Shopping Ethnic Markets

In case you didn't catch the sidebar to my article "A Ramen Renaissance" in the Oregonian's FoodDay section, I think this advice from Susana Holloway of Portland's Culinary Workshop is good to keep in mind when going to any ethnic grocery.

Don't be afraid!

Looking at a list of ingredients that includes things like kombu, dried sardines and bonito flakes (aka katsuobushi) might make you run straight back to the arms of Bobby Flay or Marcella Hazan.

I asked Susana Holloway of Portland's Culinary Workshop, who teaches classes on Asian cooking, what she'd recommend for someone who finds the thought of going to an Asian market intimidating if not downright scary.

First, she said, go to one of the larger Asian markets (see list of stores, below). They tend to be laid out more like Western-style grocery stores, with wide aisles and distinct departments for produce, meats, fish and dried goods. Plus, they'll often have signage in several languages, including English.

And while they are stocking more and more organic produce and gluten-free products, expect to find conventionally grown, though very inexpensive, vegetables and fruits and packaged goods with long lists of ingredients.

She also recommends first-timers going to an Asian market without a list in hand.

"What has worked for me has been to not necessarily come in with a recipe where I have to go around and find stuff," she said. "Give yourself some time to wander around the aisles and look at things. If you're the type of person who likes to go to grocery stores, it's the perfect place to do that. I've literally found myself wandering around the aisles in a grocery store for hours."

The larger markets, because their product mix attracts a diverse customer base, also tend to have better customer service departments. "Don't be afraid to ask for help," said Holloway. "After all, the shopping should be part of the overall experience."

Fubonn Supermarket
2850 S.E. 82nd Ave.
503-517-8877

H Mart
13600 S.W. Pacific Highway, Tigard
503-620-6120

Uwajimaya
10500 S.W. Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Beaverton
503-643-4512

The Motion in the Ocean

Wails of desperation are heard whenever the subject of Chinese food comes up. "Why doesn't Portland have just one good Chinese restaurant?" is usually the gist of the complaints. There have been occasional glimmers of hope: the wonton soup at Good Taste Noodle House on 82nd, the whole fish and salt-and-pepper shrimp at Om Seafood, the xiao long bao at Asian Station.

And finding decent dim sum, that epitome of Chinese fast food, has been a dicey game at best. Back in the day, Fong Chong was an even, if not always consistent, bet, but it's since gotten into "not on your life" territory. And a little place out in deep Beaverton called China Town was a very good, if hard to get to, spot.

The fatty pork short ribs.

So when I heard that Ocean City Seafood Restaurant on 82nd just south of Fubonn had undergone a recent change of ownership and a makeover, both cosmetically and of its menu, I was all ears. It had been whispered that their dim sum lunch was quite good, possibly (fingers crossed) verging on great. Walking in at lunch, the sight of so many Asian customers chowing down enthusiastically on their selections was heartening.

The immediate appearance of a fully stocked cart with a variety of very fresh, hot, very well-made packets of delight gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, my dreams of decent (or even, god help me, excellent) dim sum wouldn't be in vain. I was grinning like an idiot at the first round of pork siu mai, shrimp har gow, a shrimp-scallop mixture in a noodle "cup" and some lovely barbecued pork cha siu baao. The siu mai was moist and not the least bit greasy, the whole shrimp in the har gow popping with fresh flavor (as was the scallop-shrimp) and the bao was light, steamy and had a nice smokiness in the sauce.

Stir-fried pea shoots and garlic.

Round two, consisting of fatty pork spare ribs and lo mai gai, rice and meat wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed, were accompanied by a side of stir-fried pea shoots with garlic, a tangled pile of crunchy greenness that offset the richness of the pork. At this point I would have been floating up toward the ceiling if I hadn't eaten so much, but suffice it to say that this was one of the best dim sum experiences I've had in town.

The drawbacks are few…the tea is generic tea-bag and they could do with a few more carts rolling around the floor, but those are mere specks of fussiness in the overall picture of what I'm thinking may be my personal dim sum salvation.

Details: Ocean City Seafood Restaurant, 3016 SE 82nd Ave. Phone 503-771-2299.