A Field Trip to the Asian Market

I love going to the grocery store. Especially when they're "exotic." Whenever I travel internationally, the grocery is one of my favorite stops. Spain for saffron and paella rice. London for curry ingredients and tea biscuits. And even "international" stops here in the U.S. like New York's or San Francisco's Chinatowns for spices and sauces. (And, of course it's important to eat the local specialties when you travel also...seafood on the shore. Steak in the Midwest. And so on.)


We, of course, have wonderful "exotic" markets here in the Dallas area. Central Market for gourmet ingredients, beautiful seafood and fresh-baked breads. And Whole Foods for all of the above and more with an even more organic slant.


But we do well with international groceries as well. There is a new Indian market in our neighborhood which I am looking forward to perusing. And I wouldn't dream of buying avocados, peppers, tortillas and other Mexican ingredients anyplace but the Fiesta down the street.


The latest on my list is the Asian World Market in Plano. With a stack of recipes like this and this and my grocery list in hand, I headed north. It was incredible...


The produce was fully stocked with a seemingly never-ending variety of bok choys. More mushrooms than at any other grocery I have seen. And Chinese long beans which I used in a delicious recipe.


And I guess it's time for me to learn to like tofu. They have scores of brands and varieties. As well as miso, the other soy-based ingredient so important in Asian cooking.


The meat and seafood section included more basic things like ground pork and shrimp, but also exotic ingredients like jellyfish. There are aisles and aisles of sauces needed for Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisine. And things quite "foreign" to many of us like dried shrimp.


There are many more culinary adventures to be had after future visits. Maybe I'll run into some of you there!