Jackfruit, garam masala and the perfect wok: How to shop at the Triangle’s Asian groceries

Desiree McLawhorn stooped low to grab several green packets of tamarind soup mix. It’s for quick and easy sinigang, a sour and savory Filipino soup her husband loves to eat, she said.

She dropped them into her grocery basket, then continued down the aisle, also grabbing a jar of preserved jackfruit.

Whole jackfruits, 3 feet long and covered in spikes, were available in the produce section. But the jarred fruit doesn’t require a huge knife to split open, so it’s easier to work with, she said as she wrapped up a 15-minute trip to Fresh International Market, an Asian grocery store near Raleigh Durham International Airport.

McLawhorn, a second-generation Filipino American, grew up in King, North Carolina — half an hour from Winston-Salem. At the time, there was one Asian grocery in the bigger city, she said.

“It was teeny tiny,” McLawhorn said. Greensboro had the next closest one, she added.

Thirty years later, the grocery landscape in North Carolina has changed, said McLawhorn, who owns Southern Fried Lumpia Co., a food truck that serves Filipino cuisine. She now lives in Wake Forest and said Asian groceries have gotten bigger and more common.

“It’s just so expansive, how many ingredients you’ll find from all across the Asian cultures,” she said.

What sets Asian groceries apart

Fresh International Market is one of the Triangle’s newest Asian stores. It opened in October 2023. The area has at least a dozen other Asian groceries and a growing Asian-American population. From 2022 to 2023, the demographic had the highest growth rate in North Carolina at 5.3%, The N&O reported in June.

Asian stores including Grand Asia Market, Today Asia Market and Fresh International Market provide imported, authentic cooking ingredients that are hard to find elsewhere, said Yizhe Xu, co-owner of Miss Chang An in Cary. The restaurant serves cuisine from Xi’an, a city in central China known for its long history and cross-cultural influences.

Xu and his wife run Miss Chang An together. The variety of imported spices at Asian groceries allows them to recreate authentic Xi’an flavors, said Xu, who moved to North Carolina from China 17 years ago.

Multicultural selections at many Asian grocery stores help Xu for both home cooking and his business, he said.

Cayenne and other peppers sold at Whole Foods and Harris Teeter don’t produce the aroma or bright red color of chilis traditionally used in Xi’an cooking, he said. After browsing several east and south Asian markets, he said, the closest chili turned up at an Indian store.

“I will try all different places, see (who) has the better price, the more stable stock,” Xu said.

Even the cookware sold at some Asian groceries helps replicate more authentic tastes at home, said Harman Hundal, managing partner at Azitra Indian Culinary Nirvana in Raleigh and Nazara Indian Bistro in Cary.

Several Indian dishes start with toasting combinations of spices to bring out their flavors. Without thick-bottom pans, pressure cookers and woks found only in South Asian stores like Patel Brothers or Bombay Central, the spices burn, he said.

“They are designed for Indian cooking,” said Hundal, who is from India’s Punjab state and first moved to North Carolina in 2008.

He also said Asian groceries, particularly Indian ones, have become more diverse — offering wider selections of ingredients from different regions of the country.

Exploring your first Asian grocery

For people stepping foot in their first Asian market, Xu suggests starting with low-prep foods from the frozen aisle to see what tastes the best.

“I know it’s not the most delicious,” Xu said. “It’s not like the handmade dumpling. But still, you can get the taste of the thing itself.”

Then, figure out what cooking styles you want to learn and taste more of, he said.

Similarly, Hundal said to start simple and branch out from more familiar foods. He recommends first-timers at Indian groceries buy turmeric and garam masala, a multi-purpose blend of herbs and spices, as starter ingredients.

The snack aisle is also a good place to start, Hundal added.

McLawhorn recommends wandering the aisles to see what sparks your interest.

“Walking around the store and seeing what all it has to offer can be very inspiring,” she said.