Exhibits, Shows and Displays

Do you find that it's hard to follow an Asian recipe you see on a cooking show you can't get the ingredients?

I find myself enjoy eating some Asian dishes and watching people cooking asian food on TV. But I don't find myself enjoy making it. I find it's hard to get the ingredients. Sure they always tell you to go to specialty market. But it's not as convenient as going to your neighborhood markets. Besides, it's hard to find things in a specialty store. Am I the only one feeling this way? I think there might be a lot of people thinking it's hard to find ingredients for Asian dishes, that's why Ming Tsi's cooking show was cancelled by Food Network. He is now only on PBS. Even though he is an exceptional chef and has a great sense of humor. That still doesn't keep him around on Food Network.

Public Comments

1. No, I can always find what I need
2. Try finding this book ''The Art of Chinese Cooking'' by Madame Wu. The book is rather old, but has some really good recipes that are easy and don't call for a lot of really wierd ingredients. Also, try looking in the Asian section of your supermarket for Dark Soy sauce, Szechuan sauce (if you like spicy), Sweet and Sour sauce, Black bean sauce, Sesame Oil. These are basic sauces / seasonings that are used in chinese cooking. If you can't find the basics in the market, they can always be ordered online. Many folks find Ethnic markets intimidating, but I've found that people are very helpful if you are willing to ask. Vegetables do not have to be exotic: Green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, peas, carrots, string beans, cabbage, green onion and tofu should all be available in your market. Many times you can take a recipe and simply change the meat and vegetables to what you like. Good luck!
3. The key to this type of cooking- or really any cooking for that matter is the concept of , "Mise en Place" which is French for ' to have all your ingredients in place" and ready to cook. Everything is cut , measured, etc according to the directions of the recipe. It make take some effort finding the ingredients but if you live in a large city like New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, go to Chinatown with your list of ingredients and you should be able to find everything you need. Try doing it this way and I guarantee you will feel like you are the one with the cooking show.It makes everything so easy and enjoyable. Good luck, hope this helps.
4. Sometimes you just need to get creative with ingredient substitutions. If you can't get everything the recipe calls for, it might not end up being 100% authentic, but you can still make something tasty. For example, if you can't find mirin, you can use sherry cooking wine. If you are making a Japanese dish and can't find ketsuo bushi, you can substitute fish stock or even Thai fish sauce. Lime can be used in place of yuzu, and many exotic sounding vegetables have domestic counterparts.
5. i dont have the problem of trying to find ingredients in my local markets. Ive also been cooking long enough to know what substitutions i can make. I dont mind taking a trip to find a special ingredient in any dish i make weather asian, spanish, italian or even greek.