I love my Asian grocery stores

There are at least three Asian grocery stores within a short walk of my new apartment. I love the opportunity to try so many different foods so close to home, even when living in Europe. Growing up in small town USA in an Italian-American family, I never encountered many Asian foods beyond what was available as Chinese take-out or cooked at my table at the local hibachi restaurant; these days I delight in discovering new foods from a variety of Eastern cultures, even though I still feel like a novice when checking out all the different items on offer.

This is my haul from my latest shopping trip. I brought home a big tub of red curry paste (fast becoming my favorite way to add flavor to almost anything ). The only ingredient on this package I couldn’t identify in any of the languages listed was galangal, which I was pleased to learn is a root vegetable. I also picked up some wasabi powder (mix with water to make wasabi paste like that served with sushi), coconut milk, lentils, two kinds of tofu, fresh baby corn, okra, and kermit eggplants . Speaking of tofu, I have a ‘tofu for beginners’ post in the works – stay tuned!

Do you shop at Asian specialty stores? What do you buy? Share your favorite foods in the comments!