Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge

Ok, I admit, this is addressed to folks who like cooking Asian food, which I find an annoyingly time consuming process so I rarely do it. I’m not sure what kinds of bargains you can find overall at the Asian food mart, but for certain specific things, it’s a very good deal.

The main tip is that if you like Asian cuts of meat, you can save a lot of money around a dollar or two per pound on everyday prices. Most of these stores aren’t unionized. (I’d even wager that none of them are.) That means the butcher shop is non-union. The butcher is the highest paid job inside the supermarket due to the occupational risks.

Pork: I like to buy tonkatsu cuts of pork. Basically it’s a Japanese dish of a very thin pork cutlet that’s deep fried with panko bread crumbs. I never deep fry at home, but this cut is similar to a boneless pork cutlet at the regular supermarket. The regular market sells 1″ thick slices I split in half because those cuts are usually 2 or 3 times the size of a deck of playing cards, the standardized portion we’re supposed to be eating. Also I get a little freaked out about cooking the pork all the way through.

Since the tonkatsu cuts are very thin, I can have one or two pieces for dinner and have it be equivalent to a 1/2″ thick cutlet. Since the tonkatsu pieces are already ‘bulk’ and the right size, I package them up in 2 slice amounts and stick the extra in the freezer. I’d say there’s usually 10 pieces in a package and the per pound price of the meat is a heck of a lot cheaper.

You can find whole pigs’ feet here. Sometimes, in the right neighborhoods you can find pigs’ feet, but it’s a demographic difference. Today I shopped at a market on my way home from work and they had pig stomach and feet. The yuppieville market that’s on my daily commute to my primary job never has it. (And I look for it too because I’m always curious about ‘exotic’ cuts.)

Fish: I don’t know about you, but I’m not grossed out by fish heads and tails. The Asian grocery stores will give you the head and tail, which you can always save for stock. I don’t like paying the fishmonger to dress the fish since the icky bits don’t faze me. Keep that in mind the next time you get a filet of sole. Can you bear fileting it yourself? (Salmon is another story because you have to contend with the laborious process of bone removal.)

Beef: Tripe. In western food, I never touch the stuff. In Asian food, it’s tasty. Mind you, I don’t prepare this at home ever, but I can rarely find it in regular stores because it’s so indesirable they don’t put it out. They might just give it away if you ask at the regular grocery store because it’s so unpopular.

For Korean BBQ, per pound, I’ve found that the price of the meat is cheaper than buying a roast at the regular supermarket. The last time I did this, the price was about $4/lb. This is one of those buy in bulk scenarios too. Koreans cut ribs cross grain, so you have three rib bones at the top and a nice piece of meat underneath, about 4-6 sq inches. It’s VERY different that American or Chinese style ribs. You only need two pieces to satisfy your meat requirement for a meal. Usually these are sold in huge packs for large parties. I take the whole package, marinade it overnight in the fridge, then separate them out in to 4 piece portions to freeze. That way I cook once and get 2 meals out of it. Look for stuff marked ‘kalbi’ or ‘LA kalbi’.

Chicken: Strangely, I don’t recall my mom ever getting a chicken from the Asian grocery store. Purdue or Tyson’s is usually a better deal at the regular store. I know my mom gets cornish game hens at the regular supermarket to make jook. Jook is a chicken porridge that’s good for breakfast and sick people. It’s one of my favorite comfort foods. Remind me and I will post the recipe up here too. It’s a one-pot lazy man’s meal.

Tea: Asian people have tea of all different kinds. My favorite is barley tea. It’s roasted barley that makes a nice hot or cold drink and tastes fine without sugar. In fact, I’ve never had it with sugar. It’s a heck of a cheaper than Koolaid. My mom kept pitchers of it in the fridge in the summer. I can’t stand drinking water all day. It drives my palette nuts. I like tea and this is a good and cheap way to get it instead of all those little tea bags. You should also be able to find tea leaves in bulk. Skip the green tea beverages in bottles and brew your own at home! I like a lot of the Japanese green teas, and genmai cha (toasted rice tea).

You can buy 20 lb bags of rice at the Asian grocery store. Soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil come in larger sizes and is much cheaper than at regular grocery stores. Think of all the ‘oriental’ dressing you can make! Garlic is another one. Garlic & scallions are super cheap at the Asian food mart. Generally you can find pint-sized jars of chopped garlic too, and it’s much cheaper than the 2oz jars you get at other stores. Other bulk grains and legumes are available, like millet, red beans and other things for which I don’t have English names. Check it out sometime.

One of my friends like shopping for fruit at the Asian grocery store. I am allergic so I can’t eat any of it. His observation is that it doesn’t have a long shelf life, but between him and his girlfriend, they have 6 kids, so a bag of apples or bananas doesn’t last long anyway.

I hope I’ve made an argument for why you should check out the Asian food market it on your area. In California, Ranch 99 was the THE BOMB. They had all kinds of international foods. On the eastern seaboard, try the big chain stores, Super H & Hanareum (in Baltimore and DC, probably NY too). In Philly, Koba Woo (owned by friends of the family). In DC, Lotte (owned by family of a college acquaintance).