I’ve often complained that it’s tough to make curry, even in New York, because it’s difficult to find fresh ingredients — things like lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves — for which there are no substitutes. One of my reliable haunts is Kalustyan’s, at 28th and Lex, which is particularly noted for its Indian spices, dried chilis and other fixings (like frozen naan).
The other is Bangkok Center Grocery on Mosco Street in Chinatown, where I routinely make pilgrimages. Especially as I’ve begun focusing on Thai curries, this place is a godsend. It’s small and a bit cramped, but amazingly well-stocked with pretty much anything you could possibly need for a Thai curry. One of my first trips there, I picked up all the ingredients for a green curry paste, and brought it up to the counter — to my amazement, the young Thai guy working there took one look and said, “I see you’re making a green curry paste.” This is a place where curry-a-holics, like myself, are welcome.
On a recent trip, I found the usual assortment of things I have trouble locating elsewhere, from cans of coconut cream (cream, not milk) to fresh bunches of holy basil. And a highlight: they had just gotten a shipment in of kaffir lime leaves (pictured left). That’s something like the holy grail, for this blogger.
The store seems to have a new website, with links to suggested recipes. This one for Penang Curry with Chicken looks delicious. I may need to head down to Bangkok Center Grocery to pick up some ingredients….
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July 29th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Where should I go in Bangkok to find a good shopping market? I am taking a trip to Bangkok, Thailand in August and planning to do a lot of shopping. I am not interested in the regular malls because I can find that in Italy. Can someone recommend me some markets around Bangkok with a variety of items? Also I just finished watching the travel channel they said Cha-Ma-Ja was the biggest market. Where is this place and am I hearing it right?
July 31st, 2010 at 8:04 pm
[...] People often ask if I make a penang curry….to tell you the truth, I don’t very often, only because I’ve spent a lot of time developing my red and green curries. However, I decided to try a yummy penang curry the other night, in part prompted by a recipe on the website of my fave store, Bangkok Center Grocery. [...]
January 17th, 2011 at 4:33 am
[...] and black mustard seeds. As I began specializing in Thai curries, I started taking more trips to Bangkok Center Grocery in Chinatown. But Kalustyan’s, with its narrow aisles and impressive selection, is still a [...]
March 9th, 2011 at 2:11 am
[...] often added to Thai dishes. I have a bag of frozen “rhizome,” which the clerk at Bangkok Center Grocery tells me is the closest I’ll find (at least in this country) to wild [...]