Market Friday: buying turmeric at the Indian market, ไปซื้อขมิ้นชันที่ตลาดอินเดีย

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(Edited)

This is my entry for #marketfriday created by the lovely and generous @dswigle. Last week I went for a walk at the old part of Bangkok where Chinese immigrants settled down and gave rise to Chinatown in a nearby area. Further down the road, another old community of Indian immigrants have been established for over two hundred years. So, within this three square miles, you could find one of the oldest Chinese shrines, famous Thai temples and an old Hindu temple. I was looking for ground turmeric in big bags as I have started to put turmeric in all my food! I could not find big bag of turmeric in any supermarket so I had to visit the Indian market where most Indians went for their daily shopping.

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I decided to get off the bus around the Sampeng market which was the original shopping mall in Bangkok, this market was established since the reign of King Rama V who initiated the construction of hundreds of shop-houses for Chinese immigrants, working class Thais and Indian immigrants. Consequently, you could find three communities living close to each other in a small area of Bangkok. I got off the bus a bit too early so I had to ask a local to tell me a short cut to the Indian market. Now I know quite a few short cuts in this area.

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The important landmark is the Hindu temple which is next to the Indian shopping mall. A narrow lane besides this Indian mall is where all the grocery stores of Indian goods and spices could be found. I went there in the evening but luckily several shops including the old Indian restaurant were still open. I had been to this place once before when things were still normal without any lockdown.

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Things seemed much more quiet and the market was not as crowded as it could be. I went into a few shops to enquire about the price of ground turmeric and bought two small bags from each shop. These were much cheaper than the one I bought from a Chinese drug store in my area. I used to get my supply of turmeric at a local flea market at a very cheap price. But thus market has been cancelled since the lockdown last year. I did wonder where all these poor vendors could sell their goods and produce during these past few months.

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Since the old Indian restaurant had empty seats, I decided to try their typical Indian tea with ‘lady’ which was one of Ganesha’s favourite sweets. The Indian tea took at least five minutes to be ready as the cook has to add spices in the boiling tea. The owner of the restaurant told me that Indian people would drink this tea to counterbalance the very sweet and rich Indian sweets. It was like drinking boiled tea with Italian herbal seasoning with added ginger.

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This restaurant is called Panjab Sweets which has been established as a small tea room by the family’s grandparents almost ninety years ago. I bought two more bags of ground turmeric and took photos of the shop. They had quite a varieties of imported Indian tea. This shop has been the sole supplier of Indian sweets to all official Indian embassy’a functions and Indian parties at luxurious hotels. But I still found these snacks were too sweet and rich in butter for my daily consumption.

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I visited a few shops selling gadgets and things for used in decorating Indian shrine room; I got a big bag of To my delight, I found a shop that sold so many kinds of beans at reasonable prices. So, I bought some chic peas for my bean curry recipe. The ground turmeric would last me several months. By the time I got all my shopping, the sky became dark and I had to walk through darken shortcuts to get back to the bright light of the Chinese community area to get the bus back home.

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สุดสัปดาห์ก่อนเราไปเดินเที่ยวแถวสำเพ็ง แล้วเดินต่อไปที่ย่านตลาดอินเดียที่อยู่ถัดไปอีกถนนหนึ่ง เราต้องไปแถววัดจองชาวฮินดู เพราะข้างๆวัดนี้คือศูนย์การค้าของชาวอินเดียโดยเฉพาะ แถวนั้นเป็นชุมชนชาวฮินดูที่บรรพบุรุษได้มาตี้งรกรากในสยามตั้งแต่สมัยรัลดสบที่สามเป็นต้นมา ในหลวงรัชกาลที่5 ทรงโปรดให้มีการสร้างตึกแถวสองชั้นหลายร้อยหลังคาเรือน เพื่อให้คนจีนอพยพ คนไทยที่พึ่งตั้งตัวและชาวฮินดูที่เข้ามาตั้งถิ่นฐานในสยาม ดังนั้นในบริเวณย่านสำเพ็ง เราจะเจอทั้งวัดจีน วัดไทย และวัดฮินดูอยู่ไม่มาไกลจากกันนัก ตลอดจนร้านค้าและร้านอาหารทั้งสามสัญชาติ ให้ลูกค้าเลือกตามใจชอบ

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เราไปถึงตลาดอินเดียตอนเย็นแล้ว เราไปหาซื้อขมิ้นชันผงเพื่อใช้ในการทำอาหาร เราเริ่มติดการใช้ขมิ้นชันเพราะทำให้อาหารย่อยง่ายและเป็นการเสริมภูมิคุ้มกันของเราด้วย เราตามหาซื้อขมิ้นชันยากมาก ที่อื่นขายแพงมากราวกับว่าเป็นตัวยาอย่างหนึ่ง เราได้เป็นของนำเข้าจากอินเดีย เกรดค่อบข้างดี เราแวะสามร้านเพื่อตรวจสอบราคา ก็ซื้อมาร้านละสองห่อ คราวนี้เรามีขมิ้นชันผงไว้ใส่อาหารไปหลายเดือนทีเดียว

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เราไปลองชิมขนมลาดู ที่ร้านอาหารปันจาบที่มีขนมหวานมากมายหลายอย่าง เราเลือกลาดูเพราะว่าเป็นขนมของพระพิฆเนศที่ทำจากถั่วและหวานน้อยที่สุด เจ้าของร้านบอกเราว่าเราต้องกินขนมหวานคู่กับ ชาของแขกเพื่อจะได้ตัดความหวานและช่วยล้างไขมันจากขนมด้วย เราคิดว่าขนมอินเดียมีรสหวานมากที่สุดเท่าที่เราเคยกินขนมมา ส่วนชาจากอินเดียก็เป็นอะไรที่น่าสนใจมาก เขาใส่เครื่องเทศลงไปต้มกับใบชา รสชาดเหมือนกินนํ้าต้มต้นไม้ใบหญ้า ชาอินเดียค่อนข้างแรงในการล้างสารพิษในร่างกาย เราเดินดูร้านขายของอีกสามร้าน เราเจอร้านที่ขายเม็ดถั่วมากมายหลายชนิด เราดีใจมากที่เจอร้านแบบนี้ คราวนี้เรามีที่มาซื้อถั่วมาทำอาหารกินเหมือนตอนอยู่เมืองนอกแล้ว เราได้กำยานแจกมาถุงหนึ่ง เป็นแบบผสมหลายอย่างในราคาที่ค่อนข้างถูกกว่าที่อื่น กว่าจะช็อปปิ้งเสร็จ ท้องฟ้าก็้เริ่มมืด เราก็รีบเดินกลับไปทางถนนใหญ่ที่เยาวราช เพื่อหารถเมล์นั่งกลับบ้านต่อไป

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Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Cheers.



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32 comments
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Wowo...not even a single minute, i realised I was looking a thai post....it was kind of visiting an indian market...complete indian...btw what us the name if the Hindu temple..looks quite attractive.

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Thank you very much for such a nice comment. ‘Sri Guru Singh Saba’ is the name of the Indian Sikh temple.

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Thank you very much for your kind support.

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Quick edit and you can add this post to Pinmapple!! 😆

I LOVE the Indian culture in Bangkok and always stay around the river near old Silom and China town esp for this reason.

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You should visit the Indian shopping mall and market at Phahurat and Sampeng areas one day.

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Great collection of photos. So colourful!

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Yup! The Indian market is always colourful!

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Thanks for your wonderful map and support.

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(Edited)

Wow, that market looks amazing - a great place to stock up on beans, spices and other supplies. I have some turmeric and I haven't really been using it, though I have intended to. I would love some advice on what to add it to. Rice makes sense, for example, but I could use some other ideas! I will look up some recipes.

I wish I could shop at that market!

!tip

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Thank you very much for your kind comment and generous support. So glad you like Indian spices; I am just beginning to get more accustomed to these strong spices. Thai food use much less spices!

I put ground turmeric in my bean stew and spaghetti sources; just half a tea spoon to add colour and some antioxidant.

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(Edited)

Hi, @jayna! I got this online maybe 3 or 4 years ago and kept it as a reminder!

Ground turmeric

Blend it into smoothies: use 1 teaspoon for a subtle turmeric hit. Add up to 2 teaspoons for a more intense flavor. Include coconut oil in your smoothie to boost the turmeric absorption.

Add 1-2 teaspoons to any soup recipe. It will add a deep golden hue to it.

A natural in curries, turmeric brings warm flavors to any curry or stew. When you sauté the vegetables in oil, add in 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric.

Add a color pop to rice dishes by adding ½ teaspoon turmeric to the water when cooking the rice.

Boost the healthiness of mac and cheese by stirring in ½ teaspoon of turmeric to your cheese sauce. This works for both homemade and boxed varieties.

When brewing regular tea, add in ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric to your mug before pouring in the hot water. You can also simply combine ground turmeric with hot water for a tisane.

Make golden pancakes: Add ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric to your dry pancake mix. The color is amazing!

Make a hummus topper: Combine ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric with 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds and sprinkle over hummus.

Hope this helps!

Denise

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You are the best, @dswigle! Thank you very much. I am going to start using it (finally). I have been feeling stiff in the joints with the change of seasons, and I'm hoping it will help! These are awesome suggestions. I appreciate it!

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The Chana Masala spices look very attractive! Chickpea, okra and potato curries are my favorite 😄 Turmeric is very high in antioxidant. It's superfood. I had stomach discomfort in Indonesia so the medicine woman prepared turmeric concoctions. The taste is palatable and I felt so much better an hour later.

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Yeah! Turmeric is a very useful spice to have in the house. We take two capsules when we have indigestion!

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I love Indian shops! We used to visit them to buy spices and pickles in London. And they looked just like this one! Looking at your pictures brings memories of the wonderful smells! :)

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Oh! So glad these photos of the Indian market brought back good old memories. I bet you are a very good cook too.

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Thank you very much for your kind support.

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(Edited)

What a wonderful post! It fills me with feelings that I can't quite describe!

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So, you probably used to live around that area on one of your past lives!!
You’ll have to see the place in real life one day!!

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I love it when you take me to these unique shops!! Very different to me because, even though I have an Indian Shop here, it is a tiny little excuse of a place!

The moment you walked up to the gate of the Sampeng Market. the original shopping mall in Bangkok, I was in a trance. I love these old places, filled with history. If only the walls could talk and tell me of the people who pass through here in their time. I wonder about them!

The Hindu temple is gorgeous, with its golden shikhara. I have always admired them, but, know they are not about beauty.I spy the sweets in the tea shop! I am so glad you stopped for a few minutes and gave us a birds-eye view of the place. Their sweets look delectable, but, that is all it is for me. I don't eat much sugar at all, so sweets are not what I would be looking for. But, I love it when people enjoy them. Panjab Sweets seems like a nice tea room, but, it feels more like a coffee shop, although I cannot explain what I really mean.

Tea Rooms that I have been to have big chairs, tables, things for comfort, but perhaps they were Chinese tea rooms. :) Anyway, I am glad you got plenty of tumeric and that you made it home as you crossed shortcuts at dark! Stay safe!!here have been some really interesting ways that #MarketFriday has been presented, all of which adds all the more charm to the mixing bowl. The challenge points out our differences, but, then, it also shows many things our cultures share. When the day is done, it shows off how human we all are and how we basically all care about our families and others. I love the experience of it all. I appreciate the love and support given to #MarketFriday! Thank you! Truly! Your participation adds a piece of your world, and I have to say, people are interested in is seeing it. This entire challenge has opened up the world to me and so many others. Thank you again for being a part of all this! I hope you have a fabulous day! Hive on!!

Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:

How to Participate:
Go to the market! Any market will do! Food, clothing, plant, or animal, if you wish. You can go to the zoo, an art auction, and restaurants. Anywhere or anything that you pay money for any kind of service.
Take pictures! Be creative! It’s fun!
Tell us a little bit about the market, what brought you here?
Post the picture.(s)
Don’t forget to use the MarketFriday Community #196308 to post from or hashtag it! #MarketFriday by @dswigle If you hashtag it, drop the link to your post here so I can easily find them.

As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!

Upped and reposted

!tip .20

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So glad you like the old market place and old part of Bangkok. Yup! I couldn’t understand how people could eat those super sweet Indian treats! My dentist would scold at me!!

You’re right it looks more like a coffee shop or a fast food restaurant! Tea room is something else! A whole new experience. But Indian people are busy people with practical needs so they just stop for a quick meal with sweets and strong spice tea to wash down the sugar and cholesterol! LoL

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I know! It is true! Not at all like any tearoom that I have seen. I did love the old market place! Thank you so much for giving us a good look at it.

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