Well, I’m back at it again…this time shopping at a local Asian supermarket.
Getting thrown out of a conventional supermarket wasn’t enough fun for me!
What interesting and traditional foods can we find here?
If you haven’t ever shopped at an Asian grocery before, you must find one in your local area right away. Not only is it an incredibly fun and interesting experience (be sure to take the kids along), but you will find foods here that you cannot find anywhere else.
What foods do you like to buy at an Asian market?
By the way, I need to come clean. The salted duck eggs I bought in the video .. they were terrible! Big strike-out on that purchase. I highly recommend buying the speckled quail eggs instead.
However, the frozen coconut made excellent homemade coconut milk!
How to Shop at an Asian Supermarket
One thing I didn’t show in this video is the packages of very affordable bonito flakes. They are dried fish that make an excellent quick stock for soups!
I just found your website and am loving your blog!! It’s fantastic… I just made some coconut milk kefir with some grains and it was delicious… my new favourite breakfast!
A few comments:
Have you ever tried Natto (fermented soybeans)? It’s doing wonders on my gut and they sell most without MSG and sugar. Also look at the coconut isle because there’s a brand that sells about a litre of coconut milk with no preservatives at all for about $3.50 CAD. I think the brand is Arroy?
Thanks again!
Yes, I’m in Canada too and Arroy is a very common brand. It seems fine too, with nothing added and at a great price 🙂 You will LOVE this blog – tons of information, a valuable resource!
Hi Sarah! LOVE this video blog!
About those salted duck eggs – I hope you didn’t eat them straight as a snack! They’re not meant to be! 🙂 We Chinese eat them with plain rice porridge (made with white rice) for breakfast – in tiny bitefuls!!! It’s absolutely comfort food for me! 🙂 Next you should try ‘Thousand Year Old Eggs’! Also eaten with porridge. 🙂
I’m sure you already know this, but I have to mention for your readers – ALWAYS CHECK EXPIRATION DATES when shopping at Oriental groceries!!! More than a couple of times I have purchased some items only to find they are expired (after I’m home of course!)
Have you tried Oceanic in downtown yet? There is also a big one close to the University. That one has more tanks with lots of more live seafood and shellfish. I’m going to check out Din Ho now that you mentioned it. Thanks!!! 🙂
We did try to eat them straight as a snack. Will know better next time. LOL
Haven’t been to Oceanic yet but I’ve heard great things about it.
I always go there for the small dried fishies! You can use them to make a few dishes that are good and you are eating the whole little fish so you get all of the good stuff!
Good point, BRB. I noticed some small, dried shrimp in the refrigerated section during my video outing and thought that they would be very useful for making fermented shrimp paste a sacred food in at least one traditional culture due to its incredible nutrient density.
Hi Sarah,
I am so glad that you mentioned the seaweed salad toward the end of your video. I absolutley ADORE seaweed salad, but can’t find it without MSG. I would love to simply make it at home but I can’t determine what type of seaweed to use. Any ideas or suggestions?
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Hi Sarah
I live in Melbourne (Australia) so am blessed to have many asian/indian/middle eastern grocers minutes away. I love trying all the unusual things but my latest purchase was agar-agar, which is a type of seaweed that acts like a gelatin. It is used to make a firm jelly, traditionally coconut using the milk or cream, yummy!
Hi Sarah,
interesting video. I have a couple of asian stores in the area I live. One thing I learned is that you have to be VERY CAREFUL. I would say 80% of the food there is packaged and loaded with MSG and nasty chemicals. I would never buy anything in an asian supermarket unless it has a list of ingredients. Even baby snacks are full of MSG.
Olga
Very true Olga. Most of it is pure trash. But it is worth the trip to find the gems that can’t be obtained anywhere else.
I have a great Asian food market near me; it is owned by Indochinese merchants, and the food is diverse and awesome. Yes, you do have to look at labels,but this is true anywhere.
Can you explain how to find kelp flakes that you put in your red snapper stock? I’m not really sure what I’m looking for. I’m assuming it would be at an asian grocery? Also how do you feel about mung bean sprouts?
Hi Sarah Faith, the kelp flakes I use are called “dulse flakes”. Here’s what the bag looks like:
Gotta check one out! There are a lot of Indian supermarkets in our area…do you think there’d be some crossover on items? Love discovering new stuff!
Oh, so COOL! An Indian grocery! Yes .. there would be some great finds in there. Go check it out for sure. You could probably get some goat bones there for making goat stock. YUMMY! I love getting curried goat when I go to Indian restaurants.
I have an Indian market on my street and I always get coconut meat there (frozen), rapadura (only $3.49 for 2 pounds!! – the health food store stuff is way more expensive), mangos when they are in season, bazmati rice and veggies for very good prices!
Awesome! Thanks for this – can’t wait to get to one. 🙂