I went back to 99 Ranch Market to do a bit more shopping fun. I was eager to find out some products from Taiwan that have been mostly unobtainable here in Portland, Oregon. This time I made a point of touring the entire store. I skip the usual junk food and ready made frozen food. I wanted to take stock of what they have and what they don't have. I would really like to find some good cooking wine from Taiwan, but I knew they most likely don't have any.
this is one of my favorite childhood sweets - I liked the one that is just mildly sweet but fluffy
their roast meat section price list
their Chinese sausages - this very common cheap ones
their Chinese sausages - this less common mid price ones (from Vancouver, BC)
their Chinese sausages - this uncommon top grade ones (from Brooklyn, NY)
the fun isle is the canned food many are from Taiwan
this side of the isle has a lot of pickled vegetables also from Taiwan
you can see the box Made In Taiwan
they have pig blood too
these fish balls are from Taiwan as well
no luck with any cooking wine from Taiwan - only the usual suspects from China that are mostly crap
I bought a pound of these wild shrimps from Argentina which I have never seen around town
and they have sturgeon steaks
the sea scallops is cheap but does not look that great
this section has many snakes that I haven't seen in decades
I could not resist this fried glutenous dough - it is Asian version of vegan meat
canned corn beef from Argentina
walking around my neighborhood I spot this pot a potty with hot and cold water supply - far out!
Among the few things I bought are these two cans of Taiwanese canned food. I also bought 6 small oysters in shell, and a bag of green baby pok choy.
Tonight I got around to cook the piece of red grouper steak I bought during the last visit. It weight 1.7 pounds so would result in a big pot for many meals.
the grouper looks extremely good - which is very rare unless you go to a seafood specialist but pay 3 time as much
I wanted some some crunchy texture so I prepared some black tree funges
I cut up the grouper into big chunks and dread them in dry flour and then fry them briefly
I used the same technique as I prepared the skate wings - braised under low heat in sake and seasoned with oyster sauce and salt. I like a lot of ginger and garlic, and some chopped scallion.
by simmering under low heat very little flavor molecules and nutrients are lost
this is the first time I found this fried glutenous dough - it is from Canada
this is what they look - they are used in Asian vegan dishes to substitute for meat
moment before the truth
the fragrance of the pot infused with sake makes one hungry
a bit of everything in a small Japanese bowl
here is the tender white flesh of the grouper inside the savory sauce coated outside
the golden brown piece is the fried glutenous dough - which soaked up the savory juice; the big black piece at the bottom is the black tree funges; right of it is a slice of shiitake mushroom
the fried glutenous dough is delicious and is the star of the dish, of course due to the flavours from the fresh grouper
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