Where To Find Blachan in Vancouver?

[Sam Salmon]

There's this delicious sounding recipe here for Prawn/Pumpkin soup that calls for a chunk of Blachan-something I haven't used in years.

Scoured all kinds of stores in Chinatown-SFA.

Found some Vietnamese product @ GIM but it's somewhat watery not the same thing at all.

Note that I'm looking for Shrimp Paste not Sambal Blachan which is fairly common.

Rumours are heard of an Indo/Malay grocery up on Kingsway near Joyce but haven't driven up that way in months so I have no idea.

Any/all relevant info/comment/opinion much appreciated.

TIA

[Mooshmouse]

Sam, as noted in your linked Wikipedia entry, blachang is also known as bagoong alamang in Filipino and can be readily purchased at any store selling Filipino food products. Aling Mary's on Main Street at East 11th Avenue (right beside Josephine's) and Aling Pining on Fraser Street between East 27th and 28th.

Note: Upon re-reading your post, I'm editing to add that bagoong alamang still might be a bit too watery for your purposes. Are you looking for cakes of shrimp paste or the jarred variety? Bagoong alamang is the latter kind.

Edited October 14, 2006 by Mooshmouse (log)

[flowbee]

i bought some hard brick-like shrimp paste from Cheong Le market on Victoria Dr near 49th. It was at least a couple years or so ago....it's lasted me that long. It's in a yellow foil-ish package.

[Vancouver]

I'd just suggest giving any of the Singaporean and/or Malaysian restaurants in town a call to ask where they buy theirs. Try Orchid delight on Burrard or Kedah House.

I'm assuming you are looking for the block kind. The last time I purchased it was in a store in Toronto's Chinatown. It came wrapped in wax paper.

Cheers!

[Vancouver]

I was shopping at China World in Richmond today and they had the brick type available.

Cheers!

[placebo11]

T&T has the brick type too for under $2.

[Sam Salmon]

T&T has the brick type too for under $2.

←

Thanks-I'm sure I saw it there in the past.

I checked with Customer Service desk there but they had NFI what I was talking about.

Apparently the key lies in the dried seafoods aisle.

[makanmakan]

My mom and I buy the T&T one. It's comparable to what we used to use in Malaysia. IIRC, I think it's in the spice aisle.

Not sure what the recipe directions are, but make sure to dry fry it a bit to get all the flavour out. Watch out for the stink though