Where do you buy {fill-in-the-blank}? 15 December 2005

I get quite a few asking me where-oh-where do you get your ingredients? For my Manila-based friends, you are oh-so-lucky! And at the risk of giving away my secret sources and getting nothing from freely promoting some establishments, I put here a quick listing of where to get some pantry basics if you are here in Manila. (For my friends in the province, I commiserate as I am not such a big fan of substitution … but maybe you can enlighten me where you get your own ingredients!)

I’ve based the list on: 1) availability, 2) quality of the produce (if it’s been stocked there for the longest time, I wouldn’t buy it), and 3) value for money, as there are pricier stores out there.

Rice:

* Arborio, for risotto: Santis
* Japanese, good for sushi: Cherry Foodarama, Sakura Japanese grocery (I wrote about this here)
* Basmati: Rustan’s supermarket (Makati)

Flour:

* Whole wheat flour: Rustan’s supermarket (Makati) – look in their organic/imported section for Indian and Italian brands. Second stop: Healthy Options as they have an wide range of flours in different grinds. Though a bit pricier than Rustans, you can mix it for a nice grit.
* Semolina flour: Santis. If anyone can give me another source of semolina, I will forever be in your debt!

Yeast, dry active: Cherry Foodarama, Cooks Exchange

Herbs (packed and washed): Cherry Foodarama, Santis.
Both offer their own selections but the availability is kind of iffy. You can usually find fresh basil, oregano, mint, coriander at Cherry. Worth mentioning is the great basil at Santis – I’ll pick it over Cherry’s any day as the leaves are huge and the variety is especially aromatic.

Herbs, potted: Quezon City circle, the line of gardens and garden supply shops quite near city hall. Or you can wait until there is a flower and garden show!
You can get basil, coriander, dill, oregano, mint, among so many others … start your own little herb garden! If you have a green thumb, go for it! If you don’t (I admit, I don’t, I think I’ve killed so many herbs in my short little life), still go for it! Nothing beats being able to run off outside, pluck what you need and run back to your stove!

Herbs and spices, dried: Rustan’s supermarket (Makati), Santis.
Indian spices such as turmeric, cumin, red pepper from Rustan’s. Peppercorns, dried chilis from Santis. I have only seen whole cardomom in Rustan’s. The organic stuff, only at Rustan’s. (McCormick, leave me be please!). We get our organic peppercorns from a friend in India, we are so lucky!

Olive oil: available in most supermarkets.
The really great extra virgin olive oil is at Santis.

Anchovies: Rustans supermarket (Makati). Second choice: any supermarket usually has canned anchovies.
Look for the kind that is in little glass bottles at Rustans, as its not as salty as most varieties. Yes I KNOW that this is just dilis, but the local stuff pales in comparison, especially if you need it for Italian cooking. Besides all those teeny bones are annoying. In a pinch, good quality fish sauce (patis) will do (make sure there’s no MSG).

Olives

* Calamata: Santis. They sell them by the 100 grams and have their pits still in. I used to buy the bottled and potted variety but after having tried this, de-pitting is such a small price to pay for their incredible flavor!
* Green olives: Santis, Rustans supermarket (Makati), most supermarket groceries.

Pine nuts, for pesto: Santis

Tomatoes, sun-dried: Santis, Healthy Options
For quite a big pack, Santis! Healthy Options is pricier, but organic.

Milk, fresh: Santis.
I wrote about this already here.

Cheese: Santis, hands down.
Some of our favorites: parmesan, mozzarella (Galbani is really good), brie, pecorino, fontina, manchego … (I think I will stop here). They have an incredibly wide selection of cheeses that we make it a point to try something new once in a while. Indulge your craving for the real good stuff. Leave your plain old cheddar or the ordinary stuff you get at any grocery store!

Tea, loose leaves:

* Japanese tea (sencha, bancha, genmai-cha): Sakura Japanese Grocery or any other Japanese grocery. There’s Fujimart 11 near Mile Long in Legaspi Village, Makati (right outside Little Tokyo). And Okame in the Greenbelt area in Makati.
* Vietnamese tra: Phuong Vietnamese Restaurant, Los Banos, Laguna or VietVille, Palawan (ahaha, sorry, not THAT near Manila)

Vinegar:

* Balsamic: most supermarkets. Great stuff at Santis.
* Japanese: any Japanese grocery

So, pitch in …. and help me add on to this list! Please?

P.S. So you can easily find the stores, I’ve linked when I can. Else, just email me if you have never heard of the store so I can help you out. Happy hunting to us all!