A pack of ginseng root. I use this for our tonic Chicken Ginseng Soup or our delicious Snow Fungus with Red Ginseng dessert. This pack costs around 16 Singapore dollars. That's roughly 500 Philippine pesos. But since I use this pack for several servings, each serving would be less than 100 pesos (less than US $ 2).
Flower teas. I tried the dried rose petals. Well, it smells like roses. But I still prefer the good ol' green tea :)
Finally, I got fennel seeds! The other pack (below) is coriander seeds, but we have that available here. I have been searching for fennel seeds for a long time here in Manila and could not find some. Now, I know what it looks like, what it smells like... I sound like a kid :) Anyway, I have baked bread with fennel seeds, this one waiting for its turn to be posted.
I have tasted this crab sauce and it is oh-so-flavorful, so I bought a bottle. I do not have to slather this on crabs. I think this would be perfect for stir-fry noodles! :)
Is this the Bak Kut Teh spice pack recommended by Noobcook? I think it is. This pack is more expensive than the other Bak Kut Teh spice packs but I think it is worth it because it contains real dried Chinese herbs. I have made soup with this and sure enough, it tasted better than the other brands of spice packs we've tried. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of my soup! But not to worry, I have several more packs and I promise to take a photo and blog about this! :)
I do feel good when I can recreate here at home some of the foods I've enjoyed in other countries, don't you?
I like to do the same thing, not that I travel a lot abroad but still I like bringing along things I've seen on the internet and are not available in Greece. I love all those flowers.
ReplyDeleteMa'am, is Bak Kut Teh similar to the Gokong soup found in Chinatown? :p
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that my favorite places to visit when we travel are markets and my favorite souvenirs are food items I can buy at home.
ReplyDeleteHomemade puto with fennel seeds is really good. You should try it Ning.
ReplyDeletewah where did u go to buy those packet petals, tell me! lol ... hmm the packaging is a bit different? mine says "the best" while yours is "pure" ... I wonder if they are the same things, but they looked like they are packed with herbs like u said! hehe
ReplyDeleteI agree! Food is the best souvenir!
ReplyDeletewah...you shop food in Singapore? bought so much herbs and prepacked food!!
ReplyDeleteHi Ivy! I guess that's what we food lovers like to do, bring home food stuff we dont have at home :)
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous! The Gokong soup is not the same as the Bah Kut Teh. The Bak Kut Teh is simply pork meat and bones simmered in the Bak Kut Teh spices. The Gokong Soup consists of 5 kinds of meat (original version contains bull penis:) usually with: pork leg bones, chicken, pork ligaments, pork tito, and some Chinese aromatic herbs. The Gokong is famous here because it is believed to increase men's vitality. :)
Thank you so much for your question, now, this is an inspiration for me to prepare Gokong soup (without the Bull penis:)
Hi Mary! I make it a point to visit markets wherever we travel as well! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jonnek for the tip! I will definitely try that! :)
Hi Noobcook! I bought those flower teas at the food fair :)
Thanks, Galatians! :)
ReplyDeleteHello My Asian Kitchen! ha ha ha! If only I can bring home the whole market produce! :P
When I visit those exotic place s what I like is bringing all memories I can and of course also food and special recipes.
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