![\"Bael](\"http:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/1.-Select-dried-bael-fruit-and-roses.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The afternoon was spent traveling from market to market, exploring the aisles and eating fresh dates off the stem, lunching on carnitas and nopal salad, comparing mango ginger and turmeric roots, and slurping in-season lychee fruit from their shells.<\/p>\n Getting comfortable with the unfamiliar can lead to wholly different kinds of eating adventures than simply digging through the fridge for something to eat.<\/strong><\/p>\n Why someone should shop at an ethnic grocery story is a legitimate question, especially when a lot of spices and ethnic foods are readily available at typical grocery stores these days.<\/p>\n What you won\u2019t find at your local grocery store is the expertise that the shop owners and staff have, a wider variety of food options and flavors- typically at better prices, \u00a0and the diversity of cultures that stores that focus on foreign cuisine tend to offer. \u00a0And, it is easy to pick up ingredients that you may already eat, but with better prices and freshness\u2026things like fresh herbs, coconut milk without preservatives, ghee, interesting cuts of meat, and brilliant produce.<\/p>\n It can be daunting at first, but the trick is to go in to a store with an open mind, some time to spare, and a willingness to ask questions and take notes<\/strong>. \u00a0Store owners are often very helpful and will offer suggestions on ingredients they prefer, what you can do with items from their shops, and interesting flavor combinations.<\/p>\n Sample things in small quantities<\/strong> \u2013 get a feel for their tastes and textures and figure out how to use them.\u00a0 If possible, sample them at the store.\u00a0 Some markets will even let you taste the fresh produce as a way to encourage you to buy some. \u00a0Remember those fresh dates I mentioned? \u00a0We were offered samples by the owner. \u00a0Likewise with this cactus fruit.<\/p>\n If this is a totally new experience for you, keep it simple<\/strong> by picking just one or two things that sound interesting \u2013 a spice, a fresh herb, an unfamiliar vegetable \u2013 and then do some research<\/strong>. \u00a0The library is filled with tomes on ethnic cuisines, and the internet is a great resource, as well.<\/p>\n If you want to do the research first, figure out commonly used ingredients<\/strong>\u00a0for a cuisine you\u2019d like to try or a recipe or two that you\u2019d like to cook; seek out those specific ingredients.\u00a0 It will help keep you from over-shopping or buying items that you may not use.<\/p>\n When you get home, you don\u2019t just have to use your newly-found ingredients in ethnic dishes. Introduce new flavors to old standbys<\/strong> \u2013 recreate some of your favorite recipes with a new ingredient or two, like adding\u00a0curry or chile powder and a squeeze of lime juice to tuna salad or using\u00a0fresh ginger, sesame seeds, and wasabi powder in a scramble of greens, mushrooms, and strip steak. \u00a0Here is a curried chicken salad<\/a> example.<\/p>\n Fill your kitchen with spices and the fresh meats, herbs, fruits, and vegetables you find<\/strong> \u2013 including some you might not have tried before (Palestinian limes<\/a>, cactus fruit, durian, guava, whole turmeric root, yucca, nopal, bitter melon, daikon radish, quince, etc.). \u00a0When you raid the fridge next time, you\u2019ll have fresh, interesting ingredients to help you break out of your cooking rut.<\/p>\n Oh, and keep in mind that plastic degrades. \u00a0If you buy bulk spices, rice, dried fruits, seeds and nuts in plastic bags, be sure to transfer them to air-tight glass containers<\/strong> as soon as you get home to help maintain their freshness. \u00a0I like to cut the labels off of the bags and tape them to the storage jars so I remember what I bought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first time I walked into an Indian grocery store, I couldn’t tell\u00a0coriander from my elbow. \u00a0\u00a0It took years of reading, being introduced to ethnic restaurants, and cooking experiments to build up familiarity and confidence with coriander and the multitude of other spices and flavors this world has to offer. Today, I not only shop… <\/p>\n![\"cactus,](\"http:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cactus-nopal-4.jpg\")
Why and how to shop at ethnic food markets \u2013 Tips for getting started<\/h3>\n
![\"Tuna](\"http:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Tuna-cactus-fruit.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"limes,](\"http:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Rancho-Market-011.jpg\")