How international supermarkets can break up a dinner rut without costing a fortune

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — When kitchen burnout hits, figuring out what to make for dinner every day can feel like an impossible task.

Eating out or relying on convenience foods are increasingly difficult solutions for many American families, who are facing the biggest jump in grocery prices in a half century. It can also be healthier to cook at home, where it is easier to control things like how much salt or sugar is added to a meal.

But in many cities, there's another way to break the “what's for dinner” rut without breaking the bank: shopping at international food markets.

It can be surprisingly simple to incorporate new flavors into home meals by pairing unfamiliar ingredients with pantry staples, says Palina Louangketh, a self-described foodie and the director of the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora. She also teaches cooking classes, partnering with Boise-area refugees who demonstrate dishes and techniques from their home countries.

“Coming here to an international market, you get both a dose of cultural experience but also healthy, fresh exotic ingredients,” Louangketh said on a recent trip to the Idaho Capital Asian Market in Boise, pointing to products from China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea and elsewhere.

“It doesn’t have to be so scary or unique. If you pair your protein with vegetables and with a starch and add savoriness to it — soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce — you’re covered," she said.

Yes, navigating a grocery store full of new-to-you products with foreign-language labels might feel daunting at first, said Beryl Shereshewsky, a New York video producer whose YouTube channel is dedicated to exploring dishes and cultural connections from around the world.

But there are ways to incorporate international supermarkets into your home cooking routine, she said.

Here are some tips:

“I think you would be surprised by how many international markets exist even in small towns and cities,” said Shereshewsky. “Everywhere you go in America, you’re going to find immigrants, and those immigrants are still cooking their foods from their countries and cultures."

Sales at international supermarkets and small grocery stores across the U.S. have been growing steadily for years, according to market research firm IBISWorld.

There are more than 20 international markets in Boise, which has just over 235,000 residents. Several more are located in nearby Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell.

People tend to shop near home, Shereshewsky said, but exploring new territory can reveal hidden gems.

“It allows you to interact with your city or town in a different way,” she said.

Store workers are often happy to assist.

“It’s exciting,” said Bailey Hughes, a cashier at Idaho Capital Asian Market who enjoys following food trends. “People will come in because they saw something viral on the internet, like Chinese Baddie Tea.”

The viral beverage is based on a traditional Chinese tea recipe made with jujube dates and ginger.

And doing a little advance research goes a long way.

Many food bloggers focus on one cuisine, like vegetarian chef Manjula Jain who writes about Indian cuisine, Lola Osinkolu who specializes in Nigerian and indigenous African cooking, and Maangchi, a go-to resource for Korean cooking.

“There are a lot of people out there who are recipe developers who have spent a lot of time perfecting dishes and making them acceptable,” Shereshewsky said. She goes into markets “with a very specific list and recommendations of what I need to buy because going in there with no plan can be like, a little bit too much.”

You can find inspiration in the familiar if you're not ready to fully venture into the unknown.

“Look at something you really like and see the iterations of it around the world. That way you add a couple of new ingredients and you’re trying something new from something that’s familiar,” said Shereshewsky. “Even though we speak different languages or wear different clothing, or we live in different places, suddenly we’re all connected through a tomato."

Breakfast lovers might try swapping scrambled eggs and toast for a Ugandan rolex, a thin vegetable omelet wrapped in chapati flatbread. Or a basic side salad can be replaced with Chinese spinach salad, an addictive appetizer made using blanched Taiwanese spinach, vinegary dressing and peanuts. The Taiwanese variety is sweeter and crunchier than the flat-leaf spinach found in most big-box grocery stores.

Soups are another good place to start, says Louangketh. She likes to add bright, tart flavor to broths with fresh lemongrass and kaffir leaf, both pantry staples in Laos, where she was born.

Spices, fresh produce and some specialty sauces are often less expensive in international markets than in mainstream grocery stores. Even proteins like fresh and frozen seafood can be substantially cheaper, in part because these stores are more likely to work with multiple suppliers.

But keep your eyes open, and don't just assume everything will come at a savings. International markets can also carry very high-end versions of specialty products compared to what you might find elsewhere.

“I think you'll find some ingredients are much cheaper than in the traditional supermarket and others could be just as expensive — it depends on what you're looking for,” Shereshewsky said.

If you see something that intrigues you, don’t be afraid to try it.

“If you just buy some things because you’re vibing with them, you can then reverse-engineer meals out of them by searching that ingredient and recipes,” Shereshewsky said.

Filipino dishes have become part of her regular cooking rotation, in part because they are simple to prepare and often allow for ingredient substitutions that don’t change the overall flavor or integrity of the dish, she said.

“For example, they have calamansi juice, which is a type of citrus, but you can use lemon, no problem,” she said.

Other favorite ingredients for Shereshewsky include pork floss — a Chinese finely shredded dried pork with a texture similar to savory cotton candy — and aji panca, a mild Peruvian chile with a sweet and smoky flavor. Banana sauce, a sweet and tangy cousin to tomato ketchup, is another pantry staple, she said.

It can be fun to dabble in different cuisines, but real satisfaction comes from appreciating the cultures and people behind the food, says Louangketh.

“Food is about building community,” she said, and creating opportunities "to connect through something that is healthy.”

Consider attending cultural festivals or events or taking classes, like the free online “Kitchen of Exotic Eats” cooking classes offered by the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora.

Viral food trends may offer an easy entry point to exploring a new cuisine, said Shereshewsky, but don't let that overshadow the history of a dish. "If you take the time to understand where that food is from, you can get a lot out of it and learn a lot from the people who have grown up with these dishes,” she said.