How to identify Asian vegetables?

[frugal-one]

Well the new thing I want to learn is how to cook Thai and Asian food. I go into the Asian market and have difficulty identifying the veggies. There are times when something looks REALLY interesting but have no idea how to use it. Many times it is difficult to ask for help. Wondering if anyone here has any idea of a book that would help me in this????? I have been looking up the veggies needed online before I go to the store. Also, have been substituting. Any ideas?

[redfox]

I'm all for taking a cooking class!

[SteveinMN]

Since I'm in and out of Asian markets, and since one of my successful New Year's resolutions was to quit buying food items before I knew how to prepare them :|(, I've been marking down the names during a visit and checking them out on-line at home. If the item looks interesting, I'll get it next time I'm at the store (along with any other ingredients I might need for a recipe).

One guide that would be free or at minimal cost and that you could take with you fairly easily would be a seed catalog from a specialty grower. Evergreen Seeds (at the obvious URL) carries vegetable seeds beyond the Nappa cabbage and bok choy that pretty much everyone offers; I don't know if they have a paper catalog or if you could print out a few pages of their Web site to take with you. I'm sure there are other growers, but that's the one I know has a name for Asian produce. One thing I have found is that sometimes the same vegetable seems to have different names for different ethnic groups. That makes it harder to compare, but it still can be done.

[JaneV2.0]

Here's a resource:
http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/downloads/guides/AsianVegetableGuide.pdf
A couple of good Asian cookbooks from the library, and you're all set.

[lhamo]

I don't think this is out yet -- it is on my "christmas gift to myself list" for when I get back to the US in December:

http://www.beijingboyce.com/2012/11/12/roots-fruits-shoots-leaves-pam-shookmans-posthumous-book-on-wet-markets-out-soon/

lhamo

[lhamo]

Another thought. If you are anywhere near a university town that would have Asian exchange students, you could try to recruit one to do a shopping trip and cooking lesson for you. I know many of our Chinese Fulbright grantees would LOVE to do something like this -- they miss cooking homestyle food and not everyone has access to an Asian grocery. And this is a great opportunity for them to make friends and share their culture with Americans (something we strongly encourage them to do). You could contact the international students office and see if there is someplace you can post a notice, or approach one of the international student associations (there are Chinese Students and Scholars Associations at most major universities).

lhamo

[Gregg]

I almost never turn down the chance to dine in those little hole-in-the-wall, mom & pop Asian places. You really have to search hard around me to find places where the menu isn't all General's chicken, but there are a few. The hardest part is finding people who will go with me! Just talking to the people in these places has been VERY educational. Asking them what they would order has produced some wonderful surprises...and a few scary dishes. Talking to people in the markets has produced similar results, but isn't as much fun because you don't usually get to taste things there. Anyway, people love to talk about their food and the traditions that go with it. We had a wonderful Vietnamese dinner with some fairly new friends a couple weeks ago. They’re coming over next week for Italian. I'm going to have to wheelbarrow them to the car...

[SteveinMN]

We had a wonderful Vietnamese dinner with some fairly new friends a couple weeks ago. They’re coming over next week for Italian. I'm going to have to wheelbarrow them to the car...
... because they'll be in carb overload?? :D Seriously, I have no problem dining by myself after all these years, but I think ethnic dining is much more fun in a group because you can try different food items.

When I moved to the Midwest from Noo Yawk, I took some cooking classes and bought some good knives and a wok because I figured if I wanted good Chinese food, I was going to have to make my own. I'm pleased to say that that wasn't necessary -- there's some excellent Chinese food in this town, as well as several other ethnicities. But you do have to know where to look. And many places kind of "dumb down" their menu (most Thai food here is way sweeter than it is in Thailand, and I would swear Minnesota is the only place in the world where they can sell "mild salsa") to please the less adventurous palate. There's many a time I really had to convince the waitperson that I really did want that item on the menu and would not send it back if I didn't like it.

[frugal-one]

Great ideas and book recommendations!!!! I have been busy looking at all the sites mentioned! Might be interesting to try a few recipes and if they turn out great to post????

[Amaranth]

Pictures on the kitazawa website:
http://www.kitazawaseed.com/

Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook
http://www.amazon.com/Oriental-Vegetables-Complete-Guide-Gardening/dp/1568363702/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354294567&sr=1-4&keywords=asian+vegetables

[frugal-one]

Thanks Amaranth!!! I requested a catalog and a copy of the book from my library.

[frugal-one]

Just received the Kitazawa Seed Co catalog! Think I will see of a few friends want to go in together and order a few packs of seeds. VERY INTERESTING!

[Amaranth]

Can't wait to hear about what you decide to try.