Bo.lan Grocer: Elevating Home Cooking with Artisanal Thai Staples
Founded by Chef Bo and Chef Dylan of Bo.lan restaurant, Bo.lan Grocer is not only about presenting groceries, but also curating a heritage pantry with products that are organic and directly sourced from local families, which ensures every purchase contributes to a healthy food system. Here, you can select various items ranging from fundamental Thai ingredients—such as fish sauce, salt, and shrimp paste—to eco-friendly household products like cleaning products, containers, and souvenirs—all carry their own stories of how they are made.
As the saying goes: good ingredients go a long way. Whether you are new to Thai cuisine or looking to upgrade your pantry, here are the essential and unique items from Bo.lan Grocer that will elevate your Thai dishes.
Artisanal Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)
Fish sauce is a backbone of Thai cuisine, providing deep umami. Bo.lan Grocer offers three special types of fish sauce. The first one is a versatile Bo.lan fish sauce—naturally fermented, high protein, with a deep aroma from Mae Klong that can be used for seasoning both cooked (e.g., curries and stir-fried) and raw preparations (e.g., salads and sauces). The other two are "Kong Kai Lat" from Sukhothai and "Sappaya" from Chai Nat. These special types of fish sauce are unboiled, making them bold in flavor and suitable for cooked dishes.
Coconut Palm Sugar from Samut Songkhram
Before the prevalence of white sugar, Thai kitchen relied on sugar harvested from palm trees such as coconut and nipa palm. This type of sugar gives a balanced sweetness and pleasant aroma that are distinct from white sugar. While many brands combine palm sugar with white sugar to reduce the cost, our palm sugar is made from 100% organic coconut. It is savory, smoky, and gives a complex depth to various dishes like desserts, curries, sauces, and Yam (spicy salad).
Shrimp Paste (Kapi)
Made from a type of krill, shrimp paste gives dishes their aroma and umami flavor. Bo.lan Grocer offers pure, clean, rich-flavored shrimp paste harvested from the clean water of Krabi, unlike many types on the market that are full of preservatives and added MSG. You can use it to make high-quality paste for Thai curries, spicy relishes (Nam-prik), or stir-fries.
Organic Rice Varieties
A strong advocate for biodiversity, Bo.lan Grocer provides many options for rice. They often stock organic jasmine rice and more unique grains like Hom Nin (Black Jasmine Rice) or organic brown rice. Much of the rice comes from organic farms, supporting small-scale farmers who avoid monoculture. Thai rice is perfect for any savory dish.
Pro-Tip: Grab that curry paste! If you are visiting the grocer for the first time, look for their handmade curry pastes. Since pounding a paste by hand at home is labor-intensive, these pre-made pastes are the closest you can get to restaurant-quality flavor without having to worry about added preservatives.
By stocking your kitchen with these staples, you bring the authentic soul of Thai cooking into your home while supporting a more sustainable future for the food system. Next time you visit, take a moment to ask about the stories behind the jars—you’ll find that the best-tasting dishes are often those made with a deeper connection to the source.
