I enjoy watching travel shows. The exotic locations, interesting
activities and unique places that are featured are a great
motivation to pack a suitcase and jump on the next plane to who
knows where. Real life isn’t that spontaneous.
I enjoy watching travel shows. The exotic locations, interesting activities and unique places that are featured are a great motivation to pack a suitcase and jump on the next plane to who knows where. Real life isn’t that spontaneous. Fortunately, we can experience a spontaneous visit to almost any place in the world by visiting ethnic grocery stores.
Throughout the Bay Area, we have a variety of grocery stores that cater to specific cultures. Visiting one of these grocery stores can be a welcome escape from the everyday supermarkets that we are use to. If you think about it, it can be just like going on vacation to another country. You can walk into one of these grocery stores, find many interesting ingredients, hear a different language and in many cases, the product packaging is in a different language, too.
One of my favorite places to experience another culture without the passport and airline ticket is San Jose’s Japantown. The Japantown area, surrounding Jackson Street, happens to be one of the last three remaining authentic and historic Japantowns in the United States. A walk up and down Jackson Street will reveal many family owned businesses. They range from stores that sell housewares and traditional Japanese sweets to travel agencies and sushi shops. But of course, I am interested in anything food.
The best place to explore many Japanese food options is at the newly opened Nijiya Market, located at 240 Jackson Street. Not only will you find many traditional food items, but you will also be inspired to gather a few ingredients that are perfect for the grill.
Since this new store opened in February, I haven’t had the chance to visit until recently. This new market may have replaced the old market, but the experience remains the same. It is very easy to stay in the store for an hour or more while you examine the packages and explore the items available.
Every aisle features items from the traditional Japanese diet. You will find large sections dedicated to rice, noodles, fish, teas and sauces, just to name a few. In the tea section, I discovered that the market was stocking a very good green tea that I had learned about from my friends Gina and Steve. I was afraid that after the old store closed, I wouldn’t be able to locate the tea again. In the fish and meat section, I came across a package of some interesting fish. They are very small, only about an inch long, very thin bodied and there must have been a few hundred of them to the pound. Finally, I just love exploring the section of sauces and seasonings. There are a variety of soy sauces, rice wine vinegars, sesame oils and mirin cooking wines, just to name a few. This is really where a variety of flavors become inspiration for grilling.
If you take a long time exploring one of these unique grocery stores, it is always a kind gesture to make a purchase. This is especially true if you asked the staff questions about unfamiliar products and they took the time to answer them. The item does not have to be expensive, but choose something you may not have in your pantry.
If you are looking for a unique experience where you feel like you are visiting a different country, I suggest visiting an ethnic grocery store. Not only will you learn something new about a culture, but may walk away with a newly discovered ingredient for grilling.
This week, I am featuring a grilled salmon recipe that was created by my mother. It is inspired by a few of our favorite Japanese ingredients and is very simple to make. The key ingredient is wasabi, the green Japanese horseradish that is most commonly served with sushi. It can be purchased as a powder or already mixed into a paste. I prefer the powder since it can be mixed up fresh all the time, but the premixed wasabi is acceptable.
Spicy Wasabi Salmon
(From Dede Mariani; Serves 2)
2 boneless salmon filets, about 8-10 ounces each
1 tablespoon wasabi (loose paste), prepared or equal parts wasabi powder and water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for the grill
Step 1: Mix the wasabi and soy sauce until it becomes a smooth mixture. Reserve half of the wasabi mixture for the finished salmon.
Step 2: Salt and pepper the salmon filets on all sides. Spread half of the remaining wasabi mixture on all sides of the salmon filets.
Step 3: Use a paper towel with a generous amount of vegetable oil to coat the grill with oil. This will prevent the salmon from sticking. Starting with the skin side down, place the salmon filets over a medium hot fire. Grill the salmon for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, depending upon thickness. Standard rule of thumb is 10 minutes per inch for perfectly cooked fish.
Step 4: Remove the salmon from the grill and serve immediately with the reserved portion of the wasabi mixture.
