At thegreenlist.nl we love vegetarian Asian cuisine, but choosing the right ingredients for it can be a challenge. At the toko or Asian wholesaler, there is so much choice. Prickles! But there is help: David helps you on your way with his favourites from the toko. Bookmark this article and next time you'll speed through the shop and find all the goodies in no time!
I go to the toko and take...
The toko and Asian wholesalers are not necessarily known as sustainable shops. Products from faraway places and then often packed in quite a lot of plastic do not necessarily deserve the sustainable top prize. But there is another side: many products have a long shelf life or you can freeze them, which means you don't have to waste anything and can use them for a long time. And oi oi oi, vegetarian Asian cuisine is one of our favourites, though. I'll take you to the toko and Asian wholesale!
At Amazing Oriental, one of my favourite Asian shops.
Sustainable: frozen food
What you find in tok shops and Asian wholesalers are lots of rows of freezers containing all kinds of frozen products, including herbs and spices. I find this very handy, because I also freeze many herbs directly at home. In the past, herbs often got lost in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. This doesn't happen to me any more. When I start cooking, I only take the amount of herbs I need and the rest remains frozen. So I work directly with frozen herbs and this way I no longer waste herbs.
Shopping at the toko
Most Dutch people do not visit a toko or Asian supermarket every day and that makes shopping difficult. There is so much choice; so many products you don't know or whose labels you can't read. With this, you run the risk of buying the wrong things that don't come in handy at home and that's not really convenient nor sustainable. Especially for those people who could use some help in the kitchen, I offer help! Musthaves from the toko, the groceries not to be missed in vegetarian and plant-based cooking!
Shopping list: things to look out for in the toko
- Spices: always visit the spice section, both the frozen spices and the regular spice section. I shared a handy shopping list for spices here.
- Buns: Have you discovered these delicious Asian cuddle buns yet? The supermarket doesn't usually sell them and so I always stock a big pack (you can freeze it). These buns are mega delicious if you stuff them, for example with vegan rendang.
- Petjil peanut sauce: It is a mystery to me why the Dutch love Wijko peanut sauce so much. I invite you to try this traditional peanut sauce at the toko.
- Dumplings: The Chinese tradition of eating dumplings on Sunday afternoon has also spilled over to the Netherlands. On Sundays, Chinese restaurants are packed. You can also make them at home. You can find a wide range of frozen dumplings in the toko, and more and more veggie options are also on sale. Gyoza dumplings are also delicious, these are steamed appetisers from Japan.
- Good soy sauce: do yourself a favour and pick up a good soy sauce at the toko too, you don't have to choose an expensive one:
- Light soy: a thinner salty soy sauce. Don't be fooled by the name, light soy is actually used to add more salt to your food.
- Dark soy: a thicker soy sauce. You use this one to add a deep colour and more soy flavour to your food. Select Dark Soy by turning the bottle over briefly, if the soy sauce nicely ‘coats’ the bottle and slowly recedes, it is good.
- Ketjap asin and Ketjap manis: a special mention for this Indonesian form of light and dark soy. Ketjap Manis in particular is much sweeter and almost syrupy. Indispensable in Indonesian and Surinamese Javanese cuisine!
- Banana leaf: Unfortunately, not every toko has this, but if you see banana leaf, take it with you! With this you can steam food nicely and serve food on it. Banana leaves store in the freezer.
- Jasmine tea: our favourite tea and not always easy (and tasty) to buy in the supermarket.
- Chilli sauce and sambal: Hot sauces are of course typically Asian, below a few musthaves:
- Sriracha sauce: a basic spicy sauce of chilli and garlic, delicious with almost any dish. Thai Sriracha aus is perhaps the best-known example of this.
- Sambal oelek and sambal badjak: perhaps the two best-known Indonesian sambals that should not be missing from an Indonesian meal.
- Sambal soy sauce: This lesser-known sweet Indonesian sambal goes wonderfully with crispy fried tofu and vegetables.
- Chili oil: this is a basic ingredient for many Chinese (dip) sauces and gives everything a spicy - what do I say: very spicy - flavour.
- Noodles: My advice is to always have a wok noodle in the house. You can go either way with this in Indonesian and Chinese cuisine. It is also an ideal ingredient when you go cooking with leftovers. You'll conjure up an easy meal that's right on the table in no time. By the way, you can also get noodles at the supermarket, but while we're at the toko...
Crunchy noodles
Crispy noodles or noodles are so insanely delicious. You may have tasted it at a restaurant or while travelling, but you can also make it yourself at home. To do this, cook noodles one minute shorter than stated on the packaging. Drain the noodles well. And then fry it for at least four minutes per side with oil on high heat (it's fine if some parts turn brown). The different textures of the crispy noodles enrich any recipe. SO delicious! Get an appetite for it right away!
In the toko, you have so much choice. Just take the amount of soy sauces. Making a list is therefore a must, otherwise you risk coming home with way too much and the wrong things.
Vegetarian recipe inspiration from thegreenlist.nl
I wish you good luck searching and experimenting in the kitchen. Armed with this shopping list, I am sure you will have everything you need for delicious vegetarian Asian meals at home. Selamat Makan!
In case you are still looking for inspiration, the following vegetarian Asian dishes are a hit at our house, these recipes are even vegan!
- The tastiest vegan rendang with jackfruit.
- Also to savour This spicy spinach curry from India.
- Easy and spicy: this recipe for spicy tofu.
- Easy and child-friendly: This is how to make the tastiest stir-fry vegetables.
- Looking for a tasty dessert to go with it? Sticky rice mango is delicious AND vegan!
Photo credits: zhangtingzhi (Pixabay) (main image), Nina van Gils, thegreenlist.nl.
