Annual Ingredient Quest

With my annual holiday party fast approaching (sorry, I can't invite you all), I'm, as usual, desperately trying to find a number of ingredients.

If anyone knows of sources for these, preferably not requiring a trip to Uptown or Chinatown, I'd greatly appreciate a note here:

1) (Done) Mastic - I can probably find this at a greek market, just haven't yet.
2) (Done) What towns permit selling single bottles of beer? I need a small amount of a dark beer for a recipe, don't need a sixer, since I don't drink the stuff
3) (Done) Similarly, has anyone ever seen miniature bottles of ouzo? I have a recipe which calls for 4 tablespoons, and odds are that's all that would ever be consumed in my household
4) (Done) Anyone seen fresh galangal lately? The last time I bought it from H-Mart, it was very woody, nearly impossible to chop fine
5) How about long coriander? Is that the same as culantro? Some websites seem to think so.
6) Keffir Lime Leaves

#2--I have bought single bottles of beer at Jewel on Green Bay in Wilmette--when I just wanted one bottle of Polish beer to take to Smak Tak....

Woodman's sells single servings of beer. We live by the North Aurora locale. I would imagine Binny's does too.

Chicago allows the sale of single bottles of beer.

I would give you one but you would have to come to wheaton to get it. LOL

If you're really in Mt p, I'd head north on Rand. There's a decent sized liquor store near that Target by that high school. I don't know the name, but I can picture it. It's a free standing bldg. But, if not there, then isn't there a Whole Foods just a bit north of there? Every one I've been in has some funky singles, and generally someone who knows about them.

Or, I could bring you a dark beer single, and a few frozen lime leaves if you promise to bring me some leftovers.

Actually, now that I think of it:
Last time I was at Whole Foods, I was sniffing around the "Asian" aisle, and a saw jarred lime leaf mixed in with the Asian spices/blends. No idea what the price was (or maybe my brain has blocked it from memory.) It was a simple handful of whole kefir lime leaves in a spice sized jar. Not sure if your WF has them, but the one in Hinsdale did. Totally caught me off guard.

JoelF wrote:3) Similarly, has anyone ever seen miniature bottles of ouzo? I have a recipe which calls for 4 tablespoons, and odds are that's all that would ever be consumed in my household

You should be able to find 200 mL bottles of ouzo without much trouble. Look for Ouzo Plomari by Isidoros Arvanitis. Minos in Addsion will have it (and your mastic too), maybe also Brillakis in Niles. Your recipe will use almost a third of the bottle.

chgoeditor wrote:Chicago allows the sale of single bottles of beer.

Chicago law seems to prohibit the sale of beer in single containers of 16 ounces or less. Thus the "make your own six pack" feature at many shops and supermarkets. According to Title 4, Chapter 60, Section 140 of the Municipal Code of Chicago:

"(i) It shall be unlawful for any licensee or any officer, associate, member, representative, agent or employee of a licensee to sell, give, offer or expose for sale, or deliver an individual container of beer, malt liquor or ale with a capacity of 16 ounces or less, except for consumption on the licensed premises."

So you won't (legally) find single cans of PBR for sale at your local convenience store. Clearly, single bottles of many imported beers are sold in Chicago at stores like Binny's. In light of 4-60-140 does anyone know why this is permitted?

If all else fails and you don't want to go hither and yon for each ingredient, I can highly recommend http://www.importfood.com for your galangal and Keffir lime leaves. Great site, great customer service, very reasonable prices.

As far as a little bottle of ouzo, there's a liquor store in a strip mall on Higgins in Rosemont, just west of Park Ridge, that has a wall full of small bottles behind the counter. That's my go-to close-by spot for buying such things. I doubt the prices are competitive, but when you only need a tiny amount, it's OK.

Sharon

P.S. I did see galangal and culantro at Tony's Finer Foods on Greenwood, just north of Dempster, last time I was there (about a week ago).

Rene G wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:Chicago allows the sale of single bottles of beer.

Chicago law seems to prohibit the sale of beer in single containers of 16 ounces or less. Thus the "make your own six pack" feature at many shops and supermarkets. According to Title 4, Chapter 60, Section 140 of the Municipal Code of Chicago:

"(i) It shall be unlawful for any licensee or any officer, associate, member, representative, agent or employee of a licensee to sell, give, offer or expose for sale, or deliver an individual container of beer, malt liquor or ale with a capacity of 16 ounces or less, except for consumption on the licensed premises."

So you won't (legally) find single cans of PBR for sale at your local convenience store. Clearly, single bottles of many imported beers are sold in Chicago at stores like Binny's. In light of 4-60-140 does anyone know why this is permitted?

Interesting....clearly is done at any number of places in the city, so I mistakenly assumed it was legal.

Got the mastic and a single bottle of German beer (pilsener in a half liter, which trumps the 16oz limit) at Produce World... It wasn't until I got home I see the note about Tony's, our I might have stopped there. H-Mart was a no-show on culantro (can probably use cilantro) and keffir leaves.

I decided to punt on the ouzo, and I'm infusing anise into some vodka

JoelF wrote:5) How about long coriander? Is that the same as culantro? Some websites seem to think so.

It is the same in a different sort of way..... Cilantro is the green stem/leafy part of the plant, which makes it an herb. Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant, which I believe makes it a spice.

Maybe it's a regional thing, but that's the way I know it. Pretty much any grocery store in this area sells fresh cilantro in bunches. The coriander will be in the spice aisle.

Tim

Your reply came in as I was typing mine. Sorry Joel, I thought you mispelled cilantro........ I'm off to figure out culantro.

My bad......

Tim

Freezer Pig wrote:Your reply came in as I was typing mine. Sorry Joel, I thought you mispelled cilantro........ I'm off to figure out culantro.

My bad......

Tim

You can also sometimes find it under the name "recao," which is the Puerto Rican name for it. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it in awhile. The place I used to get it from (the warehouse on the southwest side of the overpass at I-55 and Pulaski) only seems to intermittently stock it (under the name "recao.")

I'm surprised by the beer law in Chicago. I'm aware of it, as I've seen it enforced in Evanston, but I thought it was a suburban thing. Apparently not. I buy single bottles of 12 oz Dogfishhead 120 IPA all the time. Is it possible that because of the high alcohol content, some beers don't fall under this law for whatever reason? Although I could swear my local beer store has normal ABV beers that you can buy singles of, too, and are 12 ozers, not 500mL.

Galangal and lime leaves at Golden Pacific. Mastic also at Lincolnwood Produce, Marketplace on Oakton, and likely Fresh Farms on Touhy.

Golden Pacific
5353 N. Broadway
Chicago 60640
773/334-6688

Gypsy Boy wrote:Mastic also at Lincolnwood Produce, Marketplace on Oakton, and likely Fresh Farms on Touhy.

I was just going to suggest Lincolnwood Produce for Mastic.

We usually buy our booze in the suburbs, but the Binny's in Niles sells single bottles, as does Schaefer's in Skokie (but they have a limited selection).

As I said above, I got the mastic, beer, and am making my own ouzo substitute, plus I didn't mention but I found galangal.

It's mainly the lime leaves and culantro I need, and I really really don't want to go down to broadway, too much cooking to do tonight. Whole Paycheck says they don't have lime leaves, Assi and H-Mart are letdowns too. Perhaps I should try calling a Thai restaurant, ask if I can buy some off them, but most of the places near my house probably just open jars of curry paste.

Culantro is more prevelant fresh in Vietnamese places than Thai here. Comes in a bunch on the side at any reputable pho shop. Go get some pho and ask for extra.

I just called Boricua Produce on Armitage and asked them if they sell fresh recao/culantro. The guy's answer? "Recao? Yes. A lot of it!"

So check it out if you're in the area.

Boricua Produce
3334 West Armitage
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 486-8133

Perhaps you'll find the kaffir lime leaves at Fresh Farms Niles?

Fresh Farms
5740 West Touhy Avenue
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 779-7343

(I've also substituted lime zest for kaffir lime leaves, with good results.)

JoelF wrote:As I said above, I got the mastic, beer, and am making my own ouzo substitute, plus I didn't mention but I found galangal.

It's mainly the lime leaves and culantro I need, and I really really don't want to go down to broadway, too much cooking to do tonight. Whole Paycheck says they don't have lime leaves, Assi and H-Mart are letdowns too. Perhaps I should try calling a Thai restaurant, ask if I can buy some off them, but most of the places near my house probably just open jars of curry paste.

Tony's for the culantro!!! I assumed at first it was a misspelling for cilantro, until I saw the bin of cilantro a few feet down the produce aisle. Sorry, I don't remember the price. And maybe they have the lime leaves, too? I just don't recall.

Sharon

It's not just you with the confusion. Goya's Sazon in the orange package (the one I normally use) is pictured here. In the Spanish, it's described as "culantro y achiote", but in English, it's "coriander and annatto." I'm assuming the coriander is a mistranslation (or an imperfect translation) of "culantro."

You might try Uni-mart for the lime leaves. Check the freezer. I have seen culantro at Shop n Save and Garden Fresh, but I don't know that they have them all the time. Jerry's in Niles is a possibility, too.