Oriental Grocery Store Cheat Sheet??

[Dust of the Sun]

Vantrekkers thread on Easy Stir-Fry brings up a sore point for me personally...I love going into Oriental Grocery Stores but don't know my arse from a hole in the ground...I feel foolish even. Vantrekker mentioned a Vegetarian Mushroom flavored stir fry sauce which sounds awesome...something I didn't know about.<br /><br />Would anyone care to maybe mention a specific product they buy and use in an Oriental Grocery and what they do with it?? How it's used in a dish?? What the package looks like and what it says.<br /><br />Steve mentioned boiling noodles and then frying them....What noodles...how are they packaged so I could find them??<br /><br />See what I mean?? I KNOW NOTHING...as Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes used to say.<br /><br />I did get a Vietnamese/Chinese metal coffee brewer that fits right over a coffee cup...like they serve in Vietnamese restaurants... finally I can make my own with condensed milk over ice...$4.25 in the restaurant I think....bought for five bucks in an Oriental Grocery in Raleigh run by some very nice Filipinos....but am overwhelmed when I walk the isles....and forget about it when I look at the freezer cases...I might as well be on mARS!!!!!!<br /><br />Dust

 

[sl1966]

Sticking to brands is kind of hard when traveling constantly. Even moving to different cities has made it hard for me to find a few things that I'm used to buying. However brands really don't matter which I learned after decades of shopping with my dad's side of the family. I've watched my aunt buy different brands of the same thing based on price and still make it taste the same.<br /><br />Here's a brief list of ingredients that you might not think of. I'm leaving out the obvious stuff like rice, soy sauce, garlic, cabbage, peanut oil, etc.<br /><br />Baby bok choy - veggie found in American markets too<br />Corn starch - tblspn at most. mixed w/water or broth of veggies/meat makes a nice sauce of whatever you're cooking<br />Hoisin sauce - bottled, sometimes marked as plum sauce. many applications<br />bamboo shoots -&nbsp; many applications/stir fry.&nbsp;&nbsp;usually found canned.&nbsp;<br />water chesnuts -&nbsp; many applications/stir fry.&nbsp;canned as well<br />star anise - adds flavor to foods. found in Chinese markets,&nbsp;<br />ginger root - adds flavor to foods. found in American markets as well<br /><br />There's a lot more, but this will give you a good start. Since there are tons of dishes and regional versions of them as well, there's no right or wrong way to make them. It all boils down to which one you prefer.<br /><br />I've included a few pics to give you an idea of what to look for.<br /><br />1. The egg noodles I talked about earlier<br />2. Oyster flavored sauce. It has a number of applications, but one of the simplest is putting it on steamed kai-lan (chinese broccoli). I've got a chicken and potato recipe that calls for this also.<br />3. Chinese sausage (lol). I toss one or two of these into my rice cooker with the rice as it cooks and serve when ready.

 

[Dust of the Sun]

Thanks Steve...your first list are basics even I know about but the pictures of the egg noodles and chinese sausage are most helpful...those I will look for. Don't think I've ever had Chinese sausages before. Seeing the packages makes it easier to find.<br /><br />The isle after isle of canned goods, sauces, noodles, fried spiced calamari...all kinds of stuff is daunting...I think there is a book available on Amazon THE ASIAN GROCERY STORE DEMYSTIFIED by Linda Bladholm...even has 24 reviews and 4 and a 1/2 stars ... probably something I should consider getting!!!!

 

[twokniveskatie]

Dust- a recent blog post of mine has pics of the dried pork floss I buy at Asian markets. it also comes in small containers. I will grab so<br />E pics of other foods I get there and do another blog post.

 

[VanTrekker]

I'm in the same boat too...&nbsp; Our family is German so if it's not meat and potatoes, I'm on foreign turf when shoppning...&nbsp; There are a few easy things though.<br /><br />I go to Chong's market in Coralville, Iowa.&nbsp; They have everything from Oriental to Middle Eastern stuff.&nbsp; What's funny is that the employee I communicate best with is Latino so we talk in Spanish.&nbsp; It's all good.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><br />Here are some of the favorites.&nbsp; They are pretty easy to use even if a person (like yours truly)&nbsp;doesn't know much about Oriental cooking.<br /><br />Oyster flavored sauce (any brand)&nbsp;- works great with the LoMein style noodles (the ones that are a more yellow color,&nbsp;opaque, and round like spaghetti).&nbsp; Cook up some veggies and slices of meat (or shrimp), set aside.&nbsp; Boil the noodles, drain, put back in pan w/ meat and veggies.&nbsp; Add sauce and voila!&nbsp; <br /><br />Oyster mushrooms (fresh) - wrinkly looking mushrooms that end in a tubular stalk...&nbsp;&nbsp; They are delicate and taste soooooo&nbsp; good in a stir fry, lo mein, you name it.<br /><br />Black mushrooms (dried) -&nbsp; You will see large packages of these on the shelf.&nbsp; I like them in dishes with beef (i.e. beef and green peppers, etc.).&nbsp; Soak them for&nbsp;30 minutes in lukewarm water (1-2 hours in cold water)&nbsp;or they will be a little too crunchy.&nbsp; Don't use real hot water or you will lose flavor.&nbsp; I tend to cut them up after soaking due to the large sized pieces.<br /><br />Snow pea pods (fresh)&nbsp; They are very most of the time.&nbsp; Just stir fry them over high heat for just a couple of minutes.<br /><br />Pot stickers (pork, veggie, you name it).&nbsp; There are a million brands you can buy (as well as package sizes).&nbsp; They are pretty easy to cook and taste great.&nbsp; Special sauces are available to poor over them.&nbsp; I just use soy sauce.<br /><br />Teriyaki sauce - You can marinate meat in it.&nbsp; Sometimes I will pour a "glug" or two in while stir frying.&nbsp; I love the taste but the sodium level is astronomically high.<br /><br />Hoisen sauce - someone else mentioned it.&nbsp; It's really good for mixing in with pork and vegetables or just as a dip for egg rolls.<br /><br />It's fun experimenting with new stir&nbsp;fries and such.&nbsp; It&nbsp;took a lot of years before I would try but it's really helped with&nbsp;making the food intake much healthier.&nbsp;

 

[LunaticFringeInc]

You can google recipes on the internet as well and easily duplicate them most of the time. &nbsp;Most are really easy and straight forward. &nbsp;Most recipes are pretty flexible as well as you dont have to be brand specific. &nbsp;<br /><br />For stir fry sauce you can usually make you own. &nbsp;It might take a couple of trys before you get the proportions down good to suit your taste budas but its basically as follows...<br /><br />3 table spoons of soy sauce sometimes called "Showyu"<br />1 table spoon of Corn Starch (use a little less or a little more to thicken as needed. Mix in a small amount of water before adding to your dish.<br />1 Table spoon of Raw Sugar<br /><br />* continue to add small amounts of water a little at a time until you get a light gravy like glaze over your stir fry ingredients. &nbsp;<br /><br />* I do recommend the low sodium soy sauces unless you really like salt!<br /><br /><br />As an option you can add some sesame oil (use sparingly as its pretty potent flavoring wise), a few drops usually is plenty. &nbsp;You might want to add a table spoon of oyster sauce as well. &nbsp;If you want a little kick to your stir fry...add some crushed red pepper or diced Jalapeno or Serrano fresh peppers. &nbsp;Sesame Seed and Garlic are also very common spices added to stir fry dishes.<br /><br />Shitake Mushrooms are also great in stir fry dishes and several other types of dishes. &nbsp;These are Japanese variety of dried mushrooms and you will want to soak them in warm water for a few minutes until they reconstitute. &nbsp;While you can occasionally find them fresh they will most often be found dried.<br /><br />The egg noodles I buy come pre cooked and all you have to do is throw it in a pan with a little water stir a bit periodically and cover. &nbsp;From these noodles you can make Pancit Canton or Yakisoba. &nbsp;The first is a filipino dish the latter Japanese. &nbsp;Both are awesome!<br /><br />Another personal favorite dish of mine that I cook often is Adobo, a popular filipino dish. &nbsp;This is made with your choice of meat usually chicken or pork. &nbsp;The cheaper dark meat cuts of chicken are best but any cut will do. &nbsp;I normally prefer thighs without skin. &nbsp;This dish consist of meat cooked in a pot with soy sauce, white vinegar. &nbsp;Many often add Garlic and a few cloves for additional taste. This dish is best served with steamed rice and a side of veggies. &nbsp;Since it is a very acidic dish due to the vinegar (not unpleasantly so to the taste buds), it keeps well and many filipinos take this as their lunch since it will last for extended periods without refrigeration. &nbsp;It can be kept for several days in the fridge as left overs as a result. While it can be cooked over a stove or camp fire I find it best done in a crockpot.<br /><br />In addition there is Japanese Curry, Thai Curry that can also be made. &nbsp;While they are both a type of curry they are both very different. &nbsp;Thai curry usually has coconut milk added or Peanut sauce as well. &nbsp;Either can be mildly spicy to smoking hot! &nbsp;Choice is up to the cook. &nbsp;This is best served over veggies or more commonly steamed rice. &nbsp;This is a great cold weather dish to serve during the cooler months of the year.<br /><br />Some other favorites you might also want to explore are...<br /><br />Oden &nbsp;(Hard to explain google this one. &nbsp;Mainly sea food , tofu and wrapped veggies. &nbsp;Add a little chinese mustard for additional flavor. &nbsp;Great comfort food in the winter time)<br /> &nbsp;<br />Karage Teshoku &nbsp;(Basically bite sized fried chicken breast, served with veggies and rice)<br /><br />Tonkatsu &nbsp;(Breaded Pork cutlet fried, sliced and served over a bed of rice)<br /><br />Katsudon (Pork Cutlet breaded and cooked then you crak a raw egg over it and allow it to sit and cook from the heat of the dish/bowl)<br /><br />Mongolian Beef (thin sliced beef, carrot, shallots, pepper)<br /><br />Just throwing it out there as some added ideas and info...

 

[Mortisha]

I just got a Camping Recipe ebook for my Kindle fire and there are tons of great recipes in it for all kinds of things. I can not wait to try them. My Kindle is full of all kind of camping/disaster type books on how to survive. If you have a Kindle and would like to swap books please let me know in a message. I love to share HuggZ

 

[twokniveskatie]

Dust- posted some pics on my blog.&nbsp;

 

[WanderingRain]

A dish I am going nuts over recently is Korean bibimbap which consists mostly of rice, fresh veggies, a fried egg and any protein (I usually use crab sticks). easy to prepare and very tasty.&nbsp;