Asian Market (Ranch 99)

[basuraman]

So yesterday I went with the wife and the mini-chef's (3 kids) went to the Ranch 99 market here in town. Ranch 99 is a large Asian market. The kids love looking at the odd asian veggies and all the other things you do not see in the typical US grocery store. (Pig hearts, chicken feet, etc)
We picked up some different things like fish sauce and sweet chili sauce. I was wondering a few things of the bretheren..

Do you ever go to asian grocery stores? (Assuming your town has one)
What sauces and spices do you buy?
Do you have any secret ingredients you can share?

[Puppyboy]

Have not been to an Asian market but we make pulled pork eggrolls, potstickers, and fried dumplings all the time.

[MKE Meister]

I go frequently. The large one by us gets hit with health code violations all the time, so I always stay away from the meat and stick to mostly dry goods.

The items I buy most are fish sauce, oyster suace, Thai chile chicken sauce, cans of coconut milk, ginger, jalapenos (just bought about 20 for $1), limes (6 for $1), 20lb bags of jasmine rice, and my daughter loves to come with me because I always let her pick out some little candy or snack to try.

I have lived in both Taiwan and Thailand and head there when I need to get my Asian food fix.

[GARNAAL]

amongst them I hit "Hong Kong" about once a month for:
my basic Sushi supplies (rice, nori, mirin, rice vinegar) and chop sticks..
and their fish market (very high turnover) for Eel and Mackerel for the smoker..
Shrimp and their huge tanks with fresh live Maine Lobsters...
and their fresh pork from the butcher dept. is excellent - love those cuts they have - fresh porkbellies and shoulder cuts..

further their spice department is excellent, all kinds of soy sauces and pepper type pastes, raw shrimp crackers.
condiments and all kind of rice noodles.. for making sateh, nasi, bami and cooking a Dutch/Indonesian rijsttafel ..

[mbshop]

we have one that we go to often. they keep improving. we get whatever we need.

[J_Don]

Originally Posted by GARNAAL

amongst them I hit "Hong Kong" about once a month for:
my basic Sushi supplies (rice, nori, mirin, rice vinegar) and chop sticks..
and their fish market (very high turnover) for Eel and Mackerel for the smoker..
Shrimp and their huge tanks with fresh live Maine Lobsters...
and their fresh pork from the butcher dept. is excellent - love those cuts they have - fresh porkbellies and shoulder cuts..

further their spice department is excellent, all kinds of soy sauces and pepper type pastes, raw shrimp crackers.
condiments and all kind of rice noodles.. for making sateh, nasi, bami and cooking a Dutch/Indonesian rijsttafel ..

I used to shop there myself before I had to move away. Sure do miss it. Saw things there you would never see in regular super markets (American). I really miss all of the hugh aquariums with fish and shellfish from around the world. Lightly seared eel was my favorite, would bring the sweetness out and probably the only sushi I have had that wasn't totally raw.

[troytime]

we go there a lot, but my wife is asian :P

some things to check out:
Mama Sita barbecue marinade. works GREAT on chicken and beef. its phenominal everyone who has ever tried it at my house have fallen in love with it.
sriracha peas - best snack ever
niagara cracker nuts - these things are like crack. little peanuts covered in cracker and seasoned (lots of MSG). garlic and spicy hot are my fave.
growers brand peanuts. they're in little green and yellow bags. i LOVE the savory hot flavor.

[Funky D]

+1 for the fried shallots and fried garlic. Lots of great uses for these crunchy jewels....

[Carbon]

Especially for produce, I go to the local Asian/Thai market. I can get produce for about 1/2 what I pay at supermarkets.

[PDXsmoker]

My wife is Japanese, so we go pretty often. We go to Uwajimaya every week. The store in Beaverton, OR has fresh Carlton Farms (Local) Pork, and I can get whole bellies there and they are great!
The seafood is awesome there as well!

[Stoke&Smoke]

Originally Posted by basuraman

So yesterday I went with the wife and the mini-chef's (3 kids) went to the Ranch 99 market here in town. Ranch 99 is a large Asian market. The kids love looking at the odd asian veggies and all the other things you do not see in the typical US grocery store. (Pig hearts, chicken feet, etc)
We picked up some different things like fish sauce and sweet chili sauce. I was wondering a few things of the bretheren..

Do you ever go to asian grocery stores? (Assuming your town has one)
What sauces and spices do you buy?
Do you have any secret ingredients you can share?

We're fortunate to have quite a few, as well as those of lots of other ethnicities. My favorite local one is called H-Mart. They're a great site for just about anything asian and food related! We buy fish sauce, duck sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, etc. Along with pork belly, and some beef cuts they carry that are just beautifully marbled! They have some amazing demos/tastings on weekends as well!
They also have an amazing produce dept, and fish/seafood as well. Being able to buy live conch in the midwest was something I never saw until this place! and you can pick your tilapia swimming in the tank, and they'll either give it to you still flapping, or butcher it on demand.
Kombu, niboshi, fish sauce, and dashi are all great ways to add umami to dishes. Just don't use too much unless you don't mind it tasting "fishy"

[GARNAAL]

their great selection of all kinds of dried mushrooms...
mmmm...

[hogsfan]

Originally Posted by troytime

we go there a lot, but my wife is asian :P

...

same here.

[Steve W]

I'm Asian, so I go to mine a lot too. I pick up fresh ramen as well as all the stuff needed to make smoked char siu from scratch. Xiaoxing wine (much better than sherry for char siu), a tub of maltose for the glaze, a bottle of five spice, hoisin sauce, etc.

I'm also a fan of their chili oil sauces. They go with Asian style food a lot better than western sauces which tend to be too acidic and has a decidedly un-Chinese taste. Unless I'm making Mexican, I prefer a darker tasting, savory, garlicky chili oil/paste for my food.

I also pick up Otafuku brand Yakisoba sauce for stir fried noodles. That stuff tastes wonderful.

If you guys feel brave, I dare you to buy a bitter melon (fu-guah), take the seeds and middle out like you would a jalapeno, and make a stir fry out of it with beef and black bean sauce. It looks like a really lumpy, light green cucumber. It's an acquired taste, but the dish ends up savory, pungent, bitter, complex, and delicious. It's like an IPA beer, but it's food!

[MG_NorCal]

Bulk soy sauce there will save you a bundle.
Good place to find a steamer too, I found a big multilevel stackable steamer I like to use.
And during dungeness crab season, I buy lots of live crab (and yes I do sometimes smoke them).