Unusual/limited ingredients...where do you shop?

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Luckily, where I live I can get just about anything. There are 4 large Chinese supermarkets within 15 min (including one with a weird dollar store attached). I practically live in them.

There are 4 or more Vietnamese markets about 10 min away. Cambodian about 45 min.

I cook a lot of Asian food.

And now there’s an HMart in Brookline so I don’t have to drive to Burlington! I started going to the original HMart in New Jersey many years ago and so happy we have them here.

HMart is Korean. The “H” stands for Han, which means “Korean” in Korean. They have Japanese, too.

2 Polish markets right up the street. Caribbean also right up the street

Armenian and Middle Eastern close

I wish there was a Greek place around.
 
Kathleen: you mentioned "chili " and that reminded me of the 1st restaurant that i went to here in Colorado ,there was a " chili burger " on the menu so i ordered it ,when they sat it down in front of me i almost lost my lunch !!!! it was an open face bun with a hamburger patty that had what i can and did at the time describe as looking like something a dog threw up on the patty , the owner laughed and said " your not from here are you mister" picked up the plate and asked what else can i bring you
he knew i was expecting "red chili " we both took it in stride had a good laugh and became friends haha
 
@grumpyoldman I don’t think that we are a bunch of wannabe Ramsay’s, more that many of us really enjoy cooking (hence the site’s name) and we like to share the recipes we make.
As has been mentioned, there is a vast range of local dishes, variations depending on culture, country and cuisine. We also have a wide range of different experiences and backgrounds and interests here. There are sections on bbq, vegan, specialty diets, international cuisine, baking styles and more.
In regards to food items that are new to you, or uncommon- most ingredients have a substitute that will get you close. I’m very interested in South East Asian cuisine and some of the things that these recipes ask for are very specific and unique. But there is always something more common available that will do, in a pinch. Almost all medium towns with a good population of Asian people will have their own grocer. It’s daunting at first even if you speak the language, and the vendors aren’t always the most helpful 🤣
The best way to get the most out of DC is to engage with everyone, ask questions and look at the recipes that attract you most and start from there. 🫠
 
to my way of thinking the best cooks can go into any kitchen and cook something that taste's amazing with common off the shelf items that most anyone might have , they don't need things that are uncommon or hard to pronounce , not that i'm saying there is anything wrong with that if your a cook at a high end restaurant
but a lot of young folks just learning to cook look to these forums as a place just to learn how to cook supper or maybe do something that tastes better than scrambled eggs...... but its all good, no worries
 
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We have the “I Only Have This” section which has members suggesting recipes for whatever you have in the pantry. That might be helpful.
 
i realize most folks here are fancy cooks , but don't you ever cook with "normal " ingredients ? i'm just an old country boy, if wal-mart don't have it most of us have never heard of it haha , sometimes it seems like a contest to see who can use the weirdest ingredients

We cook with "normal" ingredients all the time. But, do keep in mind that this is a cooking forum, so we are always interested in new things.

BTW, I do most of my grocery shopping at Walmart, because it is less than one mile from my house. The Walmart in Frisco is a nice store, and is pretty well stocked. HEB is a better store, but it is on eat other side of town. It's also packed almost all the time, every day.

CD
 
to my way of thinking the best cooks can go into any kitchen and cook something that taste's amazing with common off the shelf items that most anyone might have , they don't need things that are uncommon or hard to pronounce , not that i'm saying there is anything wrong with that if your a cook at a high end restaurant
but a lot of young folks just learning to cook look to these forums as a place just to learn how to cook supper or maybe do something that tastes better than scrambled eggs...... but its all good, no worries
I understand what you're saying, but keep in mind this is an international cooking forum with members from all over the world and what's common or normal for you may not apply to everyone else.
 
But, do keep in mind that this is a cooking forum, so we are always interested in new things.
Took the words right out of my mouth casey.
Yep, this is a cooking forum to "discuss cooking" (and a few other things when we 'digress'). So of course, we are interested in others style - including weird (to the individual) ingredients.
 
to my way of thinking the best cooks can go into any kitchen and cook something that taste's amazing with common off the shelf items that most anyone might have , they don't need things that are uncommon or hard to pronounce , not that i'm saying there is anything wrong with that if your a cook at a high end restaurant
but a lot of young folks just learning to cook look to these forums as a place just to learn how to cook supper or maybe do something that tastes better than scrambled eggs...... but its all good, no worries

People come to this forum for more than just learning basic cooking skills. A lot of us are to the point where we cook for fun as much as sustenance. I had a high stress career, and cooking was what I did to wind down. I'm also retired (for now, at least), so going out to restaurants all the time is not in my budget. If I can cook restaurant quality food at home, I don't need to go out for it.

If you are happy with what you are cooking and eating, great. But some of members want more out of our kitchens than the same old food over and over.

CD
 
Not me. Half the fun in cooking (and eating) for me is in trying new foods and ingredients that take me outside of my comfort zone.

The challenges can be fun, and certainly adventures, at times. The one and only time I made Bibimbap at home was one of those adventures. I had it at a Korean restaurant a friend took me to, and liked it, so I figured I'd make it at home.

When I was done, I was worn out, and my kitchen looked like a bomb went off.

But, I learned something... the hard way. :ROFLMAO:

CD
 
The challenges can be fun, and certainly adventures, at times. The one and only time I made Bibimbap at home was one of those adventures. I had it at a Korean restaurant a friend took me to, and liked it, so I figured I'd make it at home.

When I was done, I was worn out, and my kitchen looked like a bomb went off.

But, I learned something... the hard way. :ROFLMAO:

CD
Been there, done that - not with bibimbap, but with other stuff. Will that stop me from trying to make new stuff at home? Nope. I may only ever make it once, but it will be fun making it, even if it exhausts me and clean up takes longer than eating the food does.

Having that experience of making something that turns out to be more effort that I want to put in again, does give me a different appreciation for the food. If it is something I have had elsewhere and really liked, I will enjoy it even more when it is served to me, since I know the effort.
 
once i walked into a "Chinese " supermarket , could not read a dang thing !!! i had no idea what was on the shelves .so i left empty handed haha
Not being able to read what is written on the majority of the packages and not recognizing some of the produce has happened to me in various ethnic stores. I haven't tried it myself, but I am pretty sure you can use your cell phone to take a picture of something and have Google translate it into English for you. Of course, if they use the same alphabet as we are using here, you can just ask for a translation. I think you can also take a picture of produce and have Google Lens find similar pictures, making it somewhat easier to figure out what you are looking at.

Edited to add: If I am trying to find out what a foreign word is in English, my go to resource is Wiktionary in English, yes, in English. I have found words from most major languages and even some indigenous languages spoken by fewer than 100,000 people or even fewer than 20,000.
 
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But that’s the point of this forum! To get ideas from people who are more experienced in making the dishes you want to try to cook.
When I first started coming here, I really had no idea why something called a “tailgate party” was a thing. It seemed stupid to me to have an accepted menu for what amounted to just an excuse to drink copious amounts of alcohol.
But now I know that it is a cultural phenomenon.
Then, of course, I tried to think about the equivalent event in Australia and before long I could think of numerous similar activities that relate. Expand your understanding!
 
For anything Asian/Filipino, etc I shop lots at some local Asian/Filipino/Japanese markets (tons of Asian markets of every variety around where I live), cub foods, and Aldi. Anything I can't find there I usually go Amazon, as Amazon has tons of great Indian/German/etc. ingredients (and I don't like driving in the city/Minneapolis as I grew up in the country, so it's easier for me to buy those on Amazon than drive there).
 

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