Job Discussion Forums

[Mahik]

Hi, I'm currently living in Osaka and having trouble finding ingredients that I regularly use in cooking, either because the grocery store doesn't carry them or because I can't read the label. Help in finding these/translating them would be greatly appreciated:

Bay leaves or the seasoning equivalent
Fish Sauce
Oyster Sauce
Jasmine Rice
Bell peppers (can't find)
Jalapeno peppers (can't find)
Panang Curry powder/paste
Fresh garlic or minced garlic (can't find)
Gala Apples (all there is are Fuji and Golden delicious)
Vegetable Oil
Coconut milk

I bought most of this stuff at the Asian market back home, so I figured I'd be able to find it here for the most part. But everything is Japanese! And it all looks so similar and I can't read the labels. Any help in translating what these are called (or better yet where to find them in Osaka, esp. the apples) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Mahik

[markle]

I don't have any Osaka specific info or am able to post kana but I can give you some pointers on shopping for this stuff.

[Apsara]

As above many of those ingredients are commonly found in ordinary supermarkets- you just need to look a bit more or find another supermarket and maybe some of them will be more visible with a different layout.

Bell peppers available in red, orange and yellow in the large size, the green ones are tiny and come in bags. They have been in every supermarket and fruit/ vegetable shop I have been to. Japan imports a lot of them from NZ and they have just come in season there so the prices have gone down from 198 yen for one where I live so I might consider buying one! They are called "piiman" in Japanese.

I'm afraid I can't do kanji and katakana on this site either, but see if you can have someone write the katakana for oyster sauce or just say "oyster sauce" to the staff- the pronunciation is more or less the same and it will be in the Chinese food section- I bought some not too long ago. Some ordinary supermarkets also have coconut milk in the same area- Thai and Chinese food are on the same shelves in my supermarket.

Vegetable oil will be in your local supermarket in large quantities and is easy to recognise- light yellow oil in translucent bottles, the large ones have handles on them. It's commonly used for cooking tempura, fried chicken etc here so it will definitely be there, you just need to check again. Oil is "abura" in Japanese if you want to try asking.

Some things you just can't get- Gala and Granny Smith apples are two of those. Get used to Fuji apples because there isn't much else!

Look out for import shops- in Tokyo two chain import stores are Kaldi and Seijo Ishi, not sure if you have them in Osaka but they may have some of the things you are looking for. Things like jasmine rice though are not common and you pay a lot for a small amount if you can find it.

Merry Christmas by the way! I am sitting here at the computer waiting for my family to Skype me...

[Sage]

Only the green ones are called piiman. The colored ones are called pappurika. ^_^

[amphivera]

I'm sure any Meidi-ya (a well-known supermarket selling imported groceries) stocks most of these items. Unfortunately, I know of no Meidi-ya in Osaka, but Kobe and Kyoto have them so you might consider visiting one next time you found yourself in one of those towns.

This thread might be of help in terms of broadening your Osaka options:

http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/showthread.php?t=10312

As for the elusive granny smith apple, some high end specialty fruit shops (i.e. senbikiya) may carry them but only for a limited time (depends on the season).

Good luck[/i]

[natsume]

Peanut oil, canola, and vegetable oil do all look somewhat simliar, so be careful. I can read katakana, so it was my fault, but I accidently grabbed peanut instaed of canola the first time I bought cooking oil here.

[Apsara]

[nelly06]

If you really struggle to find these items, try online import stores for example:

www.fbcusa.com
www.spicehome.jp
www.alishan.jp/shop/nfoscomm/catalog/


There are a few more, but I can't remember their names.

Any bigger supermarket should have the vegetables you are looking for.
I live in a smaller town and even we have an import store called JUPITER. Maybe there is one close to you too....

Good luck!

[Mahik]

I guess Garlic and peppers aren't in season where I am, because I've checked three grocery stores and a few vege stalls and none have them.

I tried looking for a "Chinese section" at the grocery stores and was met with puzzled looks from the staff then the reply that they didn't have those. I even asked some Japanese people I know and was informed that "they don't have those in Japan (a section in the grocery store)".

And of course I know what vegetable oil looks like, I'm also aware that it looks like a number of things that aren't vegetable oil and they're all mixed in at these grocery stores and have different names so I was hoping for the kanji.

My best option currently seems to be to try for a Chinese or Thai store for the stuff I need. There's a Wat not too far out from where I am so maybe they might know.

And those sites are great, I might use em but they don't really have much of what I need in that list.

@markle: What's with the shudder? When my dad makes curry from scratch the paste always starts out as a powder.

[Apsara]

Are you in a very rural area? In Tokyo every supermarket I have ever been to has a "Chuukaryori" (Chinese food) section with various sauces and packaged ingredients.

Minced garlic can be found in small jars near the spice section in my supermarket and bell peppers are available year round both in the supermarket and the green grocer I sometimes go to. I saw fresh garlic in the supermarket today- I don't usually buy it but because of your post I noticed it.