Spice up your life

The minute you enter Saveurs d'Asie, you are struck by enticing aroma of cumin and cardamom. Opened seven years ago by Raj and Solida Selvaraj, the oriental grocery is for fans - whether beginners or professional chefs - of home-made curries and satays.
The Saint-Gilles shop supplies Brussels ' Thai restaurants with basic foodstuffs and offers a pan-Asian range of products, from five-kilo sacks of basmati rice to orchids and Thai fashion magazines.
Born in Pondicherry, Raj worked at the Indian Embassy in Brussels before deciding to set up the grocery with his Cambodian wife. They say the demand for very specific foods increased, not only from capital 's immigrant population but also from Belgians who return from holidays in Thailand or India with a taste for the cuisines.
For the culinary apprentice, the shop has an array of illustrated recipe books and instant Chinese noodle soups, while the more experienced chef can choose from an impressive selection of spices and chutneys, rice and wheat flours, clarified butter (ghee) and coconut milk. It also has a few shelves of black beans, used in South American cooking.
Much of the produce is hard to come by in continental Europe: bunches of fresh green peppercorns, thick Korean noodles and Thai aubergines. There is a range of frozen food, including fish, hacao (Chinese prawn ravioli) and filopastry to make sring rolls and samosas. Vegetarians will appreciate the extra-fresh tofu, made in Anderlecht, while for sushi-making there is dried seaweed. Rice-cookers and woks are among the kitchen utensils available. MARIE DUMONT

THE BULLETIN April 9 1999