people have listed except the Indian spices. If making a good Indian curry is your thing you may need to find another store.

And Asian is my specialty!

Here's my wok set up:

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What's in the carved out pineapple? Looks yummy!

do not forget to pick up a few canned goods . Braised eel ( my favorite ) lots of other good stuff in sardine sized cans in chili sauce and braised .
Oh the best thing is them pretty girls . Pick up a few of them if you can .

If you like pastry the Vietnamese make a lot of it . I think it is French from when they invaded way back when . Also they have some great cookies and the like . Flutes are my favorite .

Acrospire said:

What's in the carved out pineapple? Looks yummy!

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Pineapple fried rice. A fairly common Thai dish.

AZ_IPA said:

Pineapple fried rice. A fairly common Thai dish.

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Cool, thanks. I'm gonna have to look up a recipe for it.

AZ_IPA said:

Pineapple fried rice. A fairly common Thai dish.

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Oh my. My favorite

Any of the live/fresh foods. Some places will have the live crabs & shellfish, but the better places will have larger live fish, maybe even eels if you're lucky. You can freeze unagi & it's just fine thawed & reheated. Squid tubes, tobiko, uni, etc...

I'd have a look at lots of different recipes & make a shopping list for the various ingredients for those recipes. You might have need at some point for those difficult to find anywhere else items like the shrimp paste or various spices or condiments.

The one thing I wanted for years was gai laan, but could never find it. It's also known as "Chinese broccoli," or "Chinese kale." IMHO, this is the tastiest of all green veggies on the planet when stir-fried with a little dark sesame oil, garlic & oyster sauce. I used to ask for it everywhere & the best they could come up with was baby bok choy. I had to grow my own to get real gai laan; if you can get that, you'll not be disappointed. There are several different varieties, here's a link that'll show you some pics & tell you a bit about them:
http://www.evergreenseeds.com/chinkalgail.html

I'd also look for gobo (burdock root), chrysanthemum, lychees, various hard to find herbs & spices; maybe not so hard to find, but you might get them fresher & cheaper. Here's a link to various Asian fruit you might find useful:
http://www.frangipani.com/wordpress/thai-fruits/#.UojR6cSkrfc

Any kitchen implements you may need for Asian style cooking, woks, steamers, bamboo & brass long handled strainers, serving plates & bowls, teapots/tea sets, and don't forget the tea.
Regards, GF.

It was great!

It had big live fish, live blue crabs, all sorts of fresh sea crustaceans, nice shrimp scallops, etc.

I think most of it was chinese, but it also had a nice mexican section.

I didn't get everything, but I got a TON of sauces and spices, and some great dumplings! The "pork buns" were AWESOME! I never would have grabbed those. It sounded like a yeast roll with some barbecued pork all frozen or something. It was an awesome sausage dumpling, our favorite among the "dim sum" (All I was able to muster after a long day and some hellacious construction traffic



We did see Headbanger and his "old lady" for a beer, but they didn't make it to the store. Good people!