Fresh from the Farmers Market: The Mouas' Asian Delights

One of the busiest stands at the West Hollywood Farmers Market is the one where the Moua family offers fresh Asian ingredients. It is also one of the most fragrant. The Moua Family Farm is located near Bakersfield, and the growers make the weekly two-hour trek because there is a demand for their fresh-grown bounty of Asian fare.

"We aren't a certified organic farm, but we don't use any chemicals or sprays," said Chu Moua, who runs the farm with his parents. "The neighboring farms around us don't use chemicals either, so we feel the land is very clean."

Chu Moua and mother Cha Moua, grow an impressive variety of Asian ingredients such as bok choy, Chinese long beans, Thai peppers and bitter melons, an odd looking prickly gourd that is used in many Asian cuisines.

"This recipe is from the region of Okinawa in Japan," said Hisana Binder, a Japanese national who was at the market with her young son Hiro.

"When you cut open the melon you scrape out the seeds because that is the bitter part. I cut them into pieces and sauté in oil with tofu and onion until the tofu gets a little crispy. Okinawa country style food is very popular right now in Tokyo," she said.

I smiled as the young Hiro held up different purple Japanese eggplants demanding his mother's approval for the ones he'd chosen.

The Moua family is originally from Laos. Cha Moua and husband Peter had eight children after coming to America. As a family, they work the markets together when the children aren't in school. They immigrated to the United States from Thailand in 1987 to escape the genocide during that time. They are part of a large community of Hmong people who came to the U.S. and now reside in the Fresno area.

"My son Chu is now 22 years old," Cha Moua said as she pointed to Hiro with the eggplants. "Chu was the same age as that little boy when we came to America, and now he's a man."

The two types of okra the Mouas grow are also popular at the market. There's the familiar green sprout, which is popular in Southern soul food, but also the dark purple Thai variety that is sliced and added to soups or wok sautés. They also have Thai peppers, fresh garlic and Thai basil, which is more intense in flavor and recognizable by its ruffled purple edges.

"We rotate crops and spray the weeds with a non-chemical herbicide to help keep insects and disease from hurting the plants," said Chu Moua. "We hand pick and pack most of the produce the day before we come to the market, so it's always very fresh."

One of my favorite items to buy from the Mouas are the fresh blades of lemongrass, the scented flavorful herb that is found in Thai stews and broths. I don't always cook with it, although I love it when it's used in Asian dishes, but I just adore its fragrance. It makes my kitchen smell like an exotic paradise.

The West Hollywood Farmers Market is held every Monday (rain or shine) from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. It is held in the north parking lot near the tennis courts at Plummer Park, 1200 N. Vista Street, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Parking is limited, so allot time and be patient. Information for the market may be obtained from Beth Smith, the market manager, at 323-848-6534.

David De Bacco is a writer living and celebrating life in Los Angeles. He has worked for some of the world's most famous chefs and restaurateurs, and along the way he became a little savvy about food and wine. He has published articles and cookbooks for Shibata Publishing Co. in Tokyo and is a contributing writer for Edge Publications. He is also the creator of the Cookin' with Mama blog, a meeting place to share recipes from our mothers.