Grocery Shopping – Ingredients for Oriental Recipes

Believe it or not, it’s so easy shopping for ingredients for Oriental recipes. I’d dare say, it’s even fun. You get so much culture in such a little place and sometimes its just really nice to get out of my comfort zone only to realize it can be just as comfortable somewhere else.

The folks at this 1st Oriental Market are amazing people. They’re so eager to help with all your needs. And I find that this is common just about anywhere I go when it comes to foreign food. People like to share their experiences and culture. I find that it isn’t any different here and the owner, Earl and his wife, make it a real pleasant experience.

Most Oriental Cooking, these days, is very simplified because almost all of the guess work has already been cut out for you. I don’t have to make every individual sauce that is used to combine with other sauces to make one great recipe. For example: when a recipe calls for Hoisin Sauce, you don’t have to make you’re own Hoisin Sauce from scratch(which would require several other ingredients), you just crack open a bottle. And what about Plum Sauce… could you imagine having to make that beforehand too? Both of these ingredients are in my Chinese Barbecue Sauce recipe, which only has 5 or 6 ingredients: Hoisin, Plum Sauce, Ketchup, Sugar, 5 spice powder etc., and that makes it really simple just buying each one of those premade bottles. But, could you imagine having to make all of those ingredients as well? You’d be making ingredients for your ingredients.

That being said, I would just like you to understand and realize that you don’t have to learn translations of ingredients you’ve probably never heard of in the first place. Because, most of the basic ingredients I show you in this video are very versatile to most of the popular Americanized Oriental recipes that you’re likely familiar with anyway.

So get familiar with the few I show you now and I’ll introduce more as we go and you’ll be a pro before you know it!

Blackened Chipotle Tilapia

Chipotle Adobo Tilapia

This Blackened Chipotle Tilapia recipe is exactly how it sounds; spicy and delicious. You get a buttery filet that sears just enough to turn color but leave you with a tender fluffy-flaky fish that just melts in your mouth with every bite. And Thanks to the Adobo Sauce in the is recipe, you get a nice kick too which delivers a little bit of heat that I like to balance out with a mix of Mango, fresh Mint, Pineapple and Red Onion.

Tilapia Mango and Pineapple Mix

One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that fish and fruit is always a good pairing. P.F. Chang’s uses this Mango mix in their Curry Chicken Salad and it works really well with this too. So you get the best of both worlds because your tongue gets to dance back and forth between a sweet, minty fruit and a drenched, spicy Chipotle Tilapia.

If you’re interested in more of my favorite fish recipes I would highly recommend my Smothered Salmon and my Grilled Halibut in Lemon Butter. My Trout Amandine is especially delicious, if you’re into fishing.

Blackened Chipotle Tilapia Ingredients:

2 Tilapia Filets
1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
2 tbsp Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Topping
1 cup Mango, chopped
1 cup Pineapple, chopped
1/3 cup Red Onion, chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped
1 tsp Red Chili Flakes

Serve the filet with a side of rice and a half cup of mixed topping to balance out the spicy Tilapia.

Stuffed Lobster with Creamy Shrimp, Scallops and Crab Meat

The Best Stuffed Lobster

I’m completely and utterly in love with this Stuffed Lobster recipe. Just like the title says, it’s got creamy Shrimp, Bay Scallops and Crab Meat mixed into the Stuffing with a light drop biscuit breading and Bacon. There is of course a few other ingredients to spice it up a bit but tell me that list didn’t already seal the deal in your mind when you read it to yourself!

Stuffed Lobster Preparation

I can’t stress enough, the importance of having a good set of Seafood Shears when you’re cutting Shell Fish. Starfrit sent me this pair to use and demonstrate in this video recipe and I personally think they are awesome. They cut in reverse, which seems to give the blade some added strength when I grip the handles and apply pressure. So if you’re interested in a pair like this, I highly recommend this set next time you’re cutting shells.

Also, this recipe is designed to heavily stuff two lobsters with seafood but I found that just one can easily be shared between two people. So that’s something to consider when you’re making this. 2 Stuffed Lobsters will easily feed 4 to 6 people and my Video Tutorial will teach everything you need to know.

Also I’ve included 2 other Lobster recipes down below and the Drop Biscuit recipe you’ll be needing to complete this Stuffed Lobster recipe.

CLICK HERE for Drop Biscuits
CLICK HERE for Lobster Sauce
CLICK HERE for baked Lobster Tails

Stuffed Lobster Ingredients:

2 Steamed Lobsters, whole
12 oz Bay Scallops
12 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup Crab Meat
3 pc Bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup Cream Cheese
1 can Cream of Celery
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
3 Fresh Basil leaves, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil
pinch of Salt
1 egg
1 tbsp Mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Paprika
2 Drop Biscuits
1/4 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Shake Salt & Pepper throughout entire stuffing

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and note that the oven time and temperature is 400° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Serve the Stuffed Lobster with lemon and melted butter.