Uwajimaya

If you haven't made a trip to Uwayjimaya yet, or don't live in Seattle, I thought I'd take you on a little field trip.  It's a Japanese market, but they carry all sorts of Asian foods.  If you are cooking an Asian meal of any kind, you are likely going to be able to find the ingredients you need here. It's of course not the only Asian market in the city, but it is probably the most approachable.  

A fabulous selection of Asian vegetables

There's nothing better than Chinese leafy greens.  Each one has its own distinct clean flavor.  Just wok fry in oil and salt and a little garlic if you like.

The meat counter is filled with a variety of cuts you will not find in your average super market.  I bought a pork shoulder.  Tune in tomorrow for that.

I buy almost all of my fish here.  I have never had a bad piece of fish and I've gotten to know a few of the folks behind the counter so I know I will always be well taken care of.

There's always a large selection of live shellfish, especially oysters, kept in tanks with flowing water.  

Geoduck... it is on my list of things to cook.  My mom used to make the best geoduck when we were growing up.  I remember chilies, ginger, garlic and green onions wok fried with thinly sliced geoduck.  Clam strips times a thousand.

They always have packages of cleaned blocks of fish for sushi making.  They also have ready made sushi rice.  If you've never made your own sushi, this is a great way to start.

The variety of rice exceeds my ability to consume in a lifetime.  My current everyday favorite is the Nishiki brand below.

Various pickled vegetables, most of which, I must admit, I have not tried.

A plethora of soy sauces and other sauces.  I use Kimlan dark soy for braising and Yamasa soy for everything else.

The best Sake selection in the area.

A large variety of Asian kitchen supplies.  The Japanese have a lot of neat cooking gadgets and tools.  I love to look and always have to remind myself that my utensil drawer is overflowing.

There's also a fabulous bookstore which was not open yet when I was there this morning.  My kids love to go there to look at paper products, pens, pencils and erasers.  And if your kids like Hello Kitty, they have a whole section of that as well.  The photos above only represent a small portion of what's at Uwajimaya.  So many items are mysteries to me.  Just think what I could be missing.  Too much food, too little time!