A taste for something different

Got a hankering for some falafel,  pad thai or palak paneer? Fifteen or 20 years ago, you’d have had a hard time tracking down the makings for such exotic dishes here in New Hampshire. These days you need look no further than your favorite grocery store to plan a feast from virtually any corner of the globe. Heck, there’s a sushi cart right next to the frozen fish sticks display in some stores, and a stack of naan beside the Thomas English muffins.

But if you really want a taste of a country’s culture – and a much wider selection of its cuisine – there’s nothing like shopping at an ethnic market. Concord is home to a couple of small shops with spaces carved out for international fare, and you need drive no further than Manchester to find full-fledged markets catering to the immigrant populations.

Here are five markets purveying foods from afar, along with a recommended product you can buy at each one:

Saigon Asian Market, 93 South Maple Street, Manchester, 644-3555

Large and lively with an unmistakable aroma of fish, this market carries all the stuff you need to make your favorite Asian dishes at home. But don’t stop once you’ve located the egg roll wrappers and bok choy. The aisles are a feast for the eyes even if you’re not sure your stomach would agree. There is a stunning variety of canned seafood, a mind-boggling array of noodles and a whole aisle dedicated to things you never knew you could pickle (pickled banana blossoms anyone?) The prices are good, and the Japanese goodies are a blast.

Product: Spring roll wrappers

Making your own spring rolls or egg rolls is good, greasy fun. And there are really no rules about what to fill them with. I used canned bamboo shoots in this recipe for Lumpiang Labong, adapted from the website casaveneracion.com.

Lumpiang Labong

10 spring roll wrappers

1 jar bamboo shoots

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 bunch fresh cilantro

salt

pepper

cooking oil

Heat oil in a large shallow pan. Sauté  the garlic, onion and carrots until fragrant. Add the bamboo shoots and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Wet a lumpia wrapper in warm water and place it on a plate. Place about two tablespoons of filling at the center of the wrapper. Hold one edge of the wrapper and fold inward. Fold the left and right edges inward, then continue rolling tightly in the direction of the first fold. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Fry spring rolls in about two inches of hot oil until browned on all sides.

Spice Center Halal Market, 245 Maple Street, Manchester, 626-7290

With food from the Middle East, Africa and Greece, this market is a fragrant and satisfyingly exotic find. There are rows of gorgeous confections, huge slabs of flat bread, a butcher shop, a frozen food section offering quick meals like naan pizza and samosas, and big bags of spices sold at bulk prices. If the array of choices leaves you overwhelmed, you can go next door to the Halal restaurant and let the experts do the cooking for you.

Product: Cardamom

With its distinctive licorice taste, cardamom, a ubiquitous spice in the Middle East, isn’t just for cooking. Instead of popping a breath mint, try chewing on a pod to freshen your breath and settle your stomach after a meal. Or crush a pod in your coffee or tea for a unique flavor.

Angela’s Pasta and Cheese Shop, 815 Chestnut Street, Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com

Filled with gourmet European indulgences, this bustling shop can’t exactly be called an ethnic market. But with a wide array of imports and hard-to-find items, it definitely has an international flair. The shop, tucked in a little house on Chestnut Street, carries a large variety of wines from all over the world, bags of pasta in all sorts of delightful shapes, specialty items like truffle oils and anchovies and a dazzling array of desserts. The real draw though is the Italian deli and cheese section, where cheese lovers can find just about any kind of formaggio that suits their fancy. (next page »)