Ingredient -- Chili Bean Sauce
Hsiao-Ching Chou
I usually shop at Uwajimaya for my Asian grocery needs. Because it is Japanese-centric, the selection of Chinese brands isn't always as diverse as at a Chinese-centric store such as 99 Ranch and I sometimes have to rely on what's available versus what's preferable. But I choose to shop at Uwajimaya because it's closer to where I live and because I trust its selection of meats and seafood.
My current pick for a chili bean sauce is from Fu Chi. It's not so hot that it burns off your face and it doesn't contain superfluous flavors -- I had a bad experience with the Szechuan brand chili sauce, a family favorite, but the company changed the recipe and started adding sugar, which not only threw off the balance completely but made no sense. So here's the staple chili bean sauce at my house:
I'm also reminded of a piece I wrote in 2003 about how I straddle two cultures even when I'm grocery shopping.
"I shop in two languages. This occurred to me while I dug through the mound of ginger root at Uwajimaya, looking for the knob that would provide the largest slice, which then would allow for long, fine slivers. Were I at Larry's, my usual haunt, there would be no more than a few chunks to choose from and my selection would be based not on size but which piece looked the freshest."