Purchasing Red Snapper at Thuan Phat Asian Superstore
Southern California boasts some great ethnic neighborhoods. Since we are cooking Asian at our cooking class this week, we ventured down to Little Saigon in Garden Grove, California on Saturday. There’s a lot going on in Garden Grove.
12 Fun Things to Do in Garden Grove, CA | Redfin
In less than an hour, we were transported into an Asian adventure. Lunch was at Vietnamese favorite, Brodard Chateau.
Our Little Saigon Group
Pork Spring Roll
Roasted Duck Salad
Shaken Beef
Sizzling Sole served with Vermicelli and Asian greens
Our six-course meal at Brodard Chateau in Little Saigon included Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls, Roasted Duck Salad, Shaken Beef, which I think takes its name from the beef being shaken in a pan as it cooks, Glass Noodles with Crab Meat and Shrimp, Sizzling Sole served with Vermicelli and Asian Greens, Glass Noodles with Crab Meat and Shrimp and Seafood Clay Pot, which is a stir-fried rice baked in a pot with shrimp, scallops and crab (this was our least favorite dish because it had a bland taste). I found that the Vietnamese specialties we were served were very fresh and light – more so than other Asian cuisines.
Thuan Phat Garden Grove Superstore
After lunch we ventured on to the Little Saigon Thuan Phat Superstore, where we purchased ingredients for our Asian cooking class. I’ve been to this store many times before, but there are still so many unfamiliar Asian products. We look in amazement at all the choices.
Part of our group marveling at all the Asian produce.
Green Papayas – not intended for ripening.
While I’ve eaten the traditional Thai green papaya salad many times in Thailand and in Los Angeles, I had never actually seen the green papayas, which are much different from the red/orange fleshed papayas of Hawaii.
Thai Bird Chiles and Tamarind pods from Thailand
The tiny Thai bird chiles are colorful and piquant and give the salad it’s heat, while the tamarind pods offer a balance with it’s sour flavor.
Emily trying to choose from all the rice paper wrappers for our Spring Rolls
There is an aisle filled with only rice noodles and rice paper wrappers.
Fresh Red Snapper with clear eyes for our Red Snapper with Red Curry Sauce
The fish counter is unbelievable. Our red snapper with clear eyes is so fresh, you feel as though it was caught across the street. The men behind the counter will clean and cut it up for you any way you like.
If you are anywhere in Southern California, venture over to Little Saigon in north Orange County. I promise you will thank me for suggesting this amazing little adventure.
I’m looking forward to cooking light Asian cuisine this week with my cooking buddies. The promise of Asian is Fresh Food in a Flash without all the calories!
[…] After eating them in Little Saigon, we were all interested to make the Vietnamese Spring Rolls ourselves. With rice paper wrappers in hand, the team of Karen, Georgia and Ina assembled their ingredients before beginning the production line of rolling up the spring rolls. Georgia got to work on the sauce made of sake, orange juice and sweet chile sauce. Rolling up Spring Rolls on kitchen towel […]
[…] adding in fried wontons or crisp chow mein type noodles to add some crunch like we tasted at the Brodard Chateau restaurant. Use a kitchen towel to roll spring rolls – they'll stick to a flat […]
[…] the holidays, our mission at this cooking class was to learn how to use some fresh authentic Asian ingredients that we purchased at the Asian Superstore. While we all eat Asian food at restaurants, seeing the raw ingredients and working with them was a […]