# Home cooking and access to ingredients



## ptrichmondmike (Aug 26, 2010)

I love to cook, and living in the SF Bay Area I am able to dabble in virtually any international cuisine (sometimes with dubious results). I also love Mexican food and can't wait to eat The Real Thing on a regular basis, and to learn lots of new recipes and how to make them properly. However, I can't see leaving behind all of the other culinary delights to be experienced. So, my question to you other cooks: will I be able to find the ingredients necessary to make, say, home-cooked Italian chow? Chinese? Indian? Thai? Middle Eastern? Etc. etc. And are these available outside of the largest cities like DF, GDL and Monterrey, e.g., could I find them in Morelia or Oaxaca? Guanajuato?

Despite my 40+ visits to Mexico over many years, I have never been inside a grocery store.


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

See Rollybrook.com and search for his lexicon of culinary terms. Learn, or print, the Spanish names for the ingredients you need. Then, you'll be able to look for them locally. The English, or other names won't do you any good at all.


----------



## ptrichmondmike (Aug 26, 2010)

RVGRINGO said:


> See Rollybrook.com and search for his l exicon of culinary terms. Learn, or print, the Spanish names for the ingredients you need. Then, you'll be able to look for them locally. The English, or other names won't do you any good at all.


Thanks RV -- that is an amazing website/blog that I already have bookmarked. What I'm talking about is the sorts of things used in international cuisines -- lemon grass, couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), curry ingredients (not "curry powder")...foods that were weird 20 years ago but are common in the US today, at least in California.

Lol...I'm worried that all that must be left behind. Sob!


----------



## CHILLIN (Aug 11, 2011)

ptrichmondmike said:


> Thanks RV -- that is an amazing website/blog that I already have bookmarked. What I'm talking about is the sorts of things used in international cuisines -- lemon grass, couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), curry ingredients (not "curry powder")...foods that were weird 20 years ago but are common in the US today, at least in California.
> 
> Lol...I'm worried that all that must be left behind. Sob!


Hi
I live in Puerto Vallarta and also like to cook international cuisines it has taken me months to locate ingredients. We have a Farmer's Market that does carry lemon grass and there are seed stores that you can get curry ingredients. Toyo Foods carries some Chinese and Japanese food items but I don't know if sambal oelek. Mega, Walmart, Costco & Sam's also have some of the spices you are looking for. Be prepared to pay a lot for them. I would suggest trying to bring some with you.


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I live in a small town on the coast that has almost nothing ... unless it's an herb Mexicans use. A local Japanese restaurant gets their stuff from Guadalajara and have ordered a few things for me. I would imagine where you live has everything to do with availability .... but it's all here


----------



## Longford (May 25, 2012)

There are trade-off's. The search for ingredients we're accustomed to "back home" can be frustrating, depending upon where you live in Mexico. If you locate yourself in a place where there are severe limitations ... you'll just have to adjust your cooking selections to concentrate on ingredients redily available. If availability of the widest variety of cooking ingredients is the most important factor to your achieving happyness ... then your options where to live in Mexico will be limited to two or three places.


----------



## ptrichmondmike (Aug 26, 2010)

Longford said:


> There are trade-off's. The search for ingredients we're accustomed to "back home" can be frustrating, depending upon where you live in Mexico. If you locate yourself in a place where there are severe limitations ... you'll just have to adjust your cooking selections to concentrate on ingredients redily available. If availability of the widest variety of cooking ingredients is the most important factor to your achieving happyness ...* then your options where to live in Mexico will be limited to two or three places*.


I'm sure you are right, and since I don't plan to live in any of those places, I'd better start figuring out how to get stuff shipped to me. And only do special-occasion international cooking a few times a year...sigh. Still, it's Mexico, not Estonia or Zimbabwe*. Not exactly a culinary desert.

* Both these countries may have deep, sophisticated cuisines -- I don't know -- but I doubt it. I just looked up "cuisine of Estonia" on Wikipedia and noticed that they feature illustrations of "pork piggies" and head cheese. This undoubtedly contributes to net out-migration.


----------



## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Pssst: It's emigration.


----------



## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

*ethnic ingredients Morelia Pátzcuaro and Mexico City*



ptrichmondmike said:


> Thanks RV -- that is an amazing website/blog that I already have bookmarked. What I'm talking about is the sorts of things used in international cuisines -- lemon grass, couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), curry ingredients (not "curry powder")...foods that were weird 20 years ago but are common in the US today, at least in California.
> 
> Lol...I'm worried that all that must be left behind. Sob!


I will write in regard to finding international ethnic ingredients in Morelia and Pátzcuaro, with a brief foray to Mexico City.

You can, with time and experience, find many ingredients for international cooking. Italian isn't a big problem. Stores such as Superama, Costco and Sam's Club carry an increasing selection of cheeses. Sundried tomatoes are common. The drawback to the large jars of sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, as sold at Costco, is that they tend to spoil before I can use them all. (Must try to find smaller quantities at Superama.)

Superama or Trico ( a gourmet deli bakery chain originating in Mexico City has many items, although pricey. There are a few branches in Morelia. The one on Ventura Puente is the best and largest selection. 

A reasonable selection of olives can be found at Superama, Soriana and perhaps Trico.

Moving to Asian cooking, there's a small but decent selection at Superama, although it tends toward overly sweetened prepared sauces in jars. But it has sushi ingredients, although I've never bought any. Amazingly, a small, locally owned tienda de abarrotes, Don Chucho's, on the outskirts of Pátzcuaro, has an extensive selection of "gourmet" ingredients, in addition to a more usual local line of merchandise.
My Mexican Kitchen: Pátzcuaro's Specialty Food Shops

Let's try fresh Asian vegetables: fresh bean sprouts are common, fresh ginger root is amazingly good and cheap, especially if purchased in a mercado. Pátzcuaro has at least one stand in its mercado that offers nice eggplants, ginger root, shallots, daikon and, less often, black radishes. Surprisingly, the Wal*Mart Super Center at Plaza La Huerta in Morelia has quite a few exotic vegetables. Lemon grass, usually dried or semi dried, is common in mercados as "té de limón."

If your needs are not met by these sources, you can go to Mexico City and shop in and around the Mercado San Juan, in the west side of Colonia Centro. Adjoining the Mercado San Juan is a nice Asian food store, Dragon de Oro (no fresh produce, however. You can find that inside the MSJ.) Dragon de Oro has many exotic bottled sauces, plus specialty rices. We make a couple of visits a year. (Shopping is just our excuse for walking around some fascinating places and eating out.) There are some decent, inexpensive hotels within walking distance.

Additionally, there are a few Asian stores in other parts of the city, most notably, the large, mostly Japanese oriented Mikasa, on Avenida San Luis Potosí in Colonia Roma Norte, not far east of Sears Insurgente.

I can see that I've run on at length, so I'll stop here. But I'm prepared to continue this discussion later.


----------



## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

*Curry ingredients*



ptrichmondmike said:


> Thanks RV -- that is an amazing website/blog that I already have bookmarked. What I'm talking about is the sorts of things used in international cuisines -- lemon grass, couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), curry ingredients (not "curry powder")...foods that were weird 20 years ago but are common in the US today, at least in California.
> 
> Lol...I'm worried that all that must be left behind. Sob!


About curry: I don't cook much with curry, but an American friend in Pátzcuaro recently needed some garam masala. We were about to make a trip to Mexico City, so we volunteered to look for it. Besides, I needed some Basmati rice. 

I dd some enjoyable Google research and got some likely places to get Indian spices. At the last minute, a mutual friend gave our friend some garam masala.

He's also discovered that he could locally buy all the spices to compound his own, should he wish to.

Meanwhle, we'd located The Indian Grocery Store The Indian grocery store « points of departure but didn't need to go there.

Sambal Oelek: I think I may have seen some at Superama in Morelia or at El Dragon de Oro in Mexico City, but I can't be certain.


----------



## quinta (Mar 8, 2009)

As a Chef I can understand your search for ingredients of all types and for the most part, you will find some at the stores mentioned but most of all you will find that making your own everything will become the way to cook. I have always been used to making everything (mayo, mustard, sambal, garam masala, mole, salsas, Korean sauces, etc.) so it wasn't hard at all.... 
Luckily, the internet has everything you need so you can learn to undertake this, it's not hard if you know your way around the kitchen, but it is a lot more work than just opening a can but the results are well worth it, believe me. 
You can adapt many things as long as you are flexible and good at tasting while developing, but for the most part I never suffered due to having to go without.... look in the largest city close to you as most have American markets and then look for those that sell to restaurants, they carry other things you might need as well. Talk to people who love to cook in your area, talk to local chefs, etc. and while processed items might not exist, fresh ingredients to make them do so go ahead, experiment, substitute and challenge yourself.... you'll love the trip of discovery


----------



## sunnyvmx (Mar 14, 2010)

Here in Mexico, homemade is the key. I've been making salad dressing, both creamy and oil and vinegar with herbs. What a wonderful taste difference from bottled. I'm looking into making pesto now. Tepetapan made summer sausage this week and is researching pepperoni and bread and butter pickles. Sometimes substitutions have to be made, but it's fun and we've never had to throw out the results. I also enjoy introducing Mexicans to a new food like potato salad or tuna/chicken macaroni salad. And then we have the potluck dinners shared with travelers in the RV park, many Europeans, who have made adaptations to their favorite recipes and that's always interesting and most often delicious. I have a Chef that I call to ask him what he thinks if I use "this" instead of "that" and he usually chuckles and says, "Let me know how it comes out."


----------



## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

There is nothing quite as good as seasoning your foods with freshly picked herbs from your own plants. A couple of days ago, I made pesto and yesterday used more fresh basil to make a Panzanella (bread, tomato and raw vegetables salad.)

Pickles are my passion, and I make them when I have access to good cucumbers. (All too many _pepinos_ here are too mature, pulpy and seedy.)

About two months ago, I taught four delighted young señoritas how to make pizza by hand. My Mexican Kitchen: Pizza a Mano


----------

