I am wondering if one can buy any type of Latin American herbs and spices in Taiwan, whether it is online or a physical store anywhere in Taiwan.
Thanks.
What specifically are you looking for? Culantro is available at the Jianguo flower market. Cilantro is available everywhere. Canned chipotle chiles are pretty easy to find at Jason’s and City Super. Cumin is around, although if I recall correctly ground cumin is a little harder to find than whole (and a spare coffee grinder takes care of that).
I’ve never seen a Latin American shop around. Thai, Indonesian, Indian, yeah - and P&P Food and Spices is pretty good for European ingredients. iHerb has a decent stock of spices and herbs that can be shipped at quite reasonable rates. Oh, and black beans can be bought from iHerb too. I think Wellman’s and whatever the other import place is up in Tianmu are the only places I’ve seen dried black beans here, and I’m rather concerned that those bags of beans predate the Chen administration.
Followed. I want to know this too. I bought some Chancapiedra in Tamsui. IIRC it’s called Marblegrass in Mandarin. A lot of Lat Am herbs are also in the TCM lexicon, just under a different name. If you search a herb on wikipedia, and go to the chinese version, you can get the local name if your lucky.
I am hoping to find a variety of dried chillies (Guajillo, chile de arbol, serrano among others) as well as Achiote (anatto), Anise, Huitlacoche (Corn fungus) I guess anything that one would find on a Latin American supermarket in the States.
It’s been hard to get anything here in Taiwan.
Thanks again!
Achiote you can get from Filipino stores. We share common ground, so many foodstuffs that work for them -canned sardines, tamarindo, etc.- we can share.
Chiles you gotta “procure” cough, cough the seeds and grow your own. Or buy canned/preserved. Stockpile.
I mostly shop City Super if I am preparing anything remotely traditional. But I am telling you now, growing your own herbs is not the last resort, it eventually becomes the only one. And nothing beats fresh oregano.
But still cooking a traditional meal feels like global scavenger hunt.
Cumin: Indian stores like Trinity, import grocers like Wellman’s and Willies in Tianmu, and Foodie in Xizhi (fairtrade, both ground and whole). By the way, try toasting the cumin for two minutes or so in a dry nonstick skillet on medium heat, jiggling the pan often after the first minute to move it around, until very fragrant and slightly darkened in color, then take it off heat and immediately empty it into your mortar to grind (or spice grinder), and it will be amazingly fragrant and tasty, far better than raw cumin. Excellent with chicken or pork.
For dried ancho, pasilla, guajillo, canned cuitlacoche (huitlacoche), dried corn husks, etc., I buy them in Mexico and bring them in the suitcase, then put the chiles in the fridge. They last for years. Keep the corn husks in a continuously dehydrated room. For anise, fennel etc., try the import grocers. I grew my own fennel seeds this year very successfully. You can get star anise widely here, any super, as an aside.
Fortunately, masa harina para tortillas is available now at Wellman’s and some other supers, and online, but not the one for tamales, which you still have to bring in by hand. Epazote and Mexican oregano, same story. Bring your comal, tortilla press and covered tortilla basket over by hand.
Chiles grow well here, but I’ve never gotten tomatillos or epazote to grow. You can find canned tomatillos and chiles chipotle in adobo at Jason’s and other places, as well as salsas, hot sauces and refried beans (even regular supers often have these). Homemade frijoles a la charra and similar styles are better, though.
For chile de arbol just substitute the finger-sized red or green chiles here. They’re just heat, unlike other chiles.
You can also order ground chiles of many kinds online in the States and have them shipped over.
Costco, Mayful and Jason’s have flour tortillas. Avoid the corn tortillas frozen in Tianmu stores. They crack and break if you try to use them for anything but tostadas. DIY works better and is easy.
Queso fresco is easy to make with a bit of lemon juice and a doufu straining bag.
Chorizo, see here and here.
[quote=“Dragonbones”]Cumin: Indian stores like Trinity, import grocers like Wellman’s and Willies in Tianmu, and Foodie in Xizhi (fairtrade, both ground and whole). By the way, try toasting the cumin for two minutes or so in a dry nonstick skillet on medium heat, jiggling the pan often after
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do you have an address of this foodie place? I couldn’t find it searching.
Hola DragonBones,
Gracias for the info. I am big into making salsas, and the chillies that I have found here are definitely not helping with the flavor, since you bring these ingredients from Mexico, I have already email a couple of relatives from Mexico and asked them to find out what it is needed to ship those chillies here.
On my next trip to Taipei I will make sure to check out the stores in Tianmu, hopefully I will find what I need.
I’ll try your chorizo recipe once I get my chillies haha.
Foody, sorry. In Xizhi, at Kangning Jie, Ln. 169, #23, 9F; not far from Donghu. Daytime hours only (M-F, possibly 10-5 or so); they welcome retail walk-ins but are wholesale and importer in nature. They speak English (some do) and sell a wide variety of fair trade (and often organic) items in a range of prices, some at lower than normal retail for the quality level. Their extra virgin olive oil is very good, as is their fair trade cocoa powder.
From Donghu Rd. head east till it turns into Kangle Jie (at the Post Office); there, the third leg of the threeway intersection takes you to Xizhi’s Kangning Jie. You’ll turn left at Ln. 169, go up a hill a few hundred meters, and it’s on your left, with a gated guardhouse, and a convenience store on 1F.
Foody, sorry. In Xizhi, at Kangning Jie, Ln. 169, #23, 9F; not far from Donghu. Daytime hours only (M-F, possibly 10-5 or so); they welcome retail walk-ins but are wholesale and importer in nature. They speak English (some do) and sell a wide variety of fair trade (and often organic) items in a range of prices, some at lower than normal retail for the quality level. Their extra virgin olive oil is very good, as is their fair trade cocoa powder.
From Donghu Rd. head east till it turns into Kangle Jie (at the Post Office); there, the third leg of the threeway intersection takes you to Xizhi’s Kangning Jie. You’ll turn left at Ln. 169, go up a hill a few hundred meters, and it’s on your left, with a gated guardhouse, and a convenience store on 1F.[/quote]
thanks!
Hello all,
After going on a scavenger hunt around Taiwan, I decided to just order some Dry chillies myself. The thing is that in order for it to be worth it, I had to order a whole bunch, more than I would ever eat.
Anyways, if anybody is interested in acquiring some Mexican dry chillies (Guajillo chillies, Pasilla chillies, Mulato chillies and arbol chillies), do let me know, I have more than enough to share.
[quote=“jbstate”]Hello all,
After going on a scavenger hunt around Taiwan, I decided to just order some Dry chillies myself. The thing is that in order for it to be worth it, I had to order a whole bunch, more than I would ever eat.
Anyways, if anybody is interested in acquiring some Mexican dry chillies (Guajillo chillies, Pasilla chillies, Mulato chillies and arbol chillies), do let me know, I have more than enough to share.[/quote]
Very nice offer! 
I’d love some mulatto, sure! Please drop me a PM with your location and contact info, and let me know if there’s anything you’re still having trouble finding.
PM sent - I’m especially interested in guajillo, I think.