This is a multi-blog series, looking at the various ethnic grocery stores in the Madison area. This week, we look at Asian grocery stores.

I’ve shopped at the various Asian grocery stores in town, such as Asian Midway Foods, Lee’s Oriental and Yue-Wah Oriental Foods, but my favorite is Viet Hoa in Monona because of its large selection. Still, you can’t go wrong with any of the aforementioned shops.

One of the first things you’ll notice in these stores is that you can find essentially everything canned, from fruits to vegetables to meats to sauces to pastes. You’ll also find a large produce section, as most Asian dishes are vegetable-based, not meat-based.

Recommendations for conservative palates

In the frozen section, you’ll find dumplings, shu mai, buns (vegetable and meat) and other items typically found on restaurant menus. You also can purchase wonton skins if you want to make your own at home. I suggest trying fried sticks, which are essentially light, airy breadsticks that you fry in oil.

If you’re a noodles fan, you’ll find endless variety, and many are so much better than the Maruchan ramen that are favorites of the budget-conscious. You also can buy soup broth that you can then add your own ingredients, such as beef and pho noodles.

I also like to buy canned lychees. While the fruit may look odd, they’re actually quite delicious, and you can mix the syrup with vodka for a lychee martini.

Recommendations for more adventurous eaters

Congee, which is a soupy rice often served at breakfast, can be pretty bland, unsurprisingly. That’s why you want to eat it with various accompaniments, such as pickled cucumbers (small, softer pieces of cucumber), dried shredded pork, fried dace or other canned fish and gluten (you’ve seen it in the buffet line at places like Flat Top).

For fans of banh mi, Viet Hoa often will have the Vietnamese sandwiches for sale. They go well with shrimp (flavored) chips, which you can buy in bags (try the Calbee brand) or as little round chips that puff up once you deep fry them. Speaking of seafood, dried, shredded squid is a tasty, protein-rich snack.

Finally, pick up a bottle of oyster sauce (it’s not at all oyster-y) and some broccoli. Cut the broccoli into pieces and boil until semi-soft, then stir fry it with the oyster sauce. You’ll always want to eat broccoli this way from now on.