Yummy Lumpia Plate

Update: Gonna leave this at the top til after New Years. Just a quick heads up for everyone. We will be running some modified hours due to the Christmas and New Years holidays. Dec. 24th 11am-6pm Dec. 25-26 Closed Jan. 1 Closed Also all gifts are 20% off until Christmas! Make sure to come by and stock up for the holidays and snag those last minute gifts. Also try out some of the holiday recipes we have posted on here, especially at New Years to usher in good luck. Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!

As the colder weather grows ever more constant, we all desire that nice warm bowl of soup to heat us up. Combine this cold weather with the upcoming New Year and one dish instantly comes to mind. Ddeok-guk (떡국). A savory dish, that is most famous for the rice cakes in it. It is both filling and hearty, the perfect meal for a cold evening. In Korea Ddeok-guk is consumed on New Years Day to signify the transition into the new year. Try it on New Years or anytime Jack Frost comes calling. Recipe courtesy: maangchi.com Read More Ingredients: sliced rice cake, beef brisket, garlic, fish sauce, green onion, eggs, laver (dried sea plant), sesame oil, black ground pepper. Directions: 1. Boil 8 cups of water in a pot. 2. Soak 3 cups of sliced rice cake in cold water. 3. Chop 100 grams (about 1 cup-1.5 cup) of beef brisket into small pieces. 4. Prepare 3 eggs in 2 small bowls: In the first bowl, put 2 egg yolk; In the second bowl, put 2 egg white and 1 egg; Add a pinch of salt to each b...

We will be closed on Friday the 26th. Sorry for the inconvenience and late notice. Normal hours return Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Though Thanksgiving is traditionally viewed as an American holiday, various countries around the world celebrate their own form of Thanksgiving. Japan - Labor Thanksgiving Day aka 勤労感謝の日 aka Kinrō kansha no hi. Originally a rice harvest holiday, since 1948 it has been dedicated to human rights. Korea - Chuseok aka 추석. Another harvest celebration with the dates varying every year. This year it was celebrated on Oct 3. Pakistan - Eid ul Fitr. A three day celebration marking the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Philippines - Pahiyas Festival. A harvest festival (anyone else see a trend?) celebrated in Quezon since the 16th century. So no matter where you find yourself, chances are someone is celebrating their own form of Thanksgiving. For us here, we are thankful for our family and friends. Our new son and of course all of our customers who make a lot of this possible. Here's wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Talk about falling down on the job. Sorry this post is running late but we just got done with a restock so drop by and check out what we got. Back to the regularly scheduled post. For today's recipe I opted for an Asian fusion dish. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day here in America, but this holiday has little to no meaning outside of the US. As such, there aren't really any specifically Asian dishes for this holiday. There are, however, Asian tastes that can be applied to your meal to spice it up a little, and offer a bit of a twist on the traditional meal. Click below to see today's recipe. Read More Choose between two presentations for this recipe of intense Thai flavors. The first, more dramatic, is served in a whole pumpkin that is steamed with the soup inside. When serving, you may scoop out bits of cooked pumpkin meat although the flavor of the squash is in the soup. The second is cooked with diced kabocha squash and is served in a tureen or individual soup bowls. This is...

To start off the culture section I decided to tackle a fun one. From fancy to simple chopsticks have become the unofficial symbol of Asian food. Found in almost all sushi bars and Chinese restaurants, they are a challenge at first but quickly but extensions of the hand. Though many Americans got their introduction to chopsticks from Mr. Miyagi, chopsticks have been around since at least the Shang Dynasty of China. That's a little over 3000 years. From China their use spread across much of Asia, to Japan, Korea and even Vietnam. The name chopstick is derived from Chinese slang "chop chop" for quick. For some fun next time you are eating out, try asking for chopsticks as they are known in Asia. Japan- hashi Korean- jeokkarak Mandarin- kuaizi Vietnamese- đũa As with many things, there are some etiquette rules that should be followed when using chopsticks. Most are common sense such as don't use as drumsticks or as toys, but others, such as don't stand chopsticks up i...

As the weather grows colder, stews become very appealing for their ability to ward off the chill. Keeping this in mind today's recipe is just that, a stew. Not just any stew though, this is chanko nabe. This is the meal that helps sumo wrestlers beef up. Hearty and filling, the stew alone won't pack on the pounds but it will help cut the edge off of a cold evening. For more information on the history of chanko nabe head over to Banzuke . Ingredients: (ingredients in orange available at the store) 3 lbs. chicken bones 1 2.8-oz. package abura-age (deep-fried tofu), cut into large pieces 1 clove garlic, peeled 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tbsp. mirin (sweet rice wine) Salt 1 medium potato, peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and blanched 2" piece daikon , peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and blanched 1 small carrot, trimmed, peeled, sliced on the bias, and blanched 1 leek, white part only, trimmed, washed, and sliced on the bias 1/4 head...

I've been kicking around the idea of streamlining our posts here to better serve our customers. So taking a page out of Chris Guillebeau's playbook, we are going to shift to a guaranteed 3 posts a week with miscellaneous updates, such as restocking, scattered throughout. Here is the breakdown: Monday- New recipe. We'll continue to bounce around Asia with these, but if there is a specific recipe anyone wants to share or wants to see let us know and we can put it up. Wednesday- Asian culture. This day's post will be dedicated to highlighting some aspect of the various cultures across Asia. Friday- Sari Sari aka variety. Friday's post topics will range from culture, to local events to stupid video's we found on Youtube . There is a real good chance it will be food related. Those are the guaranteed posts. If something comes up we feel is worth posting, we will post it. This is just an effort to make the blog better for those of you out there reading. As always reme...

A recent article in Poultry Magazine stated that Southeast Asian cuisine has become increasingly popular. This is due in part not only to the various exotic flavors, but also because of how healthy many of these foods are. So to shamelessly take advantage of this today's recipe is Goi Cuon aka Vietnamese Cold Spring Rolls . No doubt most who have had Vietnamese food have had these spring rolls. Boasting low fat, carb, and sodium these morsels are healthy and very refreshing. I especially enjoy these on hot days due to their cool temperature and chilling herbs such as cilantro and mint. I'm sure y'all will enjoy these. Check out the recipe below. Read More Ingredients * 1 package clear edible rice paper sheet * 1/2 lb cooked chicken * 1/2 lb cooked small shrimp (, peeled, deveined, halved) * 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves * 1 bunch fresh mint leaves * 1 head leafy lettuce, washed and separated into leaves * 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into very,very thin s...

As many of you know we were anxiously anticipating the arrival of our first child into this world. Well Jakob Daniel has finally graced this world with his presence at a whopping 8lbs 3oz and 20" on November 4 at 5:11pm. This has caused some sporadic hours at the store this week but things should return to normal early next week. Girlyne is recovering well and should be making appearances at the store again some time in December. We appreciate your understanding and well wishes during all this. Now for the random video part: I stumbled across this compilation of one man's journey from Denver to Singapore. He constantly took photos during his trip and compiled them all into this 5 minute video. It is an interesting watch especially for those who have traveled internationally before and long to do so again. For those of you who have traveled to Asia see if you can recognize some places in the video. I know I was able to. To watch the video Click Read More below and check it out....

Just got a new load of goods in. Bihon, Kimchi, Rice, all sorts of goodies. Check below for a video with more detail. Read More

Just got back from restocking. Got some stuff, and gonna try something new. Click Read More to find out more. Read More

Fans of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) are in luck with a spate of concerts here in Texas over the next couple of months. Click read more for some of my favorite songs from all of these musicians. First up is a trio of some of my favorite musicians: Parokya ni Edgar , Kamikazee , and Gloc- 9 ! Live in Houston on Friday Oct. 2 at the Arena Theatre in Houston. For more info visit Happy Box . Next up is Lea Salonga . She has 2 dates in Texas. First is Saturday Oct. 31 at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. The second is Saturday Nov. 7 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin. Side note for those who may not recognize her name, you will know her voice. She was the voice of Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan from Mulan I and II for several songs. Check out below for some examples of their music. Read More Parokya ni Edgar, Gloc-9 and the late Francis Magalona: Bagsakan Gloc-9: Ipagpatawad Mo Kamikazee: Martyr Nyebera Lea Salonga: Bayan Ko (Cory Aquino's funeral)

Just finished with another restock. Got plenty of noodles, bihon especially, as well as some fruits and veggies. Also got some oyster sauce in finally for those who have been looking for it. Come by and see what all we got.

Just a quick note to let everyone know we will be closed for Labor Day. We hope everyone enjoys the holiday, and we will see yall when normal hours return on Tuesday.

Terong Balado- Courtesy Original Indonesian Recipe Today's recipe is from the island nation of Indonesia. A country diverse in influences from all over Asia. A such the food has a great variation including this dish. Excellent as a side dish or a main course, Terong Balado is a fairly simple recipe with loads of flavor. Give it a try, we are sure you will add this to your ever growing list of favorite recipes. Read More Ingredients: * 1 large eggplant * 3 garlic cloves, sliced or chopped * 4 tbs (50g) chopped onion * 1 1/2 (400ml) fresh ripe tomatoes * 1 tsp (5 ml) sugar * 1 tsp (5ml) salt * 2 tsp (10ml) fresh red hot chili peppers * 1/2 cup (125 ml) water * 2 tbs (30 ml) vegetable oil Preparation: 1. Cut the eggplant into long quarter-round strips. Bake them at 400F or 200 for 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft but not mushy. 2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the onion, garlic, tomatoes, salt, sugar, peppers, and water, and mash with a wooden spoon until it forms a coarse p...

That's right, we restocked! From snacks to drinks to noodles we got a full load in. Among the more interesting items we got some Durian in. A close relative of Jackfruit, this pungent fruit has bested the likes of Bizarre Foods' Andrew Zimmern . But we know San Angelo can handle it so we brought it in. Come by and try it out. Also don't forget to become a friend on Facebook and Myspace so you can keep up with what's going on.

We are proud to announce you can now keep up to date on the store via Twitter. You can find us HERE. Don't forget to also become our friend on Facebook , Myspace , and Friendster as well. Also feel free to drop by and give us a review on Yelp . All those and more can be found over on the right side in the Be a Friend! section. Small store update: We got a shipment of eggroll wrappers in so there are plenty available for all your eggroll wrapping needs.

Its that special time of year, school time. While we know many of you out there don't really enjoy this time of the year we are doing what we can to lessen the stress. So we've made sure to stock up on some of our more popular snacks from across Asia. We've made sure to have a nice supply of Ramune on hand for those hot afternoons. Also come midterms we've got you covered with plenty of Carabao and Mr. Brown Iced Coffee. So come stock up for the semester, or just drop by and chat for awhile to take a break from school. Either way, best of luck in the coming semester. Picture courtesy: Kamoteus

Recently we have found ourselves enamored by this PBS show from Gourmet Magazine . Though it does not cover Asian food exclusively, it does offer have several episodes dedicated to it. Below is one such episode which focuses on Chinese cuisine. After you watch it jump over to Hulu or Gourmet Magazine to view the other episodes or tune into PBS. Make sure to check out the multitude of recipes over at Gourmet Magazine . Then drop by the store and try a few out yourself. Without further ado... Read More

That's right, its restocking weekend! Just got back from Austin with a load of goodies, including a lot of the Korean goodies we've been missing for a couple of weeks (*wink* kimchi! *wink*). Even got some fresh veggies in including green papayas and Thai chilies. Plus a nice restocking of noodles of all shapes and sizes. Also hit up the Indian foods with some new spices. All in all a good restocking. Also to celebrate this momentous occasion (restocking) we proudly introduce our official restocking image. Every time we restock we will use this image so you can be assured, that yes, we did restock. Nice huh?

We just got fresh vegetables in today. Freshly picked and locally harvested taste so much better than commercially produced vegetables and we want to carry the best for our customers. Of course, we get what we can and so come and get yours because they may be gone tomorrow. But we do have large amounts of fresh herbs including lemongrass, basil leaves, mint, and Kaffir lime leaves..So what veggies do we have? Read More Longs Beans. String Beans. Garter Beans. Snake Beans. Asparagus Beans. Whatever you want to call it but they are great as salads or in many Asian dishes. Look out for a new recipe on long beans soon. Spanish Peppers, Green Long Peppers or Sili Haba. These tasty green peppers are sweet and mildly spicy. Commonly used for soups and stews and may also be sauteed by itself with garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce and served as a side dish. We have some fresh okras still on the shelve and it is not only commonly use in Asian dishes but also use by many other cultures. Okras can b...

In just about every country on earth there are places dedicated to eating and drinking, generally referred to as pubs. In Japan these places are called Izakaya. With menus ranging from sushi to yakitori (skewers) and everything in between, these establishments offer a place to socialize and enjoy good food. Inspired by this thought of an Asian pub, today's recipe comes from the book Izakaya by Mark Robinson. It is chilled tofu, a deceptively easy recipe, with loads of flavor. Give this recipe a try then jump over and snag a copy of this book for more recipes, you won't be disappointed. Read More Chilled Tofu Ingredients: 1 block well chilled silken tofu (about 12 oz) 1/2 thinly sliced scallions handful of bonito flakes 2 teaspoon grated ginger daikon radish sprouts soy sauce Method: 1. Carefully remove tofu from container 2. Cut into 12 pieces 3. Arrange pieces into a bowl 4. Cover tofu with scallions, bonito, ginger and sprouts. 5. Lightly drizzle with soy sauce immediately be...

On the outside this plant is very decorative and is easily used for landscaping. Aesthetics aside, lemongrass is a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine. It has a nice citrus flavor and can be used in many different forms to flavor dishes. We have a fresh supply in so come by and give it a try.

Awhile back we touched on what exactly is Filipino food. Ask any Filipino to name a favorite dish and without reservation many will mention Sisig . With its origins at the Aling Lucing restaurant in Angeles City, Pampanga, this dish has come to symbolize the ingenuity present in many Filipino dishes. Most who have had the pleasure of consuming this dish can attest to its varied flavors and textures, all combined into a wonderful menage of perfectly prepared pig parts. Its for this reason we bring you a sisig recipe courtesy Pinoy-recipes.net . Read More Ingredients: * 1-1/2 lbs pork cheeks (or 2 lbs deboned pork hocks) * 1/2 lb pork tongue * 1/2 lb pork ear * 1/2 lb liver (pork, beef or chicken) * 2 cups water (for boiling) * 1 cup pineapple juice (for boiling) * 1 tsp whole black peppers (for boiling) Marinade seasonings: * 1 cup chopped onions * 3-4 finger hot peppers (siling labuyo) (seeded and chopped) * 1/4 cup vinegar * 1/4 cup calamansi juice (lemon juice) * 1/4 cup pineapple ...

Seems like only this weekend we restocked. Oh wait, it was. A lot of the new stuff is disappearing quick. Still plenty available for everyone else though. Any questions, comments, or suggestions for the store or site? Feel free to leave a comment or drop us a line at the email address in the side bar. ( Let us know how we are doing. More recipes and updates coming soon.

Just got done restocking and the shelves are filled with goodies. At long last we have Ube Polvoron back in stock as well as several other snacks. Come by and check them out.

We'd like to take this chance to honor the passing of a historic leader of the Philippines Corazon Aquino . Read More HONG KONG: The US, Japan and Southeast Asia led international tributes to former Philippines president Corazon Aquino, who died yesterday after a battle with cancer. People across the Catholic nation woke to the news yesterday, as Aquino's family announced the 76-year-old's death and President Gloria Arroyo declared a 10-day period of mourning. US President Barack Obama described her as a historic figure who helped restore democracy to her country. Obama "was deeply saddened" by news of Aquino's death, read a statement late from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Aquino played a crucial role in Philippines history, moving the country to democratic rule through her non-violent 'People Power' movement over 20 years ago. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed Aquino as an inspiration. "Cory Aquino was beloved by her nation a...

When the sun is out and the rain is pouring, it means that the garden is blooming. Now available and plenty of it are the fresh mints, thai basil leaves, gobo roots, lemon grass, chives and other fresh herbs and spices.. Read More For those fans of thai and vietnamese food, now is the time to dust off those recipes you've been hiding or waiting to cook because we have plenty of the herbs that most recipes will ask for. We will do our best to keep them in stock as long as we have them available locally. Seasonal item available this week.... Fresh Thai Basil $0.99 per bundle Fresh Mint $0.50 per bundle Fresh Chives $0.75 per Bundle Lemongrass $1.00 per Bundle Come in and get them while they're fresh because these items don't last very long. We will add more fresh herbs, roots, and veges on the list as they become available. At Mama Nida's Asian Market, providing fresh seasonal greens is out goal and customers do not have empty their purse to enjoy fresh herbs and veges th...

To commemorate the end of 25 years of civil war in Sri Lanka we are presenting a dish straight from the island nation. Though often overlooked when talking about Asian cuisine, Sri Lanka offers a blend of neighboring flavors combined with its own unique dishes and a heavy influence from the sea. Today's recipe is a fairly simple rice recipe that goes great with just about any curry dish. Ghee Rice from Recipezaar Ingredients 1 1/2 cups basmati rice , soaked in water 1/4 tablespoon ghee (optional) 1 tablespoon oil 2 chicken bouillon cubes or vegetable bouillon cubes or beef bouillon cubes 2 onions , thinly sliced 3-5 fenugreek leaves (methi leaves) 1 sprig curry leaf 5 cardamoms 5 mint leaves 1 tomato , peeled and sliced, for garnish 3-5 slices onions , fried, for garnish Directions Heat the ghee and oil in a pot. Add in the onions, fenugreek leaves, chicken/vegeta...

While I doubt Manny will ever see this, we would like to extend our congratulations to Manny Pacquiao in his defeat over Ricky Hatton. For those that missed it here is a good recap. Click

An intriguing question to say the least. Is it simply defined by adobo, pancit and lumpia, or is there more to the subject. Make sure to check back soon as we delve deeper into this oft neglected segment of Asian cuisine. In the meantime I leave you with this:

It's April!! and yes we have not updated lately and we do apologize. We have made a few changes at Mama Nida's Asian Market and if you have not come by to see it lately, now is the time for a visit... Over the year or two of providing our community, we have opened and expanded and added on. It is clear that we may need to expand again soon and it's all because of you, our customers. Its a new year and we have made some changes and added on to our selections.... Read More Summer is here and the hot whether is slowly creeping back into the West Texas weather. We are bringing back the things that quenches your thirst, relieves your hunger, and helps you cool down. For many, hot weather means snow cones or cold soft drinks but for the people who understands and appreciate the not-so-ordinary, it means "Yakool" (a frozen milk energy softdrink) or "Mochi Ice Cream" (ice cream wrapped in rice dough). Never-the-less, it's something to cool you dow...