Myra's Kitchen Blog » Kalustyan’s

Anyone who is taken an ethnic cooking class with me in New York knows that I wax enthusiastically about Kalustyan’s, one of my favorite markets in New York. It is located on 123 Lexington, between 28^th and 29^th, in the “curry hill” section of Manhattan. A trip through Kalustyan’s is like a culinary education around the world.

Kalustyans has an extensive selection of spices, condiments, and specialty imports. Their focus is on South Asian and Middle Eastern goods, but you will find a wide variety of other products from all over the world as well. For example, should you want to purchase pomegranate molasses or tamarind paste, you will find virtually all the varieties currently imported. You will most like be amazed at the enormous selection of dried legumes, which includes selections ranging from the large Christmas Lima beans to tiny rice beans. You can find galangal and kaffir lime leaves in the freezer, curry leaves and fresh tumeric root in the refrigerator.

My favorite section of Kalustyan’s is their newly renovated spice room. They have the best selection of spices in town. Since they took over the storefront next door, however, they now are able to display their spices in an easy-to-navigate orderly fashion. Should you wish to purchase paprika, you will be be confronted with a choice of mild, hot, sweet smoked, hot smoked, as well as various other varieties. If it’s black pepper you want, you will have to decide whether to try the peppercorns from India, Turkey, Ecuador or Iran. All the spices are neatly packaged in a variety of sizes, so you can purchase a small amount if you just want to experiment. On a recent trip, I was pleased to find orange rind powder, which I purchased to mix into my homemade face washing mix.

If you’re unable to visit the store, you can visit their website www.Kalustyans.com. to purchase their products on line.

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