In this video I walk you through some of the frugal and nourishing items I buy at my local Asian store. There are a lot of things I wouldn’t want to buy (like their out of country seafood and the MSG laden snacks), but there are many great finds that are hard to find anywhere else. And I love the prices I find here! If you also have some favorite nourishing and frugal foods you buy at your local Asian store, tell us about it in the comment section!
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I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!
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Jessie
So fun! Thanks for sharing!
I live near 3 Asian stores – one Korean, one Chinese & one Vietnamese. They have a high amount of overelap, but there are some definite differences. I would encourage those w/multiple Asian stores nearby to visit them all at least once so you can see all the different things.
One thing that I’m happy to find there are interesting non-wheat noodles. I have purchased sorhum noodles, black jasmine rice noodles, oatmeal noodles, and 5 grain noodles (none of which are wheat.) I have used these in the the Kimi’s Asian Noodle Salad recipe. This are all quite inexpensive – usually $1.29 or so a package. Imagine gluten free noodles at other stores!!
Another basic thing to buy there is rice! There are so many different kinds – even different brown kinds.
I recently discovered an Indian grocery near me & they have a lot of good prices on lentils, rice and other pantry items.
I really appreciate seeing the natto, Kimi. I’ve wanted to try some – but can never find it (though I haven’t asked yet – since I was always in a hurry & asking questions at some stores can be a challenge since the staff’s English can be limited.
KimiHarris
I need to find an Indian grocery near us! I am sure they would carry a lot of items I would like.
Kristi B.
What a great video Kimi, thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to hear more about Natto, that’s one thing I know very little about–I’m curious but have no idea how to try it. We’re very fortunate to live close to Fubon too…I tried looking at Uwajimaya quickly yesterday for the dried anchovies when I was across town but no luck–they may have had them but I couldn’t track them down. I’ll have to stop by Fubon soon.
KimiHarris
I’ve really had to search Fubons’ to find anything because nobody understands me there! And we asked three employees if they carried Natta and they had no idea! But once you figure out where it is in the store, you can run in and grab it in just a few minutes.
Michelle Y
The Beaverton Uwajimaya does carry the dried anchovies and sardines–I bought the same brand that Kimi had in the video on my last trip there and my younger son looooooves them.
Thanks for sharing the tips, Kimi! I’ll have to check out Fubon instead of Uwajimaya on my next trip!
FoodRenegade
At my Asian market the fish are all live and still swimming in the tanks when you order them. Then the man behind the counter uses a net and captures your fish. He then either uses a mallet to kill it or simply whacks it across a butcher block once or twice so that it dies. Then he’ll fillet it for you, and you can choose whether or not you want the head & carcass. (I always do so that I can make fish broth!)
Another good find at most Asian stores are real condiments — like naturally fermented soy sauce without anything weird added to it, or good Worcestershire sauce.
They also have a lot of fried snacks done in palm oil rather than partially hydrogenated this or that, so you can get sweet potato or onion chips fried in palm oil. And it’s just the vegetable and the palm oil and nothing else, not even salt. Not all that bad for a convenient, kid-friendly snack.
Love the video. Your daughter is precious!
~KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
KimiHarris
Kristen,
I am so jealous of your seafood options! No so at this Asian store, that’s for sure!
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE
That is so funny, Kristen, about the fish!!!
I haven’t hit some of the other Asian food stores in LA — I’ll have to go check ’em out.
I have been to our local Indian food store. I did find some delicious plantain chips cooked in palm oil.
Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home
That would be amazing to have fish that fresh!
iris
hi kimi,
sweet video!! i was smiling when i saw you choose the coconuts. I buy tons of it at one time because i use it to sweeten my babys meat based formula instead of the lactose recommended by the WAPF. My 10 month old son loves it. and then i give him the soft coconut meat with his meals. The cashiers must think i own a restaurant or something for buying so many! 🙂
any ways…
i buy a lot of asian veggies and herbs, even though they aren’t organic, b/c you really can’t find them elsewhere or for that price. For ex, bok choy, chinese basil, napa for kim chi, bitter melon, exotic mushrooms, scallion, ginger, watercress, and alot more that i don’t even know the english names.
Fruits as well too- like the asian pears, persimmons, papayas, pumellos.
And also purple yams! they are amazingly sweet and purple 🙂
Grains like organic brown rice, noodles and spring roll skins- they aren’t the healthiest but we indulge once in a while.
i used to buy organic tofu until i read how bad it is unless it is fermented, so i can’t wait for your blog on the natto.
it was great to see the face and voice behind this wonderful blog…and your sweet daughter.
-iris lin
Rhonda
Iris – Just wanted to ask you about the meat based formula that you use for your son. I am still strictly nursing my 8 month old son who has many food intolerances (including milk, soy, and corn – which all of the main formulas are based on). I would be interested in hearing about this, since that may be a good option for formula if my milk supply keeps decreasing… Thanks in advance!
Jen
Hi Rhonda. Here is the link to homemade baby formulas, including the meat based one, at the Weston A. Price Foundation Website:
http://www.westonaprice.org/Recipes-for-Homemade-Baby-Formula.html
Amy Best
The Asian stores in Vancouver are pretty limited- which store do you like in your area, Kimi?
KimiHarris
We truthfully haven’t explored many of them, so the one that we always go to is the one in the above video, Fubon. It’s near Joel’s school. It really might be just about as close to you as it is to us!
Any people in Vancouver, Washington or Portland Oregon have any stores to share with us?
Kelley
Just Google Fubonn & you’ll find the directions to the Portland store. In the Seattle area we have 99 Ranch Market (California has these too) with great prices & all the items Kimi mentioned.
BTW-Thanks for the Maple Syrup leads…I met Travis (who posted excellent info & advice on his family’s Vermont Maple Syrup) in Seattle & bought a small jar from him. Wow! What a difference! Fresh, good stuff!
Ari
Awesome post! You and your daughter are beautiful, if I may say so 😀
I live in Germany, where Asian stores are truly god-sends! They sell young coconuts, sweet potatoes, plantains and other Mexican and Asian vegetables that are impossible to find in any other store. They also are the only place to find coconut milk without preservatives – and for less than the preservative-laden stuff you’d find at the grocery store. The same is true for seaweed and hot sauces, or other Asian pastes (anything from bean pastes to standard chili sauces) – you might find one brand of general hot sauce at a grocery store, but not the dozens of differing kinds you’ll find at an Asian grocery. The only things I stay away from are the non-organic tofu and canned goods that come from China. Other than these typically Japanese/Thai/Chinese groceries, we also have Turkish or Middle Eastern specialty stores. There I usually buy my tahini for a fraction of the price of health food store (and in bulk!) as well as gluten-free noodles and wonton wrappers. Fantastic places, for sure.
I am going to seek out those dried fish as well – what kind do you usually buy? Are they good for snacks? Do you ever cook with them?
KimiHarris
Awwww, thanks! 🙂
That’s a great idea for the tahini paste. That can be expensive in the normal stores.
I cooked with the dried fish once (a curry). We truthfully didn’t like it. They were better just plain. But I am going to try another, hopefully more promising recipe soon. We generally just eat them as a salty snack and we usually buy the tiny dried anchoives and the sardines.
Meg
How fun! I love seeing your daughter – she’s so precious! 🙂 … and learning right alongside her mama, too!
Even though the area we live in is high-immigrant, the stores here aren’t nearly as well stocked as I would have thought. It’s always disappointing to go to one after another and realize that it’s just not worth the time/money to get 1-2 things at each place… but I am going to try and seek out the natto next time we go to the markets… I read Ann-Marie’s post on it months ago, and I haven’t gotten around to trying it, although she did make it sound good! 🙂
KimiHarris
I know that a lot of people don’t like natto, but I actually liked it even the first time I tried it! I will try to post on it soon.
jana @ Weekend Vintage
Loved the video-I’m a visual learner and it helps to see what is available…btw..I love my Chantal blue, enamel on cast iron omelet pan that you recommended several months ago! My husband is still afraid of it and using the non-stick pan.
KimiHarris
Great! I am so glad that you like it, I am really enjoying mine and it’s still very pretty too.
Peggy
Great finds! I’ve been trying to find natto and have not had much luck. The frozen natto they carry at Matsawa (spelling?) is loaded with MSG and HFCS. I am not able to find good, organic natto anywhere except Essene market in Philadelphia. A friend ships it to me frozen.
Peggy
I do have great luck at the Asian market finding kobocha squash, as well as fresh maitake mushrooms.
Zeke
Exellent vid. I’ve been wanting to make some of my own for quite some time, but I have no camera. 🙁 I love Asian markets though, they always have the most wonderful items. I like to get fish sauce and nori. I look forward to your posts on natto as I’ve been blogging about natto recently, and am actually on my way to go buy some organic soybeans so I can document the process of making homemade natto. All it takes is soybeans and some natto starter.
KimiHarris
How fun! I’ve thought about doing that myself. It’s the long wait that kills me.
Susan
Great info…….thanks! I’ve been wondering where I can find chicken’s feet for broth!
Zeke
I forgot to add one important item,. Beef tendon!!! Beef tendon is one of the most wonderful foods there is! Its pure connective tissue. My favorite way to eat it is to simmer it in a broth made from soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and star anise. Sometimes I’ll add a touch of clove, allspice, and cinnamon. you cook it until its tender. It kind of has the mouthfeel of fat and its very satisfying.
FoodRenegade
Beef tendon, sliced thin, also makes good sandwiches. Load it up with grated carrots & cilantro. YUM.
Joyce Johnson
Kim,
That was fun to ‘go shopping’ with you and your daughter. She is adorable and was quite patient while you shopped with ‘us’. Thanks for the info and next time I’m in a big city, I will look up an Asian store. Didn’t appreciate them when we lived in California. Thanks so much.
Rachel J.
I still have yet to check out the only “decent” Asian market in my area, just found out about it. Apparently they sell many of the “gourmet” mushrooms for 1/2 the HFS price, as well as fresh burdock. I’m hoping to find some other good foods, too. Thanks for all the suggestions, now I know what to look for.
Diana
Kimi: Loved the video! Didn’t know that you only add 5 chicken feet to the broth–yikes!! I’ve been using too many; you can cut my broth with a knife when cool–no wonder! I’ll look for your recipe on this site. Thanks for your great work and your little sweetie-pie is just darling!
KimiHarris
Well, you can add as much as you like, LOL. I found that adding just five makes a big difference though. 🙂
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE
Kimi –
This is AWESOME!!!! I love the video format!
That is exactly the same brand of Natto I buy at our local Japanese store here in LA (Mitsuwa). We love it over brown rice (cooked in chicken stock) with a raw egg mixed in, and seasoned with soy sauce. Oh, and some salmon roe on top. Delicious!!!
Honestly, I don’t know why natto gets such a bad rap. It’s so good.
Devon H
Awesome video shopping tour! For some reason, I haven’t gathered up the courage yet to go exploring in our local Asian market, but I have shopped plenty at the very small Middle Eastern grocer, and our Indian grocer. You definitely can get excellent deals on lentils and rice at the Indian grocers, as well as whole spices (I am choosy though, these are probably irradiated), curry pastes, and curry leaves. You can find amazing deals on bottles of rose water and orange flower water and pomegranate syrup at the Middle Eastern Stores, which are sooooo expensive at regular stores.
Erica
I love my Asian market. I live in Arlington, Texas, and we have a large Asian population, mostly Vietnamese. I bought the young coconuts for 99cents once and made my own coconut milk. Then recently they had the cans for 79cents, so bought those. I’ve bought persimmons and jujubees at my local market, too. Have to be careful because they put MSG in everything, and have big bags of it for sale. Yikes!
The Indian market is my favorite right now. They’re small, but the owner has become a friend. Anu helps me pick out just the right item and then tells me how to use it. I’m still experimenting with Indian food.
birdy
hands down, as a type 1 diabetic, i’m so lucky they have such a large selection of coconut sugar and jaggery! i also find their deals on brown and black rice to be awesome. recently found “shiritake” noodles—made from yam flour. great alternative to noodles, which are often way too high carb for type 1’s; we can barely do whole wheat noodles (even then they’re too refined, boooo!) that’s all i have for now! 🙂
KimiHarris
Those noodles sound interesting!
Paula
THIS WAS GREAT!! Thank you so much for doing the video! That was nice to know about the symbol to look for on soy products! We get the young coconuts there and palm sugar too, but where I really score is on coconut milk. The BEST prices, not in metal cans, and pure coconut milk (no additives). And we notice that most of the things I am looking at use palm oil instead of unhealthy oils. Nice to know about the chicken feet. Thanks again for the video! I hope to see more! 😀 I am so glad someone posted a link to this on FB or I would have missed it. I hope you get a FB page SOON!!! 😀 😀 😀
Jessie
what brand of coconut milk do you buy? I have never seen it w/o preservatives at Asian stores.
Kaylin
I was wondering that too. Our Asian store has lots of different brands of coconut milk and all of them have additives.
KimiHarris
I have not been able to find any preservative or sugar free coconut milk or cream as my Asian store. However some of my reader’s have mentioned finding frozen, preservative free coconut milk at their local stores.
KarmaAnais
We just went shopping at our local Asian food store! Our frugal finds were portabella mushrooms, brussel sprouts and bean sprouts! I haven’t seen such a variety of mushrooms in so long!
Leesie
Just wanted to say first that Elena is so adorable (and you are, too!) and my goodness what a well-behaved, patient little girl she is!
I really appreciated the information and lessons in your video. Most importantly what I was able to take away from your video is that I DON’T have to buy organic, even when it comes to chicken feet. I’ve seen them in my local store and always passed them up! As far as the seafood, fish, etc. I am always concerned about where it is sourced. For instance, in my local supermarket seafood case items are labeled “caught in China” or some other foreign country and I refuse to buy it. I’m assuming your local Asian market sources from much more local waters? I don’t have any local Asian markets, at least none that I am aware of. I do know of one in particular that is not close by, and when I am around the next time I will most definitely look around more and should probably ask where they source their seafood from. I have been dying to try natto ever since Ann Marie posted her recipe. I would love to get my hands on natto, and was excited to hear you have a future video planned. Thanks, Kimi…and Elena, too!
KimiHarris
I definitely consider is a compromise to buy the non-organic chicken feet and next chance I get I will buy organic ones. But the rest of the my chicken in the broth is organic and the feet add so much nutritious gelatin, I felt like it was an okay compromise. But I walked by them the first few times because of the non-organic issue.
KimiHarris
Oh, and I wouldn’t buy any or their other seafood. It’s all labeled where it comes from and some is from China and some from the US (and it all doesn’t look that good to me). But I would buy the live seafood, just because it’s obviously fresh enough to be a live.
Marsha_M
Hmm, what would be the issue of seafood from China? My friends from the NW said that the Chinese ships and US ships fish in the same areas. So I will buy frozen salmon even if it is from China. I’m from the South so no fresh salmon here but I don’t trust the US to handle food much better though we may have higher standards.
Raine Saunders
Hi Kimi –
Great video, very informative and useful! I think I have been in that store before, when I was visiting Portland. Is that where it is?
I was reading on the Tropical Traditions web site about young coconuts, and it says that almost all young coconuts sold in the United States are from Asia and are irradiated since they are shipped across the world and it’s to keep them from spoiling too quickly. Here’s the link: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/faq.htm#5.%20young%20coconuts
(see question number 7 under Questions about coconut cream concentrate, dried coconut, and fresh coconut.)
Also, I’ve been reading a lot lately about palm oil and it not being sustainable due to all the clearing of rainforests that has to ultimately be done in order to harvest the palm fruit to make the oil and other products. So I’m just wondering if palm products are something we should be avoiding for that reason. Dr. Susan Rubin wrote a post about Girl Scout Cookies as they contain cottonseed oil and palm oils and the reasons why we shouldn’t buy these products: http://www.drsusanrubin.com/girl-scout-cookies-epic-fail/
What are your thoughts on this?
KimiHarris
Good questions and thoughts!
It’s true. A lot of young coconuts are irradiated. While this is the same brand that my health food store carries, it also may be. Thankfully I found an email address and have asked whether or not it is. I will let you know when I find out. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I truthfully had forgotten about that issue!
Palm oil. I stopped using palm oil for a while because of that issue. But I now use it again. While that may be true in some places, it seems that the lady who has spread that rumor around the most has ties to the vegetable oil industry (at least, that’s what I’ve heard through the grapevine!). Some companies (whom I trust) that I’ve talked to say that their palm oil is produced in very supportive ways for the environment.
Kaylin
LOVED your video! That was great! Your Asian store looks much cleaner than the ones we have in our area. My sister and I are always a little leary of the seafood. It’s frozen, not fresh, and doesn’t always say where it comes from. Sometimes we wonder how long it sat in the box on the floor before they got around to stocking it in the freezer. Once I happened to go in about 3 times in 1 week (long story). The first day they had blue crabs in a huge pot, live but not in water. As I was showing the kids we noticed there were a couple of dead ones that didn’t respond when we poked them with the tongs. The second time we came in we avoided the corner of the store with the crabs because we could smell the dead ones. The third time we went we could smell dead crabs when we walked in the front door! Fortunately that was a limited time offer. ;-). I’m interested in trying Natto. I usually get the fresh produce, palm sugar, ghee, medicinal tea (they have an excellent one called Cough Off that works wonders), and the kids love getting snacks since we’re on GAPS and they really miss popcorn. I was really bummed that I couldn’t get the kim chi – of course it had MSG. About the chicken feet – I’ve been tempted to get them before, as well as other animal parts, but should I trust them since I don’t know how the chickens were raised? I’m able to get some chicken feet from our farmer (we request them and the chicken comes with the feet still attached. Kind of funny looking :-). I’d love to get more though, if I thought the ones at the Asian store were okay. Any thoughts?
KimiHarris
I think that it’s a compromise, truthfully. In fact, for several months I didn’t buy them because of the non-organic issue. However, I’ve had a hard time getting any from organic farmers and it makes such a gelatin rich broth I decided that compromise was worth it. Gelatin is so good for you and the rest of our diet is almost 100 percent organic so I don’t feel too bad about it. However, next time I have the chance to buy them organic, I will.
Melissa
Um, how cute are you? And your daughter looks just like you!
This was a very informative video. I wish we had an Asian market where I live. I have friends who recently moved to Japan and were treated to natto by their first Japanese friend. They took pictures, and the looks on their faces are worth a thousand words. I’m very interested to read your post on it!
jenna Food WIth Kid Appeal
i love the variety at an asian market, but don’t you wonder about the low prices and quality of the products especially those coming out of china? my in laws live there now, and say that their standards for “organic” mean nothing, plus they have a terrible reputation for having tainted food products, not to mention the crazy air pollution there that the produce/grains are growing in.
on another note, a thai friend snagged some dried tamarind at an asian market and shared with me. I thought they were delicious, just the kind of thing to mindlessly snack on while watching tv.
KimiHarris
Yes and no.
The prices are really low, however not all of it is because it’s worse quality. For example, the young coconuts are the same brand my health food store carries, but they charge about 4 dollars more for it. Same brand, way cheaper.
The herbs are from Mexico. Hardly ideal. I can buy organic (from Mexico) for 2 dollars or non-organic from Mexico for about one dollar at the normal grocery store, or spend .38 cents for cilantro from Mexico at the Asian market. I truthfully usually buy the organic, but I get to use a lot for herbs when I buy them from the Asian Market.
The natto and the dried fish are from Japan which I feel much better about buying than from China.
However, there are a lot of things there that I would like to buy and I don’t because of the source issues. For example they have goji berries from China for extremely cheap there. I would love to buy them, but just can’t. Many of their other items are like that, tempting, but I am just a little too concerned about quality.
However, on the other hand, I noticed that two of the grains/legumes I bought from my organic co-op recently were grown in China! How disappointing! You have to keep your eyes open all the time……
Trina
I really appreciate your video! It can be intimidating to shop in markets when you don’t know what many of the foods are or how they are used.
Something I have found priced better is tea, which I use for making kombucha.
Are there any concerns about non-listed ingredients? I tried some kind of a banana sheet? for lack of a better term and there had to be some kind of preservative on it, but nothing listed.
Looking forward to exploring your site!
Naomi
When I went to college in the states the only food stores within walking distance were a health food store and a Korean store. Right up my alley! The nori at the Korean store was WAY cheaper than at the health food store. I shocked my roommates once when I bought, cleaned and cooked a whole fish.
I think the hardest thing for people to get used to natto is the texture. Not much of our food has the same texture. For me, it was an aquired taste. Knowing the health benefits certainly increases its charms. It might help to find it if you pronounce it a little differently when asking- the a is soft, ah like in apple.
My dad used the little dried fish and shrimp like a condiment, sprinkling it on top of rice (or other grains, even porridge) or for a quicky fish broth. Yum, brown sweet rice with dried shrimp and toasted seseme seeds. Alright, this post has convinced me its time to make the now hour trip to the nearest Asian store soon!
Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home
This was great! I’m looking up my local Asian store today. 🙂
Michelle
Thank you, this was a great idea! We have a large Asian population here in Vancouver BC and consequently a few big stores like this as well as some little family-owned ones. I haven’t been in a while but am obviously due a trip! It’s a great way to find some otherwise difficult stuff and not pay a fortune, but I am concerned to about quality, safety & content…Not to be negative, but to keep your eyes open… My bad experiences are as follows… I recently bought palm sugar from I believe the Philippines–maybe Thailand–which was marked “100% pure plam sugar” in one place, and then, another ingredient list for its importation into Canada said “palm sugar, glucose, frustose”!! Not 100% pure in my book! I just hope that this kind of stuff does get caught & properly labelled on the way in. I have also heard that some countries use lead-soldering on their canned products. Does anyone have info about this? Also, Indian stuff makes me a little nervous, as Monsanto has such a hold in that country. I imagine the foods they might target in those countries would be different than the ones to watch out for here in North America? However, positives I have found are preservative free coconut water, Thai fish sauce, presevative free tetra-packed coconut milk…I used to buy these great puffy-rice things but I imagine that the nifty machine that makes them is an extruder…oops. Ours actually carries a large amount of organic produce too.
Imani
Hi,
Thanks so much for sharing.
I’m just getting into healthy eating, so i will probably have lots of questions.
Thanks again
caroline
hmmm…maybe I should try to find a general asian store around here.
I do love the local asian fish market for a few things. they have wonderfully fresh sashimi grade tuna (hamachi, ahi, I think a few other types?). Of course, it sells for 20-25$ a pound. but what’s great is they selling the trimmings from the same fresh sashimi grade tuna for 9 dollars a pounds. For 4.50, we get half a pound of tuna trim, cut it into little peices, add an egg yolk, chives, seasame seed oil, tamari, a sliced avocado, and sometimes a sliced mango (both fruits only sometimes), and make amazing tuna tartar. It’s such a treat, and decadant. (apparently, with raw fish, it’s important for it to be sashimi grade because it is denser, which means less bacteria.)
they also sell undyed salmon roe, but they are super fishy and I haven’t figured a way to disguise the taste. We buy kombu for cooking out beans with, and other seaweeds to eat. they do sell those dried little fishies but I haven’t had the courage. We also get fish sauce (with cane sugar but at least it’s not preservatives), sesame seed oil, and tamari. they do have a great selection of big bags of rice, but we can get a better price on organic brown rice from a local farmer, and of course, a local farmer is preferable anyways.
I’m interested to hear more about natto, I’ve never had it.
In terms of other local markets, we like the middle eastern market, particularly for it’s spices. we just fell in love with zatar and even though we made 4 oz, I think we’ll be back for more sesame seeds, and particularly more sumac very soon. sumac is so tasty! They also sell pomagranate molasses/concentrate and rose and orange blossom water quite cheap.
I’ll have to peruse more of the local ethnic stores… thanks!
Magda
Thank you for sharing. My first thought when watching the video (besides wondering whether the Asian store down the street is still open) was how beautiful both you and your daughter look. Bright eyes, great teeth, clear skin and such glow !! You looked radiant, truly.
I really need to go to my local Asian market again… such wonderful stuff!
Trish
Thanks so much for your video! We love Asian markets! We don’t have any in our small town, but any time we are traveling, we always make it a point to find any Asian markets on our route. We love the Asian greens. They are so good, even if you are not a big fan of greens because almost all of them are much milder than our traditional greens. We enjoy them so much that my husband bought seeds for them last year and we grew quite a few in our garden. I froze the extra batches and now I use them any time I need spinach for a casserole or such. Also, we often find good prices for most of the fresh produce we find there, including ginger root, herbs, eggplant, baby bok choy, and more. We also buy small tubs of curry paste which really add great flavor (and heat!) to coconut curries. Now after watching your video, I have even more good things to add to my list!
Mrs. Cote
Awesome video!!! I learned so much from the store tour. I often go to a large Asian market near me for produce since it is so much cheaper. Even though it is not usually organic I look for things grown only in the U.S. I am usually somewhat intimidated by the packaged stuff though. It was great to see what types of packaged things might be worth looking for and especially that organic symbol. I never would have guessed that! Now I can’t wait to hear what natto is and how to use it!!
Thank you so much, and your little girl is adorable!
Nurturing Wisdom
Great video! I loved your tour. Your assistant is adorable!!
The Asian grocery stores I’ve visited have usually been Chinese grocery stores in NYC in the various Chinatowns.
The things my family purchased in the “old days” were the fresh vegetables, fruits, fresh, meats, seafood, and poultry; in fact, the chicken was alive. My mom picked the one she wanted and it was “prepared” for her. Today the chickens are still sold whole-feet, head, and neck, a Chinese tradition-symbolic of completeness, wholeness.
Today I mainly buy organic and local, but I like the watercess for watercress soup and other vegetables that aren’t available in other grocery stores, such as bitter squash, long string beans, fermented tofu, winter melon, and some seaweeds.
Cities such as NYC, LA, Boston, Vancouver may still have specialty stores in their Chinatowns that sell freshly made tofu, noodles, and fresh seafood. The key to good, authentic Chinese cooking is the fresh ingredients.
Michelle Y
First off, I had to go get some dried anchovies to munch on while I was reading this all of this 🙂
My first trip (and only, though I need to return soon) to Uwajimaya, in Beaverton, I was happy to find a lot of the sauces and condiments w/o high fructose corn syrup–oyster sauce and hoisin sauce, to name a couple. And very cheap Thai fish sauce. Also, wild caught squid from California, all nicely cut up and cleaned, in the freezer section. The dried fishies, too, of course, and I have been very pleasantly surprised to find that my younger son and I really like them. We’re still working on big brother and dad! I really like the idea that someone mentioned of grinding them up to season rice! Yum, especially with some dulse or wakame–might be lunch tomorrow 🙂
Joelle
Thanks for SUCH a great video! Anyone can answer this one–what do you do with the young coconuts?
JenE
Thank you so much for this video! I never thought about picking up chicken feet at my local asian market. I went today and picked up a frozen bag of them for the next time I make broth.
Angal Emanuel
I l-o-v-e this Website