ITEMS TO BUY AT AN ASIAN MARKET
Keep these items on hand and by the time you read the recipes about them a few times, you’ll feel adventuresome enough to make them.
Stalks of lemon grass. They will be in the freezer and will be wrapped like scallions. They give high lemon flavor as a soup or tea base, and you remove them before eating
Kaffir lime leaves. These will be in the freezer maybe 25-50 to a bag. They give high lemon flavor as a soup or tea base, and you remove them before eating.
Gangalal. This is a form of ginger. It will be in the freezer in a small tray, probably already cut into small pieces. They give sharp ginger flavor as a soup or tea base, and you remove them before eating.
Chilies or chili peppers. These will be in the freezer in small bags. Most of them are too hot for me; you have to find your own comfort level. I sometimes pop a whole chili in a soup and then take it out and discard it. I do not cut it open. That gives enough heat for me. Remember the high heat is in the seeds, so after handling them wash your hands.
Fish sauce nuoc mam. I use the 3 Crabs brand. A little goes a long way. High flavor, smells hmmm fishy
Chili garlic sauce in a jar on the shelf. It is hotter than Sriracha sauce.
Sriracha hot sauce has a red rooster on the bottle. It is milder than chili garlic sauce.
Nam prik pao or tom yum soup paste. In a jar on the shelf. Try different brands.
Sesame Oil. Usually not cooked, but added into hot soups and dressings.
Bunches of fresh basil or cilantro for rinsing before last minute adding to soups.
Scallions in refrigerator for rinsing before last minute adding to soups.
You know that little bowl of weird clear dipping sauce you get in Asian Restaurants, with those tiny slivers of carrot in it? Here’s how to make it
The Vietnamese call it Nuoc Cham
The Thai call it Nam Pla
Dipping sauce:
1/2 cup Water
1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs Rice vinegar
5 Tbs Sweet chilli sauce
7-8 Tbs Fish sauce
1/2 Tbs Sesame oil
4 1/2 Tbs Lemon juice
1-2 Clove garlic, crushed
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Dipping sauce No. 2
1 tabespoon white vinegar, (heated)
1/2 cup bottled fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 carrot, finely shredded, rinsed and squeezed dry
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup of sugar If using dried chile flakes soaked them in the vinegar in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes.
In the bowl with the chile, add fish sauce, lime juice, carrot, garlic, and sugar. Stir in 1 1/2 cup of warm water until sugar is dissolved. Serve at room temp or store in frig. for up to 3 days.