Viet World Kitchen

Eek! The Year of the Rat is near!

It's coming on February 7 -- The Year of the Rat.  Though we tend to think of the rodents in disparaging ways, they're highly valued for their courage and enterprising ways.  They're known to be clever, bright, sociable and family-oriented.  (Rats reproduce with abandon and perceived to be rather lusty creatures!) Their interested are diverse and they are very nimble, able to adapt and react to changing conditions.

(In Vietnam, the cuter mouse is the animal associated with this astrological sign. However, since most Asians celebrating the Lunar New Year go with the Chinese preference, I'm using the rat. The animals are close relatives.)

Those attributes will either warm the cockles of your heart or conjure up images of the Brookdale Institute in Killer Rats, a 2003 movie (see the trailer). Just kidding...

Actually, some of the dear people in my life are rats, and this is THEIR year. They should feel extra special having accomplished another full cycle of life. Famous rats you may know include: Alyssa Milano, Cameron Diaz, Charlotte Bronte, Daryl Hannah, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lauren Bacall, Margaret Mitchell, Margot Kidder, Mata Hari, Olivia Newton-John,  and Stevie Nicks.

In general, rats were born in: 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008.  Remember because the Lunar calendar shifts around, people with January or February birthdays may be on the cusp.

Rats are in a generally unspoken part of the Vietnamese culinary repertoire. They are eaten in Vietnam, as they are  in other parts of of Southeast Asia and India. They are a protein source. In fact, at BackwoodsBound.com, you'll find typical American recipes for squirrel and the raccoon.

In 2004 when the Bird Flu was scaring people from eating chicken, rats were fetching quite a pretty penny in Cambodia. People of my parents generation recall eating rat. Apparently, the country rats were tastier than city ones.

Enough about rat as food. I'm somewhat superstitious so I always look around for some forecast of the coming year. Here's a little fortune telling that's not so weird and hokey:

Your fortune in the Year of the Rat (Asiaone.com)

Hopefully, the economy and presidential elections won't be so grim!

Vancouver Night Market

Last week, Rory and I headed to Vancouver, British Columbia for a number of book-related events. The business end of things went well but what was even more fun was all the amazing food we got to sample!

Vancouver is a marvelous eating town, especially if you're into Chinese food. Many Hong Kong Chinese took up residence in "Van" after the 1997 handover. As a result, there are tons of high-quality restaurants from casual to high-end. One of the highlights of a summer is the Chinatown Night Market in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver that's now one of five (5) Chinese enclaves in the area. As the evening progressed, it became a shoulder to shoulder crowd at the  flea-market-cum-food-and-music fare.

The Richmond market is modeled on ones in Hong Kong, where you'd go for practically all your needs. When I was a student in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, going to the night market meant several things -- cheap grub often eaten with skewers and padded bra vendors. Those are the things I remembered. S

ure enough, there was an area full of food vendors. Rory spied some good potstickers and yes, we ate them with bamboo skewers, which are basically skinny chopsticks, no? What was surprising was that the high quality of the dumplings. The skin was chewy and not too thick. The filling was flavorful and fresh tasting. Even the chili oil accompaniment was excellent.

Most foods at these kinds of public events are tasteless and greasy. However, the range of food was limited to lots of grilled bits.  "This isn't really like Hong Kong," Rory said as he reminisced about eating a dish of stir-fried clams in black bean sauce at a stall long ago.  Of course not. We're in clean Canada and Vancouver is diverse, evidenced by the Vietnamese sweet soup lady who was doing her best to get business. Nearby, the young Asian-Canadian singer belted out love songs.

Not far away where the dry goods were being hawked, I found authenticity in a couple of charming, Asian-style kitchen aprons with grammatically incorrect messages printed on them. And, yep, a few padded bra vendors had set up too.

Multiethnic, Multiracial Asian Markets

When it comes to ethnic supermarkets these days, it's not enough to be just Vietnamese or even Pan-Asian. In the western United States, 99 Ranch has been the standard bearer of Asian supermarket chains -- offering an inventory to meet the needs of every Asian cuisine. In the past few years, Mexican tortillas have been added to the shelves too. Hey, many of the people working the butcher and seafood counters are Latinos. Over time, I've seen more Indian and African patrons at not just 99 Ranch but many other Asian markets in the San Jose/Santa Clara area where I do most of my grocery shopping.

Such trends aren't isolated to California. On business trips to Atlanta and Chicago, I've come across humongous markets catering to practically anyone who's interested in good, fresh food. The markets just happen to be owned by Asian people. Here are some highlights . . .

Atlanta, Georgia

On Buford Highway, the hub of Atlanta's Asian community, there are two large markets. The big one is called Buford Highway Farmers' Market and is owned by Korean-Americans. (Atlanta has one of the largest Korean comm unities in America.) On a Saturday afternoon, the place rocks with activity. The produce section is mobbed as people shop for Korean radish, fresh turmeric, and Mexican quelites -- hard to find ingredients in your average store. Caribbean, L atino, and Asian shoppers check out the fresh banana leaves and the fresh aloe vera.

At the seafood counters, there's sushi in one area, whole fish in another, and live crab a few feet away. The meat and poultry section is vast with fresh and frozen items to explore. The aisle are clearly marked by nationality. You can buy a pinata as well as frozen gyoza.

At the Vietnamese-owned Atlanta Farmer's Market, the scene is a bit more quiet but multi-cultural, multi-racial, nonetheless. What unites the shoppers, who are predominantly Vietnamese, Latino, and African American is pork.

Never have I seen a wall of pork like the one that the butcheress was cutting up. We don't have that in California. I chatted with the security guard, who said to me, "I'm a black man, an ex-Marine. Now I'm working in a grocery store with your people. Isn't that great? It's America!"

Niles, Illinois

Similar scenes can be found in countless other markets in the U.S. New York-based H-Mart, a Korean-owned, chain from the East Coast, has a marvelous store in Niles, Illinois, which is outside of Chicago.  (Many thanks to Richard for the tip!) The store is clean, brightly lit, and full of fresh produce and meat. The Korean kimchi selection knocked me out (in a very good way, that is), but there was a great selection of fish sauce for Thai and Vietnamese cooking, kecap manis for Indonesian and Malaysian cooking, as well as Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. The market is as big as the Home Depot next door.
 
Nashua, New Hampshire

Ive always thought of New Hampshire in terms of the presidential primaries, not Asian food. Well, that changed this week. On August 8, the Nashua Telegraph reported that its local Saigon Asian Market is doing quite a brisk business. At the ten-month old, 8,000-square foot  store, the Vietnamese-Chinese owners have stocked the shelves with ingredients for Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Filipino, Mexican, African, Jamaican, and traditional American fare. People are loving it.

For details, read "Market sells food from wide range of countries" by Patrick Meighan of the Nashua Telegraph.

Addresses

• Buford Highway Farmers' Market, 5600 Buford Highway, NE, Doraville, GA 30040
• Atlanta Farmers' Market (formerly Hong Kong Supermarket), 4166 Buford Hwy, Atlanta, GA 30345
• Saigon Asian Market, 33 Pine St, Nashua, New Hampshire

Related Information

• How to find Asian markets and ingredients

How to Find Asian Markets & Ingredients

You're ready to cook Vietnamese food but where are the ingredients? They're not particularly hard to find, especially because Asian cooking is increasingly popular and there are Asian communities all over. Once you've found the foodstuffs, the equipment is usually in the market too or at a nearby shop.

If you're new to Asian markets, you'll have to stretch a bit. While many of the ingredients may be locally available, Viet cuisine has yet to become mainstreamed. Certain staples, such as high-quality fish sauce and rice noodles, will require a trip to a Chinese or Southeast Asian market.

Cooking is a fun social and human activity. Part of the experience is shopping for ingredients, which may entail going to unfamiliar neighborhoods and bridging language and cultural barriers. If you smile, are polite, and show interest, people will gladly help. During the last thirty plus years, Vietnamese people have splendidly preserved and developed their culinary traditions far away from their ancestral home. There's no reason why you can't do it too. The payoff is delicious.

Rather than present a list of stores that's bound to change and be incomplete, this posting contains tips to help you find ingredients and equipment.

Strategies for Your Search

Find a Viet enclave nearby and check the local yellow-pages for "Grocers and Markets." According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Vietnamese Americans are the fourth largest Asian ethnic group in America. We are surprisingly in many places. While the biggest Vietnamese-American communities are in California, Texas, and Washington, D.C., there are folks in Atlanta, Boston, New Orleans, New York City, and Seattle too. Even Wichita, Kansas, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, have burgeoning populations. Do an internet search for "Vietnamese community in X city or X state" and see what you find.

Don't limit yourself to Vietnamese markets. Chinese, Thai, Cambodian, Laotian, and Filipino markets also sell ingredients for Vietnamese cooking. The herbs may not be available, but other essentials like fish sauce will be on the shelves. Use cultural and historic intersections as starting points. Where there's a substantial community of Asian people, there are markets that cater to their cooking needs. Chinese-owned Ranch 99 Market is a great pan-Asian chain of grocery stores with locations in California, Washington, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada. Mainly on the East Coast and with a super location in Niles, Illinois, H Mart (select English in upper right-hand corner) is a Korean-owned chain of great Asian markets.  Other notable chains include Hong Kong Supermarket and Shun Fat Supermarket.

Pretty reliable online listings of Asian markets in America can be found at:

• Thaifoodandtravel.com: Straight listing with some commentary by Thai cookbook author and cooking teacher Kasma Loha-unchit
• New Asian Cuisine: Interactive US map from Savory productions, an Asian-food marketing company
• ThaiTable.com: Enter a zip code to search
• Merry's Kitchen of Indonesian Cuisine: Simple but robust listing from a food-loving, Jakarta-based florist

Explore Chinatowns. Chinese influences in Vietnamese cooking run deep, and many of the ingredients are the same. A fair number of the grocery stores are owned and run by Chinese-Vietnamese Americans. Chinatown houseware and restaurant supply shops stock steamers, dishware, and other nifty cooking tools.

Ask Viet people who are "in the know." For example:

• The folks who run your favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Where do they buy their ingredients?
• Your Vietnamese manicurist. Where does she or he shop for food and specialty equipment?
• Members of a local university's Vietnamese Student Association. An international organization with numerous chapters in the U.S., VSA sponsors cultural events and food festivals. These students know their community's culinary resources. Check the university website.

Go beyond Asian markets. Peruse non-Asian markets (such as Latino, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean), health food stores, and the international or Asian food section of mainstream supermarkets. You'll be amazed to discover what's stocked on the shelves. Good Mexican butcher counters and carniceria meat markets are treasures.

Shop farmers' markets. In a number of places in the country, Hmong and Vietnamese farmers are trucking loads of fresh Asian produce to weekly markets. Non-Southeast Asian farmers are increasingly growing Asian vegetables and herbs. Check websites such as localharvest.org for local markets and farms.

Use culinary message boards. The virtual community of cooks that can be found at sites like eGullet and chowhound is full of insights.

Only as a last resort should you purchase Asian ingredients and equipment online or through mail order. Because inventories and service fluctuate, check around to see what's currently available and reliable. Among the online and mail order sources worth exploring are:

The Oriental Pantry (Acton, MA)
(978) 264-4576, orientalpantry.com
Offers a broad selection of Asian ingredients. Fish sauce is in "Misc. Other Foods."

Pacific Rim Gourmet (Escondido, CA)
customerservice@pacificrim-gourmet.com, pacificrimgourmet.com
Inventory is organized according to cuisines.

The Wok Shop (San Francisco, CA)
(415) 989-3797, wokshop.com
No food sold here, but the selection of cooking equipment is excellent, including wood moon cakes, which are listed in "Hard to Find Items."

Vietnamese Markets and Good Restaurants: Portland, Oregon

In August, I'm scheduled to teach a couple cooking classes  in Portland, Oregon. It's been years since I've traveled to Portland, where there's a sizable Asian population.  I always like to discuss with students where and how they may locally source ingredients and equipment for cooking Vietnamese food. To help me do my homework, I asked Trillium, a Portland resident, food lover, and avid cook. Whoa, she fired back these  recommendations and thoughtful insights:

Our favorite place to shop in Portland is at An Dong market on Powell. It's run by Teowchiu speakers from Vietnam (they also speak English, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese if you need them too). My perspective is skewed because I've been going there for 5 years and get treated really well because they're used to us, so when I come in by myself everyone is really nice. But some people don't like shopping there because they can be a little crabby if you're not used to that "buy your stuff and get out" attitude. They do all of their pork butchery in house, which is nice. They also have all of the good stuff, innards, feet, etc, and Asian beef cuts (outer flank, etc). For fresher, still live, seafood (crabs, shrimp, clams etc) and fish at great prices, I shop at Om Seafood down the road. An Dong has a little selection of ok quality and very good price fish and seafood. On the weekends they also sell banh cuon hap that are really good (very finely textured), and bbqed coconut sticky rice with banana, taro, or lotus in banana leaves. Their bao are also tasty, and very different from the Chinese ones we're familiar with (pork, peas, glass noodle, wood ear, hard boiled egg, lap cheung and mushroom).

Fubonn Market is the big market that is trying to be like 99 Ranch. I find the quality of the produce isn't as good there, and I don't like that every thing is wrapped and on Styrofoam, but some people like going there a lot.

Pok Pok isn't Viet, it's Thai, but you should go if you get a chance. It's pretty good Thai food depending on what you order.  Andy and his crew are doing things like making their own coconut milk, and trying to convince Portlanders that salted blue crabs are a good thing in your papaya salad. We cook a ton of Thai food, and traveled in Thailand with Thai speakers, so of course I think what we make at home is better, but I think he does a really good job for a restaurant in North America.

We used to really love Pho Oregon but the last time we went it wasn't as good. I don't know if it was a one time deal or not, but they had taken some of my favorite dishes off the menu and just had more typical stuff left.

We really love Binh Minh for banh mi, their original location is on Broadway and they have another on Powell now. The proprietress is notoriously grumpy and she always asks the round-eyes if they want extra meat!  If I'm not in there with my Asian partner she tends to leave off the chillies too, unless I tell her not to, but when he's there we never have that problem. Their bread is classic Viet "French" and I love both the combo and siu mai fillings.

The South East part of the city is where many immigrant communities live, which explains these address for the locations Trillium listed:

An Dong market: 5441 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, 97206 - (503) 777-2463

Om Seafood: 3514 514 SE 76th Ave, Portland, OR, 97206, (503) 788-1984, www.omseafood.com

Fubon market/shopping center: Powell and Division on 82nd

Pok Pok Thai restaurant:3226 SE Division, Portland, OR 97202, (503) 232-1387

Pho Oregon: 6236 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213, (503) 281-2990

Binh Minh: 6812 NE Broadway St (original location; new location is on Powell), (503) 257-3868

Do you have favorite markets and restaurants where you live? Email me and I'll post them so we can build an information base.