I absolutely LOVE going into Asian markets and finding Paleo food items for dirt cheap. I usually find a ton of stuff for nearly half the price. Today I wandered into one and went in to shop. I found some great things! I would have found more, but my 18 month old was, literally, screaming his face off. I will definitely be going back in there sans kiddos soon!
Here’s a few things I found:
Aroy – D Coconut Milk ($1.59 for 13oz can!!!): the ingredients say it is 60% coconut extract and water! No other fillers, guar gum, or carrageenan!
Aroy – D Coconut Cream ($2.09 for 19oz can): the ingredients say it is 70% coconut extract and water! Another score!
Ginger Candy ($1.99)
Red Boat Fish Sauce ($8.79): this is the ONLY fish sauce that I have found that doesn’t have sugar. It is also Whole30 approved!!! I add this to my meat dishes for a deeper “unami” (the 5th taste which means “meaty”) flavor.
Tapioca Crackers ($3.29): I can’t read the ingredients on this so I thought I would give it a try anyways. My kids actually loved them and I topped mine with almond butter. They do taste like they have sugar in them though…not much, but a tiny bit.
Sweet Potato Noodles ($1.39 a package!): the only ingredients is sweet potato starch. We use this in place of spaghetti noodles and we love it on my homemade Paleo Mac n’ Cheese, Asian Lettuce Wraps, and Ground Beef Stroganoff recipes.
Quail Eggs ($1.89) Honestly, I have NO idea what I’m going to do with these yet, however for that price (the sign also said local), I will figure something out. Any ideas?
Some other things that are super cheap there that I didn’t get:
- sesame oil
- seaweed noodles
- Nori chips
- various Asian spices
- sesame seeds
- tapioca pearls
- tapioca starch
- minced ginger
- whole coconuts
- whole frozen duck
- Kimchi
- fresh fish
- pork belly (ask to slice like bacon)
- chicken feet for adding to your stock for added gelatin
- produce
- fish crackers
- …and just so much more!
You really do need to take a look for yourself and let me know what you find!
As an Aussie mum in South Australia, I too have recently discovered the Asian grocers and the array of foods on offer – and for a fraction of the cost! I even purchased dried seaweed for the first time only because it had a recipe for seaweed salad. Wasn’t sure what I was in for, but once it was re-hydrated and tossed with my other stuff, it was so yum! A bit like eating slippery pasta noodles (just have to get past the ocean smell which fades after it’s left for a while in the fridge”. Loving you blog too – so informative! Keep up the good work! 🙂
Great suggestion! I’m going to have to look for Asian markets near my home and see what goodies I can get! Thanks! (No ideas on the quail eggs… let us know what you decide to do with them) 🙂
I was given a few dozen quail eggs a while back and I just boiled then as you would chicken eggs (but not as long) and whilst they were a pain to peel, these bite sized eggs were great tossed in salads whole!
Thank you Sharon! I was wondering if they were gonna be a pain to peel. I’ll try that!
What about Indian/punjabi/Hindi type stores. Are their stuff typically paleo as well? Most of the stuff is in one Indian language or another, but some of it is made in the states for Indian consumers. Not sure if I can trust it or not. I’ve also found spices at Walgreens of all places. Typically 7oz+ packages for around $3.
I’ve gotten a few spices at Indian markets before. I have no idea about their sourcing. You could try to ask 🙂
The sweet potatoe noodles are japchae noodles and if you google japchae recipe you can tweak it. I’ve been dying for japchae but it IS a lot of work to make it yourself!
I really want to try the sweet potato noodles, it’s one of the things that’s keeping my oldest from converting paleo completely…she love’s her noodles. I do have another question, what exactly is tapioca flour, and is it paleo? I thought tapioca was a pasta, but again I’m just getting started, and if it is paleo, I am sooooo excited. because it totally opens a few more doors for choices.
Tapioca comes from cassava root, also called Yuca. So yes, it is Paleo!
I’ve gone into the markets. But only to leave empty handed
I want to know where things are sourced from. I will pay more if I know it’s not from China
unfortunately the trade laws do not protect us, the consumers
thanks to pinterest, I found your site and an introduction to sweet potato noodles on the shelf! Thanks for the site! Now I will be rushing to my nearest Asian market!
I love my local Asian grocery store! I couldn’t keep myself in coconut milk without going bankrupt if I didn’t shop there.
About sourcing concerns, it’s an excellent point. I always make it a priority to check where things are from and avoid China sources like the plague. But not due to trade issues. My BFF’s parents grew up in China and they taught us to be very wary of buying any food imported from over there. I hate to be blunt, but I’ve been told over and over that the quality controls in China are a crap shoot. Dangerous contamination issues are common and you cannot even trust the ingredient labels to be accurate. Keep your family safe and buy items that are imported from Taiwan or that come into American importing companies on the west coast.
Don’t want to offend anyone, but I thought I’d pass this on. It shouldn’t deter you from Asian grocery stores, just try to keep an eye on where things are imported from. I’ve never had to not buy something because there was no Taiwan or US alternative available on the same shelf.
And Indian groceries are great places to find ghee!