First blog and East Asian Supermarket

I want to be a foodie. I want to be able to tell the difference between a great bottle of wine and a so-so one. I want to WANT TO LIKE RAW DUCK EGG!!!!

I realize this is an odd desire, considering I don’t have the resources, time, or palate to be an official foodie. So I classify myself as a foodiejunkie. Western Washington doesn’t boast a roster of heavy-hitting or Michelin rated restaurants, so my journey to be a foodie starts with what I know I have access to- a rich variety of cultural food. My plan is to document my cultural immersion into specialty markets/shops and extract make-at-home culinary delights.  European delis, Hispanic and Asian markets and local/authentic cuisine are just a few of the places I intend to venture in pursuit of culinary happiness.  I will probably avoid the Balut, for now, but we will see how this all turns out :) Cheers.

Today I’m on a quest for the seaweed salad I’ve been enjoying for years at sushi restaurants. This simple appetizer appears in almost every sushi joint I’ve visited, from expensive fish houses to strip mall sushi, so I was certain it must be a prepackaged deal.  Armed with a plastic fork so I could enjoy post-haste in my car, I was convinced that walking into the Asian market I would find jars and jars of this pickled/sour/green goodness... A few internet searched later revealed that it was not a pre-made item. Simple enough to make, I just needed the right kind of dried seaweed, and a few ingredients I knew I had at home.

Olfactory offense aside, I was impressed with the market. Or rather, I was a little terrified but the foodie junkie within was excited. I suspect this market is a variable treasure trove of culinary potential, but I won’t oversell the place, there were a LOT (LOT!) of things I would rather just leave on the shelf (most in the "fish ball/pickled fish/animal head varietal).

One recipe I had read online recommended dried "Wakame" seaweed. While browsing the aisles, I had a hard time finding anything other than "Seaweed" in English on the packaging, so I went with what I thought looked right. A few aisles later I found the wakame, so I returned my other package (in retrospect I should have brought both). I also grazed in the 'treat' aisle, finding a coconut wafer that looked enticing (but let me warn you, a quick look at the fat content in the car halted my snack- 10g for 5 small wafers! Sheesh!).

Being a bit of a food aficionado I am used to comments at the checkout stand (such as "oh, what kind of pepper is that?" or "have you ever cooked with these before?"). Today, in very broken English, I was told that I had the wrong kind of seaweed. "You know you cannot make sushi with this, yes?". I giggled a little to myself, appreciating her concern for my potential surprise. I can see how seaweed isn’t exactly mainstream American cooking, leaving the majority of seaweed exposure limited to sushi.

The salad turned out great, but I would probably have chosen a different seaweed (tasty, but not my favorite. I will update when I find the variety I like the best).

Here's the recipe and I invite everyone to venture a bit off the Albertsons/QFC/Safeway beaten path and give this a try.

Em


Seaweed Salad:

3/4 oz  Dried Seaweed (Wakame works fine, but I will update with my favorite when i find it)
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

Rehydrate the seaweed with cold water for 5-10 minutes. Drain, add rest of ingredients. Allow flavors to develop about 30 minutes, then serve.