[CH] Shopping at the Asian & Latino markets

ChileBuzz (chilebuzz@earthlink.net)
Fri, 19 Mar 2004 20:22:08 -0500 

Went exploring today in two stores:  one a large Latino market (that has the
best and cheapest produce around -- and I can always find decent-looking chiles
there); the other an Asian-Latino market.  Both are full of things I don't have
clue about.  Some of those things I keep an eagle eye on as I back away from
them.  Others I decide I have to sample.   There's always more I want to sample
than I allow myself to buy.  Among my buys on the last trip were:

1.  Forrelli's Chili Pickle - "pretty" good, I guess, tho not fantastic.
Definitely hot enough for my moderate taste.  There's a bitterish-oily edge to
it I am not sure I really like, perhaps the mustard oil. ??  maybe the
fenugreek.  Still, it will probably get eaten (or some of it will!).  It has
small green chiles of some kind, mustard seeds, fenugreek, tumeric, vinegar,
salt and mustard oil ... and let's not forget the sodium benzoate.  It is fairly
salty but the salt does not  totally drown out the chiles.  Unlike . . .

2.  Forrelli's Chili Lime - eeeek!  Salt!  It's pure salt!.  Oh, sure, the label
"says" limes, chili powder, mustard seed, turmeric, fenugree, vinegar (etc, just
like the Chili Pickle) -- but this stuff is SALT.  I washed one of the very
mushy lime pieces off to see how it tasted, but there was still so much salt it
was intolerable to me.  But hey, if you like salt, check it out  :-0

3.  Goya's Botanita, described as Snack Hot Sauce with Lime Juice.  I'll pass
next time. Not that it's bad, exactly, it just didn't do much for me.

4.  Jufran's Banana Sauce Hot (it says) -- jury's still out on this one.  It
has a nice texture, kind of like a sweeter, mildly hot, thinner version of
catsup without as much tomato in it

--- Today, I came home with the following ... and, uh huh,  have already sampled
these:

5.  Huy Fong's Sambal Oelek - I like it, I do.  Winner.  Not searingly hot but
hardly mild either.  Nice flavor.  Oh yeah, this will become a favorite.  I like
Huy Fong's Sirachacha (sp?) sauce so much, I was wanting to try their   other
products.

6.    Lingham's Hot Sauce, which bills itself as "the World's Finest Multi-Use
Condiment," made of (it says) 100% red chilies, no preservatives, no tomato
paste, no added flavoring, no food conditioners.  The ingredients list reads:
red chilies, sugar, vinegar and salt.  No refrigeration needed.  This is a very
nice sauce if you like sweet sauces.  I think sugar should have been listed
before the chilies.    I am not sure what I will use it on, but it probably
would work with a ground beef mixture.  Maybe add a little lime or lemon to
bring down the sugar a little. I plan to experiment with this one.  According to
the label, Lingham has a whole line of sauces and dressings, but this was the
only sauce at my grocers.

    . . . and then there's the junk food category . . .

7.  Goya hot n''' spicy chicharrones - I had not eaten pork rinds since I was a
teen --more years ago than I intend to tell.  They're okay if you like  pork
rinds.  I realized I no longer do.

8.   Pringles Spicy Cajun potato chips.  Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

9.  Jal Mex's Rellerindos Tamarindo candy - 7 pcs, 99 cents.  Weird stuff.
<laff>  The ingredient list reads:  Sugar, Corn Syrup, Guajillo Chili, Modify
Stach, Citric Acid [plus flavors/colors I won't list].  Each piece is a longish
rounded edge rectangle of brown hard candy (corn syrup solidified) that tastes
sweet and sourish, which you would expect, being labelled Tamarindo.  There is
another strange flavor there, tho, that I can't identify.  The piece was too
large to comfortably keep in my mouth to suck on.  I took it out and took a bite
off one end.  It gave.  Surprise, the guajillo chile is in the center.  A good
moderate heat and at first I liked it.  Then it tasted as if I was eating pepper
in soap.  Rats.  I don't fancy eating soap.  Got 6 pieces left, anyone want
some?  LOL.

. . . And these, which I look forward to trying:

10.   Rocoto (Locoto) En agua y sal (Whole Red Hot Pepper in brine, a 20 oz can
from Inca's Food, a Peruvian product.  Ingredients:  red hot pepper, water and
salt.  Fresh rocoto would be awfully nice, but this is probably as close as I
will ever get to a rocoto, period.

11.   Blue Mountain Country Jamaican Curry Powder

12.   El Yucateco Caribbean Hot Sauce, Salsa Picante de Chile Habanero

13.  Nando's Garlic Peri-Peri Sauce

I really enjoy doing this, just pulling products off the shelf to try.  In terms
of my taste, there turns out to be more duds than there are winners, but still,
it is fun.  And worth it for the winners discovered.   Anyone else like to play
at the grocery store?  Or is that a duh question? <smile>


Chilebuzz