Recently I've been having a rather dangerous crave for Japanese food, and I thought I would take this opportunity to look around locally that sells Japanese cuisine. Luckily enough, I was able to come across two shops locally, both being Central Oriental Superstores, one located in Milton Keynes and one in Sandy. Today I went to the Sandy branch, and was impressed by the vast amount of food/kitchenware from the far east that they stocked!
Okay, so it wasn't like going into an average modern day supermarket, like Sainsbury's or Tesco. It was quite downmarket, the last decorating they did of the store must have been in the 70's .. but remember, looks can be deceiving.
So what did I bring home with me?
- 2 packets of red bean paste mochi,
- 2 packets of mung bean paste mochi
- a frozen bag of chicken & vegetable gyoza
- small cans of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts
- can of Lychee juice
- small bamboo steamer
Firstly, I tried the chicken & vegetable gyoza, in my new steamer too! From frozen, it takes 15 minutes over simmered water, and was absolutely delicious and very filling. The mochi was delicious too, but I found the red bean (white one) alot sweeter. As the gyoza dumplings and mochi are bitesize and small, they'd be a great addition to an oriental takeaway on a Saturday night, or even just as a snack when you are feeling a little peckish! Just drinking my Lychee juice now as we speak, and thats lovely too! Can't wait to try the waterchestnuts & bamboo shoots in my next stir fry!
If you want to check out Central Oriental Supermarkets to try some real authentic food from the far east for yourself, click here to find more!
