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olalla

Jul 12, 2004, 9:01 PM

Post #1 of 26 (2683 views)

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Asian cooking ingredients

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I'm wondering if it is possible to find ingredients for cooking Asian food? I know that covers a lot of territory. Ginger is a key item. What about Indian spices? Would it be a problem with customs bringing the spices with us?

Esteban

Jul 12, 2004, 9:07 PM

Post #2 of 26 (2681 views)

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Re: [olalla] Asian cooking ingredients

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Every big supermarket in Mazatlan has fresh ginger.

Carron

Jul 13, 2004, 10:25 AM

Post #3 of 26 (2646 views)

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Re: [olalla] Asian cooking ingredients

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I have just finished reading a Chinese cook book by Susannah Foo, a popular restaurant owner and cooking teacher who migrated from Inner Mongolia to the US some years ago. She worried that she could not find proper ingredients to prepare her family's homestyle dishes. She then discovered jalapeños, anchos, jicima, and of course Mexican cilantro. Now she can't imagine cooking Chinese without these basics! Onions, cucumbers, garlic and broccoli are also here in abundance. And all sizes and shapes of noodles. Free range chickens are everywhere, probably even in your backyard, although they may actually belong to a neighbor. And Mexican pork products are dependably delicious. The only kitchen utensil I wish I had brought with me when we moved was my multi-tiered bamboo steamer baskets and large wok, but I make do with an aluminum tamale steamer which works almost as well. Mexicans also drink a lot of hot tea and there are numerous varieties on every grocery shelf.

julietl

Jul 13, 2004, 12:07 PM

Post #4 of 26 (2641 views)

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Re: [olalla] Asian cooking ingredients

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I love eating Thai & Japanese food and cook it all the time here. I have a friend who is half Japanese & half Mexican, so I got the scoop from his mom about where to shop here in DF.

There is a great store called Mikasa (pronounced Mi Casa - pretty funny), anyway - you can get tofu - fresh & fried, coconut milk, sesame oil, miso, green/yellow/red curry paste, tempura batter, sake, ahasi beer, hot sauces, udon, soba & rice/glass noodles and basically whatever kind of Japanese food you need. I can give you the address if you want it and are in DF.

As far as bringing things in to the country, there is no problem. The only issue is with meat products, but spices and noodles (and cheese for that matter - my other addiction) are fine. I was home last week (Portland, Oregon) and I stocked up on things that I can't get here, namely Thai & Vietnamese stuff. If you eat it, you should definately bring in dried galanga root, peanut sauce mix, rice paper, phad thai noodles, kaffir lime leaves, Tom Kai Gai soup spices, and various Thai/Vietnamese spices that I didn't list above.

I don't know about the rest of the country, but as the other posters said, there is no trouble getting cilantro, ginger, rice (not jasmine) and soy sauce in any grocery store.

I also have lemon grass growing on my patio, so you can grow some stuff as well.

Man - I am super hungry now!!

provecho!
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julietl

Jul 13, 2004, 12:18 PM

Post #5 of 26 (2640 views)

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Re: [olalla] Asian cooking ingredients

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oh, also - as far as Indian food - bring your own garam masala and papadams.

You can make you own - you can buy corriander, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, etc...here. Also curry.

BTW - there is an absolutley AMAZING Indian restaurant in colonia Santa Fe, called Kohinoor. I work with an Indian guy and he said it was one of the best restaurants he has been to - period. Yum!
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olalla

Jul 13, 2004, 1:41 PM

Post #6 of 26 (2627 views)

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Re: [Carron] Asian cooking ingredients

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Many thanks. Great information. I would like the name and address of the store in DF. Do you know if they would do mail order? And at least now, I have a much better idea of what to bring and what I can get in Mexico.

patricio_lintz

Jul 13, 2004, 8:35 PM

Post #7 of 26 (2606 views)

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Re: [julietm] Asian cooking ingredients

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My wife and I are suffering from Thai food withdrawal symptoms! I cooked up some yellow curry, but could not get lemon grass. I substituted som lemon peel.

I have been looking for a source of lemon grass plants in the Chapala/Guadalajara area. Anybody know where I can get plants?

Thanks

esperanza

Jul 13, 2004, 8:44 PM

Post #8 of 26 (2604 views)

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Re: [patricio_lintz] Asian cooking ingredients

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Ask about the plants at Granja La Paz, between Ajijic and San Juan Cosalá on the mountain side of the highway. If the owners don't know, nobody will know.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

patricio_lintz

Jul 13, 2004, 8:55 PM

Post #9 of 26 (2602 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Asian cooking ingredients

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Thanks. I will do so.

Attachments:

My Pictures-Thailand0015.jpg (102 KB)

julietl

Jul 19, 2004, 5:11 PM

Post #10 of 26 (2550 views)

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Re: [olalla] Asian cooking ingredients

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Hi -

I am going to the store next Saturday and will get all the contact info for you. I'll ask about mail order too, they seem pretty on top of things, so they might offer that service.

cheers-
juliet
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hoping 2

Jul 19, 2004, 7:14 PM

Post #11 of 26 (2535 views)

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Re: [julietm] Asian cooking ingredients

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If you could please give that info on this thread or forward it to me on PM, I would greatly appreciate it. It is not only delicious, fun to cook but also a great way to stay slim. I feel foolish with the next question but can't remember what city DF would be. If not too far from Ajijic, I would travel on occasion to get supplies. Lemon grass is simple to root and grow. If anyone is interested and can't find any. I would be happy to bring some when I come back within the month.

esperanza

Jul 19, 2004, 9:09 PM

Post #12 of 26 (2525 views)

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Re: [hoping 2] Asian cooking ingredients

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The DF is the Distrito Federal: Mexico City. It's about 8 hours by car east of Ajijic.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

hoping 2

Jul 19, 2004, 11:39 PM

Post #13 of 26 (2521 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Asian cooking ingredients

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Thanks,Esperanza! You are always so helpful and willing to answer. I guess, DF is a bit far for a supply run.

Bubba

Jul 20, 2004, 7:20 PM

Post #14 of 26 (2498 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Asian cooking ingredients

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Hola,

We cook a lot of thai food at home. Lemon grass plants are very comon here in Ajijic. I bought 2 plants at a nursery and always have some at home. The mexicans use the green part of the leaves to make te de limon but do not use the base of the plant so my gardener uses the top and I use the base of the plant. I also use the leaves of my grapefruit tree and leaves of regular lime or lemon tree instead of Keffir leaves. There is almost nothing you cannot find or grow to make decent thai or vietnamese food in the Ajijic area but you sometimes have to make things from scratch.
BP

patricio_lintz

Jul 20, 2004, 8:10 PM

Post #15 of 26 (2494 views)

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Re: [hoping 2] Asian cooking ingredients

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I have been searching for lemon grass.

Please do bring some sprigs. I am sure that they will find a happy home.

Carron

Jul 21, 2004, 9:17 AM

Post #16 of 26 (2478 views)

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Re: [Bubba] Asian cooking ingredients

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My husband, "the sexy pack rat", can't abide throwing anything away, especially since we have lived in Mexico for a long time and observed the care with which our neighbors reccycle everything. We have a young limon tree in our front yard and a few days ago he trimmed some of the new leaves because it was scratching the side of our car. Anyway, he nearly went nuts trying to figure out a way to use the leaves rather than just sweeping them into the trash. Do you know how the leaves could possibly be made into a tea? Other recipe suggestions?

esperanza

Jul 21, 2004, 10:30 AM

Post #17 of 26 (2477 views)

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Re: [Carron] Asian cooking ingredients

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I make té de limón all the time. Pick some leaves off the branches, wash them off, put them in a pot with as much water as you need for your tea drinkers. I usually use 8 or 10 leaves per 2 cups of water. Add sugar or artificial sweetener to taste.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

(This post was edited by esperanza on Jul 21, 2004, 10:31 AM)

Carol Schmidt

Jul 21, 2004, 3:01 PM

Post #18 of 26 (2466 views)

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Importfood.com, but no kaffir leaves

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We order dried lemon grass and packaged Thai soup mix (99 cents US for an envelope that seasons enough for six) from Importfood.com, which has many kinds of Asian ingredients. It takes less than two weeks for our orders to arrive.

The lemon Kaffir leaves do not get through the border, though, and we've been out $12.95 twice for the times we've ordered them but they never arrived. We just use more lime juice instead, but would love to have Kaffir leaves.

In San Miguel de Allende many of the gourmet delis sell all kinds of Thai and Asian foods and spices, at prices more than equal to the cost of ordering online and paying duty at our mail service. Fresh ginger is available in many stalls at our weekly open air market.

Carol Schmidt

Bubba

Jul 22, 2004, 9:37 AM

Post #19 of 26 (2449 views)

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Re: [patricio_lintz] Asian cooking ingredients

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Ask the nurseries to get you a "te de limon" plant or a " Cymbopogon citratus". I would ask for it by the spanish comon name first. It looks a little like a small version of pampas grass. "Clump forming, upright habit, long slender leaves".
Got that one from the Spanish/ English garden guide from the Lake Chapala Garden club. It can be purchased at the LSC and is a good source for the plants you can grow in this area.

patricio_lintz

Jul 23, 2004, 10:24 AM

Post #20 of 26 (2426 views)

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Re: [Bubba] Asian cooking ingredients

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Thanks, that's helpful.

I have seen it before.

I knew that it looks a lot like the decorative grasses which we used for a boarder in the Southwestern USA.

Having a spanish name helps.

Carol Schmidt

Jul 24, 2004, 8:52 AM

Post #21 of 26 (2408 views)

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Tonight's menu

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We're having eight over for dinner tonight and are serving Thai shrimp soup, using envelopes of seasonings from Importfoods.com, chicken satay with peanut sauce and cucumber yogurt sauce, rice, and a Thai salad of mixed sweet peppers and tomatoes. Our guests are bringing homemade mango chutney and some kind of bread or crackers for an appetizer, and dessert. We're feasting tonight!

Carol Schmidt

olalla

Jul 24, 2004, 9:02 AM

Post #22 of 26 (2404 views)

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Tonight's menu

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Yum. It still sounds like I would want to bring a supply of spices and mixes with me.

Esteban

Jul 24, 2004, 1:29 PM

Post #23 of 26 (2392 views)

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Tonight's menu

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Lets see a foto of that meal Carol!

Carol Schmidt

Jul 25, 2004, 11:35 PM

Post #24 of 26 (2366 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Tonight's menu

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Sorry, I didn't read your post until the dishes were dried and put away. Our guests loved the meal though. They brought a tres leches cake to top it all off. I didn't even weigh this morning. I'll have to search for a tres leches recipe, having added a new addiction to my long list.

Carol Schmidt

patricio_lintz

Jul 26, 2004, 6:32 PM

Post #25 of 26 (2354 views)

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Tonight's menu

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DO YOU NEED ANY NEW FRIENDS? (:]

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