What do I need from the oriental supermarket?

[sunsetsand]

Hi,

I've got reason to visit the oriental supermarket tomorrow and for some reason I've never been! I'm doing a Korean cooking class in a few days so need some quite specific ingredients.

Love all foods and flavours so help me out and tell me what else I need to try whilst I'm there! Thanks

Ok 😆 I've googled and it suggests frozen dim sum etc.

Can anyone tell me how to cook them? From frozen?

My family like the frozen buns with custard or sweet red bean fillings - for breakfast, mainly! You have to steam them.

Most dim sum will need a steamer basket and you should be able to buy one (bamboo) there, unless they’re gyoza-style dumplings that you can pan fry and finish off with a dash of water and a lid.

My usual shopping list:
Vitasoy soya milk, fresh tofu, sweet potato/rice noodles, packs of seaweed sheets to snack on/eat with noodles, Japanese style rice seasoning sprinkles (sesame, seaweed, perilla, ume plum are nice)...

With seasonings and preserves watch out for MSG - there are lots of things I liked that I have to avoid now (daughter’s eczema).

Sorry - yes you usually cook them from frozen!

I buy kikkoman soy sauce - they sell it in litre bottles and it works out a lot cheaper than the little glass bottles in supermarkets. I also get the rice paper wraps to make vietnamese summer rolls and jars of black bean sauce, it's very concentrated and savoury, not full of sugar like the mainstream brands.

Above items, plus haw flakes.

Oh god, everything! Unusual flavour crisps, seafood pot noodles, daikon radishes, ingredients for bubble tea...

Frozen dim sum - if you don’t have a steamer add a bit of oil and a few tablespoons of water into a frying pan, cover with a lid. The water will steam the dumplings and the oil will keep things from sticking / crisp them a bit if gyoza style.

Laoganma Crispy Chilli Oil

Rice noodles, particularly the nice wide ones that are hard to find in supermarkets

Fresh mochi

Check out frozen section for products that are normally hard to find or expensive (ex: frozen artichoke hearts)

Thai iced tea / coffee to make at home

Drinks with aloe

I need to put together a shop soon. On my list:

Large light soy sauce
Sake
Mirin
Miso paste
Dried shiitake mushrooms
Fermented black beans
Szechuan chilli bean paste
Chinkiang vinegar
Maybe a nice Thai curry paste

I cook mostly Chinese/Japanese though. It is amazing how many dishes a few staples like these makes.

What is on your list for Korean food?

Thank you! I'm making a list.

Oh I need to avoid MSG too, hadn't thought of that . How do I do that? I'm assuming I won't be able to read the labels.

Gochujang and kicap manis are on my list, will they likely contain MSG?

I buy naan bread, garlic paste, ginger paste, garlic&ginger paste, instant noodles, Turkish delight (maybe that's just a Belfast thing I dunno) and frozen dim sum every time. And something different, last time was tins of flavoured milk drink. Usually it's something I don't want to repeat purchase lol. Spices as I need them and soy sauce/ sesame oil, teabags. Produce always looks a bit ropey when I go.

I usually buy the dried herbs/spices. You get big bags of decent spices like cinnamon bark, star anise etc really cheap.
Sweet Chilli Sauce, Soy Sauce

Get seperate dark and light soy sauce
Frozen dim sum and a bamboo steamer. Good quality tinned kimchi.
Good quality chow mein noodles
Miso paste
Oyster sauce
Bento flakes

Definitely getting frozen dim sum and a bamboo steamer.

I'm excited now!

@EssentialHummus can you buy bubbles for bubble tea in the supermarket?

I buy loads of fresh tofu. Sometimes jackfruit.

I prefer sauces and oils from clearspring and other organic brands.

I really like black rice vinegar (it's not Korean but it's delicious).
Dried wakame (seaweed) for making proper miso soup. If you like miso soup!

Have you got a list of ingredients for your Korean class?

If not you will definitely need gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil. Tofu if you like it. Kimchi (Unless that’s what you’re going to make in the class).

Oh and the Korean soy bean paste but I forget what it’s called! Plus all the different types of noodles.

Fresh chilies
Frozen raw prawns - they usually have several different sizes
Oyster sauce
Hoisin sauce
If I'm feeling lazy pancakes for peking duck
Hsiu mai and har gow
In the UK I buy pineapple buns
Massive drums of proper baking powder - the French stuff's rubbish
Any other dim sum that takes my fancy - mini spring rolls
Tsing tao beer
Cashew nuts

Sad times. I want to go shopping too!!

I’ve just checked my ketjap manis and gochujang and no MSG. One is from Asian supermarket but label is in English.

The gochujang will likely contain msg but you can get them without so just check the ingredients.

Sambal oelek.

IMHO one of the key ingredients of nasi goreng, food of the gods.

No idea but now I know where I'm heading tomorrow 😊

For pad thai: rice noodles, oyster sauce, fish sauce, tamarind puree, crispy fried onions.

If you buy spring onions, save the bottom inch with roots, put them in water and they'll grow back.