For those of us in the Western world, grocery shops or supermarkets vary very little. I have been in a variety across the UK, France, Spain and the USA, which I feel is a representative sample, and while the actual foodstuffs may differ slightly, the layout and the slightly sterile atmosphere doesn't.
For me, Asian grocers are a different matter, no matter where they are situated. They can range from a reasonable-sized premises, to a small corner shop to a lean-to hut in the back streets of Delhi, but they always seem to emanate an air of mystery and exoticism. They are sometimes higgledy piggledy with treasures hiding in dark and dusty corners and sometimes a model of health and hygiene, but who could help but be fascinated by the unfamiliar fruit and vegetables and the aromatic spices.
Here are just a few of the fruits you may find:
Breadfruit comes from South East Asia and has a starchy flesh, which can be cooked as if it were potato.
The Durian fruit, renowned for its truly awful smell, has an oddly pleasant and savoury creamy taste, somewhat reminiscent of cheese and mild onion. The fruit itself is rather ugly, being covered in spines.
Lychees come from China and have a reddish brown skin. Once peeled, the flesh is creamy white and juicy. Fresh ones are not nearly as sweet as their tinned counterparts are.
The Malay Roseapple is shaped like a pear, smells like a rose and is eaten like an apple, hence the name. Oh, and it comes from Malaysia.
Papaya has firm orange flesh, similar to some melons, and is sweet tasting. It is reputed to relieve indigestion. Although this fruit wasn't originally a native of Asia, it can now be found in most tropical regions.
The Yellow Mangosteen is a native of south east Asia and resembles a lemon in that it is segmented and tastes rather tart.
There are few vegetables that our Western supermarkets don't stock these days, whether in season or not, so I hardly need describe those originating in Asia. Nonetheless, in case anyone reading has wondered what to do with some of them, here is a small selection.
Aubergine - the shiny, oval purple one (also known as brinjal or eggplant), which is often used in Indian vegetable dishes, not to be confused with the rather small, round white or greenThai eggplant, used in Thai curries.
White radish or daikon, which looks like a large white carrot, is often used in Japanese cooking both as a vegetable in its own right and when grated, as a garnish.
Galangal is a root, which looks very similar to root ginger but has a somewhat different taste. It is to Thai cookery what ginger is to Indian and Chinese cuisine and is one of the basic flavourings.
Lemon grass is another flavouring often used in Thai and Vietnamese dishes. It looks a little like bamboo when fresh but can also been used dried or powdered and imparts a nice lemony flavour.
Okra, Bhindi or Ladies Fingers is actually a flowering plant, rather than a vegetable and is frequently used in Indian cuisine, either deep-fried or curried.
Water chestnuts, often found peeled, in tins, but fresh, looking much like a horse chestnut and used in Chinese stir fry dishes.
All the above, plus more varieties of Chinese greens, cabbage and broccoli than you can imagine may be found in an Asian grocery store.
While the fruit and vegetables are interesting and often flavoursome, for me, it is the spices that really make Asian grocers different. I don't mean those neat little packets that the more modern establishments sell, but the great sacks of bright red chilli powder, yellow turmeric, cinnamon bark, cumin and coriander seeds, mustard and black pepper corns, fenugreek and cardamom pods and a lot else besides. The aromas keep me standing around sniffing the air for ages while I decide on a little of this or that, so fresh and flavoursome. The fragrances of the spices actually bring to mind their tastes and I can picture the dishes I'm going to cook in my minds eye, taste them even. Did you ever feel like that in a Western supermarket?
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Liz Canham As well as a love of Asian Food and Cookery, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz website.
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Published 07-08-2009
