Category Archives: – Featured Markets

Vietnamese Plaza in Near Northeast Philadelphia

Posted on March 7, 2016 by David Dettmann

Regular readers will be familiar with the mission behind this blog… to showcase notable food finds from my exploration of markets of Philadelphia’s Asian diaspora communities. Since I moved to Philadelphia a few years ago I have spent a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, Vietnamese food | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The fresh herb section

Posted on March 3, 2016 by David Dettmann

Fresh herbs are absolutely key for several Southeast Asian cooking styles. In particular, culinary traditions of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam have firm foundations on green herbs. In most cases fresh herbs will be the variable that will take a dish from mediocre to extraordinary. This post highlights common herbs with a visual directory. Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Guides, Cambodian food, Thai/Lao food, Vietnamese food | Tagged | 5 Comments

Unusual food finds at Cousin’s Supermarket in North Philly

Posted on October 9, 2015 by David Dettmann

Cousin’s, a Philadelphia institution since 1976, is a very unique supermarket. It has a commendable selection of attractive produce, and aisle upon aisle of fascinating non-perishables from all around the globe. Just to be clear, Cousin’s is not an Asia-focused … Continue reading →

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New Maido! now open in Ardmore

Posted on August 29, 2015 by David Dettmann

Maido! A Marketplace of Japan is again open, at their new location in Ardmore off the main line (5 E Lancaster Ave). I never got a chance to catch this notable Japanese grocery store/lunch option before it closed up and … Continue reading →

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The pleasures of Bustleton Ave, or, “amazing Uzbek and Georgian food finds in Northeastern Philadelphia”

Posted on July 3, 2015 by David Dettmann

Today I have another travelogue for you. This time it is of several Russian markets and Uzbek restaurants of Northeastern Philadelphia. NE Philly, particularly the neighborhoods of Bustleton and Somerton, is home to a huge population of fairly recently arrived … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Guides, Central Asia/Uyghur food | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Turpan raisins in Chinatown

Posted on May 17, 2015 by David Dettmann

We have yet another import from the Uyghur homeland of Xinjiang available here in Philadelphia. These are raisins from Turpan, a city particularly well known for its sweet fruit (including grapes and melons). I found these at the newly reborn … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, Central Asia/Uyghur food, Chinese food | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yanang leaves and Lao bamboo soup

Posted on April 25, 2015 by David Dettmann

Last year I mentioned an impressive blog and cookbook that I came across, Food from Northern Laos: The Boat Landing Cookbook, by Dorothy Culloty. The book itself is by far the most detailed introduction to Lao food that I am … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cantonese clay pot rice

Posted on March 22, 2015 by David Dettmann

Rice cooked in earthenware pots is a specialty in various places throughout China, but the dish is particularly well known in Hong Kong and broader Guangdong, by the name baozai fan 煲仔飯 (also written 堡仔飯, and pronounced bozei faan in … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Chinese food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Four unique Asian dried chile peppers

Posted on March 5, 2015 by David Dettmann

Chile peppers have only been in Asia for several hundred years now, but they have gone a long, long way to become standard and staple ingredients in many of Asia’s great food cultures. Southeast Asia is of course full of … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Chinese food, Indian food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Nepal-style black lentil soup

Posted on February 28, 2015 by David Dettmann

In my previous home town of Madison, Wisconsin, we had a surprising number of Nepali restaurants per capita. That isn’t to say I understand “authentic” Nepali food better than anyone else, but at least there was some exposure to uniquely … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Nepali food | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments