What to buy at the chinese supermarket

[Beansandneedles]

Saw a thread about a Japanese supermarket and it got me to thinking...

There's a huge Chinese supermarket around the corner which I've only been in once and didn't buy anything as a. The choice was overwhelming and B. I didn't know what half the stuff was!

We're moving soon and I really want to visit this place again before I leave!! So was it thinking of visiting with the idea of getting a few bits for DH's stocking, and house staples.

Any recommendations on the sorts of things to buy?

Depends on how you cook/eat at home, but:
Dim sum from the freezer
10kg sack of rice
Soy sauce - dark and light
Rice wine vinegar
Chilli oil
Fish sauce
Oyster sauce
Packets of noodles (instant noodles style)

Ours sells big tubs of Thai curry pastes much cheaper and better than supermarket versions, with good shelf life.

Crushed ginger and garlic pastes, large bags of spices.

Sesame oil

Tins of creamed corn

-Rice paper (round ones) that you soak in water for making fresh spring rolls
-Dried bean curd (crispy one that you soak)
-Tofu, veg
-Rice noodles
-Sesame oil
-Red bean bao (frozen)
-Fried crispy onions

Extra pancakes in freezer for when you order takeaway shredded duck.
Plum sauce
Hoisin sauce
Frozen filled bao buns
Mochi ice cream balls

Fresh rambutans & lychees

For stocking fillers we tend to pick up Pokémon drinks cans, boba tea cans & random spicy shrimp crisps that look amusing

Mochi and dumpling wrappers are our staples

The chicken stock powder - it has far more depth as it has some fat in it

I always buy frozen dim sum to steam, salt and pepper seasoning, and plenty of sauces - the garlic soy sauce is a favourite at the moment, our local Chinese supermarket has hundreds (it seems) of different sauces to try. 😀

Sambal Olek
Tom Yum paste
Sushi rice & sheets
Massive bottle of tamari soy sauce (Kikkoman)

I go to one when I visit family in a big city. I get rice paper wraps, soy sauce, sesame oil, black vinegar, rice (Thai sticky), dried black fungus, chilli oil, beautiful noodles tied with paper (a million times better than Sharwood's!), udon, curry paste, spring roll and wonton wrappers, dashi, dried shrimp paste, bamboo steamers for dim sum, bowls, spoons and chopsticks...

I usually buy something unusual or unfamiliar and give that a go. I get fruit or vegetables I've never tried before. You can get recipes for everything online so it's good fun to have a play around. I used to do the same with the Indian grocer when I lived in a big city. And the Polish deli. The folk in the shop usually like to tell you what they like and how to cook it.

Knife cut noodles
Laoganma crispy chilli and peanuts in oil

Any Loganma product, we love the crispy chilli oil.

Pickled ginger is a fabulous addition to stir-fries

The Loganma tofu and chilli oil is amazing, a spoonful really livens up rice and stir fry's, I've always got a jar on the go.

They’re all different but mine sells bags of frozen rolls of thinly-sliced meats like pork belly or steak, etc for stir frying. I keep them in the freezer. (Also great for browning quickly and hurling in a stew or soup.) Big bags of peeled garlic cloves. I keep them in the freezer in ziplock bags. These are amazing. I just lob a couple directly into the blender if I’m making salad dressing or hummus, etc. it also makes it easier to grate. Or bung them into and under a chicken if I’m roasting it while still frozen. Makes no difference. Mushrooms - I love mushrooms. Shiitake/Enoki, etc… Ginger - I also keep ginger in ziplock bags in the freezer. Can’t live without that. I grate it directly into everything. (Grater takes the skin off.) Frozen dumplings and/or wontons. Yeah baby! Wonton soup bouillon powder. If you have teens, make them an after-school bowl of wonton soup (clear soup) with a couple of wontons or dumplings to warm their cockles.
Some Chinese supermarkets have fabulous knives. The best knife I have ever bought is a tiny vegetable cleaver about three inches long. Like a mini Chinese chopper. You have to put the work in and keep them sharpened, but they’re great. Bamboo steamer & fitted circles of baking paper to stop things sticking. (Watch YouTube on how to season steamer.)

Dumplings
Noodles
Rice
Every time I go to the Chinese supermarket, I buy these.😂

big bags of rice and selection of different noodles (edamame noodles our fav), assorted dumplings for easy dinner
black sesame oil (if they have it) and decent gf soy sauce
at ours, the fruit and veg is usually good so get big pack of pak Choi and anything else that appeals (shiitake and oyster mushrooms also)
frozen pork bones for bone broth
and if you need them, chopsticks, little bowls useful for a multitude of things, decent large wok, they also used to be the best for sharp chopping knives but I think they’ve stopped doing them now

Frozen duck breasts and pancakes
Soy (light and dark)
Oyster sauce
Sesame oil

So great! Thanks all. Gonna go today have have a look. It's multi storey, absolutely huge!

You have inspired me to go forth and explore the bigger ones in town near us. Hainanese chicken for dinner tonight. Yum!

Lucky Boat noodles for fakeaway! (I know I’m too late!)

For anyone coming back to this thread Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa Cough Syrup best thing ever for chesty coughs

Fried tofu in the frozen aisle it's the best for cooking with

Shallot sauce - great just stirred into rice

Gochujang in a big plastic tub - amazing smoky chilli paste

Fermented broad bean and chilli paste - for cooking with, used in double cooked pork, sea spicy aubergine and mapo tofu

Chiangking or black vinegar

Mirin

Salted black beans. Great in a stir fry.