Saturday, I was in desperate need of some mushroom flavored soy sauce & Japanese rice chips to repeat a chicken recipe that I had at my favorite sushi bar “Ronin”. Of course & unfortunately Kroger does not stock a large variety of foreign food items so I ventured to the “Hua Xing Asia Market” to get my goods.
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Saturday Night’s Menu:
– Spicy Thai Sesame Noodles
– Thai Cucumber Salad
– Chicken Stir Fry w/water chestnuts, scallions, red chillis & cashews
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The Hua Xing Asia Market is the first Asian market that I ever been to & I must say that it was quite an experience. Wait, I have been to South Asian markets, mainly Indo-Pak stores for Basmati Rice & spices, but Hua Xing Asia Market was quite different. First for all, the place is big as hell! 2nd It is located in an old Toyota dealership & 3rd, that bitch was jumping with lines long as…
So when I get in, I notice all kinds of eye candy, like cookware, dishes & homeopathic looking oddities. Then I ventured into the vegetable area & see many veggies that I have seen in China town before but these looked much better & did not smell as intense, shit I was almost tempted to get some bok choy but it was not on the menu for this past weekend. As I browsed around, I saw many things that were way out, I guess compared to western standards like a meat & fruit popsicle, dried chicken feet etc.
Things really got interesting once I entered into the meat area. There were these huge fish tanks fall like wall to ceiling filled with live eels, crabs, lobsters, tilapia, catfish, & turtles. While I was looking in amazement at what was before me, a female worker in the fish area scooped out 2 huge catfish from the tank for a waiting customer. When she got them out of the tank, she took them behind the counter, dropped them on the floor & clubbed them to death. Looking at that shit, tripped me the fuck out. I was like WTF!!! And almost became an animal rights advocate but who am I really to inject my beliefs. I mean, she beat them catfish like she was beating the woman who stole her man.
After I got over that catfish clubbing, I took a look at the meats they had for sale. Some of the shit was tripped out & unidentifiable, but I was able to make out ribs, pig hearts & cow kidneys. Before leaving the meat area, I saw another tank of turtles, bug turtles & was like WTF are people doing with these turtles, are they pets??? I hope so but then again, I need to reserve my value judgment & keep it to myself.
OK, so now I am back in the grocery area now looking for the soy sauce & it seemed like I was looking for a needle in a haystack because they were so many soy sauce options. It took me a good ten minutes to find what I was looking for. Now, I just had to find the rice chips, which never turned up, even after I go the store manager Li Qua (Steve) to assist me. After my failed search, Li Qua & I talked about his huge store & the Apple iPhone (after he noticed mine earlier).
We ended up talking for about twenty-five minutes but before the conversation ended, I asked where I could find the fortune cookies. He laughed & said then only sell in bulk but pointed me to the Chinese buffet the he owned next door for a hook up. Ten minutes later, I was out the door with my mushroom flavored soy sauce, 10 fortune cookies from the “Chinese Buffet II” & on my way home to prepare a wonderful Asian inspired meal.
byrdparker / February 25, 2008
do not eat the tilapia !!!! they use the same meal to feed the fish that they used in the recalled dog food. Most tialpia is imported into the states from tw and china .
lol about the clubbing , when i go to china , i always tell them blacks and chinese have similar eating habits.
turtles are for turtle soup !!! they are not pets! you are funny !!!!!!
James Tubman / February 26, 2008
wow man
you came from the hood and now you are making
Spicy Thai Sesame Noodles
– Thai Cucumber Salad
– Chicken Stir Fry w/water chestnuts, scallions, red chillis & cashews
man you are such an inspiration
you are giving me something to shoot for
Bygbaby / February 26, 2008
Byrdparker – I actually never tried Tilapia nor do I have a desire to. The name reminds me of “labia”. So yeah, it is a weird name/food association.
Those turtles are a trip & big as hell, I was trying to figure out how thy would shuck them bitches.
James Tubman – You know, when I grew up, all we at was country & ghetto cookin’. When I moved on my own, I made it a point to venture out to try different cuisines.
I love Middle Eastern, [some] Asian, and South American cuisine.
Go to the market & try some thing new this week. My challenge to you!!!
Bygbaby
Darius T. Williams / February 26, 2008
talapia really isn’t all that bad. it sorta reminds me of a milder catfish. hell, season just about anything with seasoning salt, pepper, and garlic powder, dredge it in flour or corn meal and drop it in some hot grease and you’re in good shape. don’t forget the ‘lusiana’ hot sauce to go with it!
Tamra / February 26, 2008
Are you into Ethiopian? You guys have a really cool Ethiopian joint in Ann Arbor–if I recall the location correctly, it’s in your downtown somewhere–it’s called Blue Nile. Only thing is, their bread, the injera, is a lot less tangy than what I’ve had in other places–I was told by a restaurant owner (here) that the tangy is the more “authentic” version–not quite sure what the real deal is. Otherwise, it’s a really great spot, the people there are *really* nice–and the food is slammin.
Here’s a recipe for you–this is really good too (I’m doing the cucumbers later this week–thanks!). James, I don’t know whether or not you cook, but you should be able to handle this! 😉 Stir-fried Tofu and Eggplant
Bygbaby / February 26, 2008
DTW – You got to step your hot sauce game & convert to Cholula!!! it is the only way to go for me. Speaking of fish, i have been dying for a fried ocean perch sandwich with a side of potato salad.
Tamra – I have never tried Ethiopian & I hear mixed things about it. I have friends who swear that Blue Nile is off the chain & others that hate it.
My mother & I were discussing egg plant the other day, specifically egg plant parmesan. And I have not even tried tofu yet & scared to. You link is to a Crisp Pan-Fried Noodle Cake dish but it looks good anyway!!!
Bygbaby
Tamra / February 26, 2008
I triple-dog-dare you to check out the Ethiopian joint… hehe.
The “Crisp Pan-Fried Noodle Cake” is actually the bedding for the eggplant stir fry–that recipe should be further down on the page.
Don’t be afraid of tofu!!! Tofu, can be pretty darned tasty when prepared certain ways–like in this recipe.
One way I hook people new to tofu is–if you like chicken tenders, get a block of xtra-firm tofu, cut it into wedges about 1/4″ thick, dredge the wedges in seasoned flour, and sautee (well, um, fry) them and dip in your favorite dipping sauce. Tastes like chicken! LOL! Seriously though, that exercise kind of helps you become acquainted with the taste and texture.