Thai or Asian Grocery in Silicon Valley??
charo...@duq.edu
are wondering-
Are there any Thai grocery stores in Silicon valley area or in San Jose?
Thanks.
Please reply to: db...@stanford.edu
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
natty
the city but it's quite a hike. My favourite one in Mountain View is the
New Castro, right on Castro street in downtown mountain view. There are
several Vietnamese and Chinese grocery stores in the valley. You can search
the stores on my web site, www.ThaiTable.com .
Natty
Na...@ThaiTable.com
<charo...@duq.edu> wrote in message news:8nf0rc$pbq$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Michael Dix
charo...@duq.edu wrote:
>
> Anyone please help- My husband and I just moved to Mountain View and we
> are wondering-
>
> Are there any Thai grocery stores in Silicon valley area or in San Jose?
>
I would be surprised if you couldn't find everything you want at
one of the various 99 Ranch Markets - including Thai durian.
Asian produce is also available (direct from the growers) at
various weekly farmers' markets.
Unfortunately most SE Asian fruits - rambutans, mangosteens,
jackfruit - are not imported to the US.
> Thanks.
>
> Please reply to: db...@stanford.edu
> .
Chris Knight
99 (and the same goes for every south-bay Asian market I've tried: R99 in
Cupertino, National Foods in ...Sunnyvale?, Marina Foods in Cupertino, New
Castro in Mtn. View, Dana St. in Mtn. View...Although I was lucky enough to
find two cans of Thai tea at Marina once...They haven't stocked it since.)
notbob
charo...@duq.edu wrote:
>
> Anyone please help- My husband and I just moved to Mountain View and we
> are wondering-
>
> Are there any Thai grocery stores in Silicon valley area or in San Jose?
>
> Thanks.
There's a small Oriental grocery/gift shop in Menlo Park that carries a
few Thai goodies (kaffir lime leaves, etc). It's called Nak's Oriental
Market and it's a few blocks off of El Camino Real. I do not know if
they carry cha (Thai tea). Give them a call.
http://http2.smartpages.com/home/naksorientalmarket1
I, too, HAVE seen a 2 lb bag of cha at the ranch 99 in Milpitas, but not
lately. Ask at a Thai restaurant. They should be able to tell you.
Maybe they will even sell you some.
I think it's quite bizarre there are virtually no Thai grocer's in the
South Bay, especially considering the number of Thai restaurants and the
size of the Thai population in the Bay Area. In the East Bay, your best
bet is to hit the many Viet markets in Oakland's Asian section. New
Saigon Market off Broadway
always has a good supply of fresh cha.
nb
GeneK
>
> I think it's quite bizarre there are virtually no Thai grocer's in the
> South Bay, especially considering the number of Thai restaurants and the
> size of the Thai population in the Bay Area. In the East Bay, your best
> bet is to hit the many Viet markets in Oakland's Asian section. New
> Saigon Market off Broadway
> always has a good supply of fresh cha.
There are actually very few Asian markets in the south Bay that are of
any single nationality, most of them are sort of "Pan-Asian" in what they
stock. I think this is mostly due to the growth of the big Ranch99-type
supermarkets as opposed to the mom and pop family stores that used to
predominate the Asian grocery markets before the owners' kids all grew up
and became software engineers and computer builders instead of taking over
their parents' businesses when they retired.
Gene
natty
I got my Thai tea at Dai Thanh Supermarket on 2nd street in San Jose. It
came in a clear plastic bag with a paper label--about 1 pound. You have to
steep or brew it yourself. I believe that they have Thai coffee also. But
look for 'Oliang' on the label. Oliang is Chinese for coffee. Don't ask me
why they just don't put 'Thai Coffee'.
Natty
Na...@ThaiTable.com
Chris Knight <ckn...@mail.arc.nasa.gov> wrote in message
news:8nh308$ffn$1...@sun500.nas.nasa.gov...
Peter Dy
"Michael Dix" <mj...@best.com> wrote in message
news:399BFD41...@best.com...
> Posted and e-mailed
>
> charo...@duq.edu wrote:
> >
> > Anyone please help- My husband and I just moved to Mountain View and we
> > are wondering-
> >
> > Are there any Thai grocery stores in Silicon valley area or in San Jose?
> >
>
> one of the various 99 Ranch Markets - including Thai durian.
>
The Thai section at 99 Ranch isn't very good: not much selection, no prik
khing curry paste, no water bugs <g>. The Indonesian section is a little
better, but I've seen much better selections at other SE Asian stores.
Peter
Peter Dy
"Chris Knight" <ckn...@mail.arc.nasa.gov> wrote in message
news:8nh308$ffn$1...@sun500.nas.nasa.gov...
> Alas, something as "common" as Thai coffee and tea are unavailable at
Ranch
> 99 (and the same goes for every south-bay Asian market I've tried: R99 in
> Cupertino, National Foods in ...Sunnyvale?, Marina Foods in Cupertino, New
> Castro in Mtn. View, Dana St. in Mtn. View...Although I was lucky enough
to
> find two cans of Thai tea at Marina once...They haven't stocked it since.)
>
You're still looking for Thai coffee?! I'm almost positive the 99 Ranch in
El Cerrito (?) had Thai tea. I didn't look for coffee there, but almost all
the stores in Sacramento have it. Or maybe you could try Erawan in
Berkeley.
Peter
natty
For prig khing paste, I use red curry paste. And if you want to be
absolutely authentic add ground dried shrimp.
I didn't find water bugs anywhere either. But if you just the scent
(artificial), it is available at Tan Duc on 4th Street in San Jose.
Natty
Na...@ThaiTable.com
Peter Dy <pet...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:8nim8q$nkk$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net...
>
> "Michael Dix" <mj...@best.com> wrote in message
> news:399BFD41...@best.com...
> > Posted and e-mailed
> >
> > charo...@duq.edu wrote:
> > >
> > > Anyone please help- My husband and I just moved to Mountain View and
we
> > > are wondering-
> > >
> > > Are there any Thai grocery stores in Silicon valley area or in San
Jose?
> > >
> >
> > I would be surprised if you couldn't find everything you want at
> > one of the various 99 Ranch Markets - including Thai durian.
> >
>
Peter Dy
"natty" <na...@thaitable.com> wrote in message
news:8nk17l$rpm$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...
> Hi Peter,
> For prig khing paste, I use red curry paste. And if you want to be
> absolutely authentic add ground dried shrimp.
>
Thanks Natty. Prik khing is my favorite curry paste, so red won't do...
Adding dried shrimp would help, but I'm thinking about just making it from
scratch.
> I didn't find water bugs anywhere either. But if you just the scent
> (artificial), it is available at Tan Duc on 4th Street in San Jose.
>
Actually, I was sorta joking about the bugs--was thinking of that other
thread! But do you have a recipe for it on your website? (Haven't looked
at it in a while, maybe I'll check it out now.)
I can find most Thai ingredients I need and brands that I like, just not at
99 Ranch. By the way, Erawan in Berkeley used to have the water bugs; I
haven't been there in a few years though. And I know a store or two in
Sacramento that has them.
Peter
Michael Dix
>
> "natty" <na...@thaitable.com> wrote in message
> news:8nk17l$rpm$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...
> > Hi Peter,
> > For prig khing paste, I use red curry paste. And if you want to be
> > absolutely authentic add ground dried shrimp.
> >
>
> Thanks Natty. Prik khing is my favorite curry paste, so red won't do...
> Adding dried shrimp would help, but I'm thinking about just making it from
> scratch.
>
Well, I am receiving an education in Thai ingredients. But I have
bought everything needed for prik khing paste at 99 Ranch except
for a boned, smoked kipper, and coriander _root_ (according
to "The Original Thai Cookbook" by Jennifer Brennan). JB goes on
to say that only Thais among SE Asians use the roots of the
coriander plant - so may be they do not stock it at 99 Ranch.
However we have had great success growing laos root and turmeric,
as well as parsley, so maybe it's possible to use roots from
homegrown coriander.
I'm hoping there are enough limeys in the BA to create a demand
for kippers.
natty
Today I found prig khing paste at National Foods on El Camino off from
Lawrence Exp. It comes in a huge plastic bag with the name Mae Anong on the
front. Check it out.
Natty
Na...@ThaiTable.com
Peter Dy <pet...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:8nkie6$8ip$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
>
> "natty" <na...@thaitable.com> wrote in message
> news:8nk17l$rpm$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...
> > Hi Peter,
> > For prig khing paste, I use red curry paste. And if you want to be
> > absolutely authentic add ground dried shrimp.
> >
>
> Thanks Natty. Prik khing is my favorite curry paste, so red won't do...
> Adding dried shrimp would help, but I'm thinking about just making it from
> scratch.
>
>
Steve Wertz
> I'm hoping there are enough limeys in the BA to create a demand
> for kippers.
Some Safeway's carry 'raw' kippers, split and cryovac'd. I wanna
say the brand is 'Lasco', but I'm not sure that's right..
-sw (gone fishing)
Peter Dy
> Peter Dy wrote:
> >
> > "natty" <na...@thaitable.com> wrote in message
> > news:8nk17l$rpm$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...
> > > Hi Peter,
> > > For prig khing paste, I use red curry paste. And if you want to be
> > > absolutely authentic add ground dried shrimp.
> > >
> >
> > Thanks Natty. Prik khing is my favorite curry paste, so red won't
do...
> > Adding dried shrimp would help, but I'm thinking about just making it
from
> > scratch.
> >
>
> bought everything needed for prik khing paste at 99 Ranch except
> for a boned, smoked kipper, and coriander _root_ (according
> to "The Original Thai Cookbook" by Jennifer Brennan). JB goes on
> to say that only Thais among SE Asians use the roots of the
> coriander plant - so may be they do not stock it at 99 Ranch.
>
I didn't know that the Thai were the only ones to use the roots.
Interesting. Using cilantro stems, by the way, is a good substitute. One
recipe I have for prik khing paste calls for "smoked fish" instead of dried
shrimp. So, it needn't be British-style kippers, which I think just refers
to salted and smoked fish (usually herring?).
By the way, I love shopping at 99 Ranch, and yes, you can get fresh
ingredients for Thai cooking there. It's just that the Thai section itself
is poor: just one or maybe two brands of Thai fish sauce, one brand of curry
paste, just one or two types of Thai soy sauce, no pickled fish (pla ra), no
Thai coffee (oliang), no frozen galangal, no frozen krachai, etc. But I
still love the store.
Peter
> However we have had great success growing laos root and turmeric,
> as well as parsley, so maybe it's possible to use roots from
> homegrown coriander.
>
Peter Dy
> Peter,
>
> Today I found prig khing paste at National Foods on El Camino off from
> Lawrence Exp. It comes in a huge plastic bag with the name Mae Anong on
the
> front. Check it out.
>
Thanks Natty! Yep, that's the brand I used to get.
Peter
OT: Your website really looks nice! Seems liked you added a lot more since
the last time I visited. I especially like all the great photos. The story
on your insect adventure was fun to read--can't believe that guy hogged all
the water bugs for himself! And I think I'll try out the shrimp and stinky
bean recipe as soon as I get the chance.
Michael Dix
> By the way, I love shopping at 99 Ranch, and yes, you can get fresh
> ingredients for Thai cooking there. It's just that the Thai section itself
> is poor: just one or maybe two brands of Thai fish sauce, one brand of curry
> paste, just one or two types of Thai soy sauce, no pickled fish (pla ra), no
> Thai coffee (oliang), no frozen galangal, no frozen krachai, etc. But I
> still love the store.
>
Though they don't stock it all the time, 99 Ranch carries fresh
galangal root (laos). We are growing some from there on our patio
right now, along with turmeric from the Lucky Seven grocery store
on Capital in SJ. I don't know about krachai though. How would I
know it if I saw it?
Another thing: Years and year (and years) ago, we used to buy a
Thai chili sauce *without* sugar. It came in a soda-pop-type
bottle. Ever since, all the brands I've seen have had sugar in
them, which for me gives them a Catalina-salad-dressing taste.
Was I dreaming, or does this still exist?
Peter Dy
> Peter Dy wrote:
>
> > By the way, I love shopping at 99 Ranch, and yes, you can get fresh
> > ingredients for Thai cooking there. It's just that the Thai section
itself
> > is poor: just one or maybe two brands of Thai fish sauce, one brand of
curry
> > paste, just one or two types of Thai soy sauce, no pickled fish (pla
ra), no
> > Thai coffee (oliang), no frozen galangal, no frozen krachai, etc. But I
> > still love the store.
> >
>
> Though they don't stock it all the time, 99 Ranch carries fresh
> galangal root (laos). We are growing some from there on our patio
> right now, along with turmeric from the Lucky Seven grocery store
> on Capital in SJ. I don't know about krachai though. How would I
> know it if I saw it?
>
Yeah, I see fresh galangal or laos there. Kasma Loha-Unchit wrote that she
prefers the frozen one, so that's what I started using after previously
using dried. Once I started seeing fresh, I used it only once, but don't
remember, for some reason, what I thought about it compared to the frozen.
Anyway, it *would* be nice to grow it like you! I guess I should give the
fresh another try too.
Krachai is also a ginger type thing. They are long and straight
though--like fingers. At Natty's site www.thaitable.com, there are some
photos of it, and even a wav. file to hear how to pronounce the Thai name
for it. Wow! The English name at the site is "Chinese Keys." I've never
seen it fresh here, only frozen. As Natty says, it is used mostly with
fish. It has a really bright taste. Nice.
> Another thing: Years and year (and years) ago, we used to buy a
> Thai chili sauce *without* sugar. It came in a soda-pop-type
> bottle. Ever since, all the brands I've seen have had sugar in
> them, which for me gives them a Catalina-salad-dressing taste.
>
> Was I dreaming, or does this still exist?
Hmm, not sure. Sriracha sauce you mean, right? My brand has sugar too. Th
e Vietnamese (made in US) brands they have at pho places don't seem too
sweet, but that is probably not what you are talking about since those are
quite common.
Peter
natty
waterbugs yet. Once when I can locate some, I'll have a recipe up.
BTW, I did the recipe for 'pla rah' today. It'll be up in a couple days.
Natty
Na...@ThaiTable.com
Peter Dy <pet...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:8nshsk$f1u$1...@slb3.atl.mindspring.net...
Michael Babcock
<pet...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> Yeah, I see fresh galangal or laos there. Kasma Loha-Unchit wrote that she
> prefers the frozen one, so that's what I started using after previously
> using dried. Once I started seeing fresh, I used it only once, but don't
> remember, for some reason, what I thought about it compared to the frozen.
> Anyway, it *would* be nice to grow it like you! I guess I should give the
> fresh another try too.
>
I'd like to add some information to this -- I can guarantee the
information because I just asked Kasma (who I happen to be married to.
Yes, I know I'm a lucky man.)
Actually, what Kasma meant is that she prefers frozen galanga ONLY for
making curry pastes from scratch. She means only if it is grown in
Thailand (or the tropics) and then frozen: grown here and frozen won't
work. However, for salads and soups, she prefers the fresh: here's what
she said in "It Rains Fishes" (her cookbook).
" But for salads and refreshing herbal soups like dtom yäm, I prefer to
use fresh galanga, which is becoming easier to find year-round in the
Bay Area. Look for it in Thai and Southeast Asian markets, as well as
specialty produce markets."
She wrote a great article on Galanga for the San Jose Mercury News. I'd
be happy to email it to anyone who emails me requesting it (address
below: anti-spam address in the header).
> Krachai is also a ginger type thing. They are long and straight
> though--like fingers. At Natty's site www.thaitable.com, there are some
> photos of it, and even a wav. file to hear how to pronounce the Thai name
> for it. Wow! The English name at the site is "Chinese Keys." I've never
> seen it fresh here, only frozen. As Natty says, it is used mostly with
> fish. It has a really bright taste. Nice.
We've found krachai in the East Bay in brine, and also frozen. Both
work pretty well. If anyone can tell me where to buy fresh krachi in
the Bay Area I'll love you forever more.
Two stores that we like in the East Bay are Khanh Phong, on 9th street
(at Broadway) and also Erawan, on University Avenue in Berkeley. Erawan
is a little more pricey but they have almost anything that you need to
cook Thai, including most of Kasma's favorite brands. Also VERY highly
recommended is the farmer's market on 9th street below Broadway on
Fridays from 8:00 to 2:00. We routinely by a huge bunch of holy basil
for $1.00. Sometimes you can find pea eggplants, and long green Thai
eggplants. Lots of specialty Asian stuff.
Michael Babcock
mich...@lmi.net
Peter Dy
"Michael Babcock" <mich...@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:230820001626402116%mich...@nospam.net...
> In article <8nsqpk$boh$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net>, Peter Dy
> <pet...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> > Yeah, I see fresh galangal or laos there. Kasma Loha-Unchit wrote that
she
> > prefers the frozen one, so that's what I started using after previously
> > using dried. Once I started seeing fresh, I used it only once, but
don't
> > remember, for some reason, what I thought about it compared to the
frozen.
> > Anyway, it *would* be nice to grow it like you! I guess I should give
the
> > fresh another try too.
> >
> I'd like to add some information to this -- I can guarantee the
> information because I just asked Kasma (who I happen to be married to.
> Yes, I know I'm a lucky man.)
>
> Actually, what Kasma meant is that she prefers frozen galanga ONLY for
> making curry pastes from scratch. She means only if it is grown in
> Thailand (or the tropics) and then frozen: grown here and frozen won't
> work. However, for salads and soups, she prefers the fresh: here's what
> she said in "It Rains Fishes" (her cookbook).
>
Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I remembered it the other way around.
The frozen one I get is from Thailand, by the way. I think when I got fresh
before, I wasn't able to use it quickly, so ended up freezing most of it
anyway. So that's another reason why I just went the frozen from Thailand
route.
Peter
[...]
natty
Holy basil???? Do you mean 'bai gra pow'??? Really? I can only find fresh
Thai basil and lemon basil so far.
Natty
na...@ThaiTable.com
Peter Dy
> Michael,
>
> Holy basil???? Do you mean 'bai gra pow'??? Really? I can only find
fresh
> Thai basil and lemon basil so far.
>
Shucks, and here I thought I had "ka prao" all figured out, but maybe I am
wrong... And neither your site nor Kasma's book has a picture of lemon
basil to differentiate.
I'm pretty sure I saw ka prao in Sacramento and in Seattle. I went by the
description in Kasma's book: it was the light green variety; the leaves were
slightly hairy and jagged along the edges; the leaves are smaller and more
fagile than Thai basil (horapha)--almost wilting; and the flavor became more
pronounced after cooking--they weren't too flavorful raw.
I guessed it wasn't lemon basil because, according to Kasma, lemon basil
leaves are *larger* than Thai basil, not smaller. Still, lemon basil leaves
are also hairy with "serrated edges".... Actually, I'm not really sure if
I've seen lemon basil before...
Any help on how to differentiate better?
Peter
Michael Babcock
the "To," "Cc," and "Newsgroups" headers for details. ]]
In article <8o27ls$24d$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net>, natty
<na...@thaitable.com> wrote:
> Michael,
>
> Holy basil???? Do you mean 'bai gra pow'??? Really? I can only find fresh
> Thai basil and lemon basil so far.
>
> Natty
> > Two stores that we like in the East Bay are Khanh Phong, on 9th street
> > (at Broadway) and also Erawan, on University Avenue in Berkeley. Erawan
> > is a little more pricey but they have almost anything that you need to
> > cook Thai, including most of Kasma's favorite brands. Also VERY highly
> > recommended is the farmer's market on 9th street below Broadway on
> > Fridays from 8:00 to 2:00. We routinely by a huge bunch of holy basil
> > for $1.00. Sometimes you can find pea eggplants, and long green Thai
> > eggplants. Lots of specialty Asian stuff.
Natty:
Yes, I do mean bai gra pow. There are three places where we've bought
this in the East Bay. The first is at the Friday Oakland Farmer's
market -- the best deal -- big bunches for $1.00. They sometimes sell
out -- up to three or four vendors have been carrying it this year. The
second is at Erawan Market at 1463 University Avenue in Berkeley
(smaller bunches for $1.00, not always real fresh, but they almost
always have it). The third is at May Kong at 1613 International Blvd.
(East 14th street) in Oakland (or Maybe it is Lao Market at 1619) --
larger bunches, usually fairly fresh.
Michael Babcock
mich...@lmi.net
Michael Babcock
<pet...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> Shucks, and here I thought I had "ka prao" all figured out, but maybe I am
> wrong... And neither your site nor Kasma's book has a picture of lemon
> basil to differentiate.
>
> I'm pretty sure I saw ka prao in Sacramento and in Seattle. I went by the
> description in Kasma's book: it was the light green variety; the leaves were
> slightly hairy and jagged along the edges; the leaves are smaller and more
> fagile than Thai basil (horapha)--almost wilting; and the flavor became more
> pronounced after cooking--they weren't too flavorful raw.
>
> I guessed it wasn't lemon basil because, according to Kasma, lemon basil
> leaves are *larger* than Thai basil, not smaller. Still, lemon basil leaves
> are also hairy with "serrated edges".... Actually, I'm not really sure if
> I've seen lemon basil before...
>
> Any help on how to differentiate better?
>
I bet Kasma would know. The way I do it is by smell -- the lemon basil
has a definite lemon smell to it which the others don't.
Michael Babcock
mich...@lmi.net