Asian Markets Archives - The Coupon Project

Howdy! In this post I explore the candy aisle at an Asian market, get inspired by the mochi, and make a truly unique treat: mochi + waffles = moffles!

I spent a year living in south India and the food that I ate there ended up being some of the best I’ve ever had. However, it took me a while to develop an appreciation for it. When I moved there I was 23 and the extent of my international experience was a weekend in Vancouver, B.C. with my family when I was 12. When I got off the plane in India I found myself completely skeeved out at the thought of eating in a foreign country. I was scared to get sick, I was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar choices, and somehow through the combination of jet lag, culture shock, and fatigue I completely lost my appetite anyway. I brought a couple boxes of Clif bars in my luggage, and I survived on those for a week. But when the Clif bars started to run out I knew I would have to deal with my anxieties, and eat some food.

What did I do? I started with candy. Well, candy, crackers, chips, and soda to be exact. I was a walking nutritional disaster for a few days but somehow the junk food was just what I needed to get over the psychological hurdle. And if you find yourself not knowing where to start in an Asian or other international market I’m going to recommend you do the same thing: Go straight for the junk food.

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Easy Thai Coconut Sticky Rice with Mangos & Strawberries

Today I’m scouring the Asian market for some comfort food…

We’re battling the flu at our house this week so I thought I would take this opportunity to investigate what kinds of healing, comforting foods I could fix using ingredients from the Asian market. Everyone has a different standard for what counts as good comfort food, of course, but when I’m sick in the winter I crave strong flavors, warm foods, eggs, fruit, and carbs. What I don’t want is food that is greasy, super sweet, or takes a lot of effort to prepare.

As I wandered around the Asian market this afternoon startling people with my raspy voice and thinking about what would taste good, I found a lot of possibilities. First I put a big chunk of fresh ginger in my basket that I knew would be great for tea and some vitamin-rich carrot-orange-ginger juice. I was tempted by the fresh lemongrass and frozen kaffir lime leaves, thinking of how fantastic those flavors would be in a coconut milk-based soup. And I had to stop myself from buying every bottle of hot sauce on the premises. I’m not usually a heat freak, but when I’m sick it just burns so good!

On the other hand, my husband Christopher, who is much, much sicker than I (guess which one of us got a flu shot this year and which one refused?) craves rice when he’s sick and pretty much all the time. And to him, who loves Asian food, the whiter and stickier the rice the better. So I thought after rubbing it in that he should have gotten a flu shot (whoops, cat’s out of the bag), I’d be nice and make him something that he’d love.

Staring at the many varieties of rice my mind immediately flashed to the coconut sticky rice with mango that is on the dessert menu at every Thai restaurant I’ve ever been to. Even though I love those flavors I’d never actually tried it because I’m always too stuffed with pad Thai to even think about dessert. Maybe I could make it instead! I quickly pulled up a couple recipes on my phone and realized that the only other things I would need were rice and mangoes. Score! This would be a healing, comforting AND frugal recipe.

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My Hmart Outing: Jellyfish, Jackfruit, and Wax Gourd Drink

Moffles Recipe (Homemade Mochi Waffles)

Easy Thai Coconut Sticky Rice with Mangos & Strawberries Recipe