Toba Tabo

Toba Tabo Toba Tabo is an East Asian grocer in Rothesay, Isle of Bute and also online. We also stock many popular East Asian soft drinks and sweets.

We sell all the ingredients you need to cook your own Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian dishes.

www.tobatabogroup.comSome lovely cooking items and fresh ingredients today!Ceramic cooking pot and Thai pestle and morta...
15/06/2026

www.tobatabogroup.com

Some lovely cooking items and fresh ingredients today!

Ceramic cooking pot and Thai pestle and mortar!

Fresh beansprouts (taoge)

Sliced lotus roots

Fresh Napa cabbage/Chinese leaf

Bamboo shoot tips

Fresh turmeric

Fresh ginger

13/06/2026

Malay people and their amazing cuisine are from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Southern Thailand. Laksa is made and enjoyed across all the Malay communities with many different variations. This laksa is from the island where I grew up: Bangka, Indonesia. People cook this one when they want something super yummy but not too complicated. Enjoy!

A Simple Indonesian Malay Chicken Laksa with Brown Rice Vermicelli

Serves 3–4

Ingredients
- 300 g boneless chicken breasts
- 150–200 g brown rice vermicelli (soak as per packet instructions)
- 1.2 L low-salt chicken stock
- 1 Coconut block
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- 1 cm fresh galangal, bruised
- 1 cm fresh ginger, bruised
- 3–4 kaffir lime leaves (optional), torn
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 1 tbsp lime juice + 1 tsp palm sugar)
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 2–4 tbsp Yeo's Laksa Paste (start 2 tbsp; adjust to taste)

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, spring onion and a lime wedge.

Method
1. Vermicelli: soak brown rice vermicelli as per packet instructions until pliable; drain and set aside.
2. Fresh aromatics: finely chop 1 medium onion and 4 garlic cloves and pound or blitz with 1 tsp toasted coriander and 1/4 tsp toasted cumin to a coarse paste
3. Fry base: heat 1 tbsp oil in a large soup pan over medium heat. Fry fresh aromatics, 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Add 2 tbsp Yeo's Laksa Paste and fry 1–2 minutes until aromatic; increase to 3–4 tbsp for stronger flavour. Add bruised galangal, bruised ginger, lemongrass and kaffir leaves. Mixed it well 2-3 minutes.
4. Build broth: add 1.2 litter of chicken stock. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Add coconut block, gently simmer 10–12 minutes to infuse the whole aromatics.
6. Add chicken breasts. Simmer 10–12 minutes until cooked through. Remove chicken, shred or thinly slice.
7. Remove aromatics: fish out and discard the lemongrass, galangal and ginger pieces.
8. Season: stir in tamarind paste (or lime + palm sugar), then taste and adjust with salt, white pepper and extra Yeo's paste if needed.
9. Assemble: place a nest of drained vermicelli in each bowl, ladle hot laksa broth with chicken over it, and top with chopped coriander, chopped spring onion and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Notes
- Use the coconut-block-to-water ratio printed on your block packaging to make ~400 ml coconut milk.
- Start with 2 tbsp Yeo's Laksa Paste for mild/medium; 3 tbsp = medium; 4 tbsp = strong.
- Bruised galangal and ginger infuse layered aromatics—remove before serving.

We still have a big bag of fresh Beansprouts. It’s in the shop since Monday. It’s £3.50. First come first serve.
10/06/2026

We still have a big bag of fresh Beansprouts. It’s in the shop since Monday. It’s £3.50. First come first serve.

07/06/2026

Last year, July 2025, our darling Dad and sister visited and stayed with us in Isle of Bute for 4 weeks. I cooked and we ate together, sharing stories, laughing together, taking him to see his granddaughter’s almamaters of Edinburgh University (her first degree) and Glasgow University (her master). We also took him to Celtic as he loves football! Now, we all miss him. Our Dad is doing fine and enjoying his life with our family and his friends in Indonesia.

Have a great Sunday everyone. 🌷

06/06/2026

Indonesia's National Dish! There is no corner of Indonesia where you can't find Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) for sale. Everyone has their favourite version and you can make it with almost anything you have in your fridge. I made a Brussels Sprouts version once which was delicious! This is my fishballs and lardon version but you can adapt it any way you like. One of the keys is to use day old rice.

Indonesian Lardons and Fishball Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)

Ingredients
- 400 g cold cooked rice (preferably day‑old)
- 150–200 g lardon
- 150 g fishballs, halved or sliced
- 2 eggs
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 small shallots (or 1 large red onion), thinly sliced
- 1–2 tbsp Yeo’s Nasi Goreng Paste (adjust to taste)
- 2–3 tbsp ABC sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- 1 tbsp Lee K*m Kee Light Soy Sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp Lee K*m Kee Chilli Oil (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra if needed for frying the lardon
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Pickles, prawn crackers or sliced cucumber to serve
- Asian Boy Fried Red Onions (pre‑made), to sprinkle as garnish

Method
1. Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium–high heat. Add a little oil and fry the lardon until browned and the fat has rendered; transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
2. Add the fishballs to the pan and fry briefly until lightly coloured and heated through, then remove and set aside.
3. If needed, add a touch more oil, then fry the shallots and garlic until fragrant. Push the aromatics to one side of the pan, add the Yeo’s Nasi Goreng Paste and stir briefly to wake the flavours, then crack in the eggs and scramble until just set; mix with the shallots and garlic.
4. Add the cold rice and break up any lumps, stirring to combine. Stir in the ABC sweet soy sauce, Lee K*m Kee Light Soy Sauce (if using), and Lee K*m Kee Chilli Oil, then season with salt and black pepper and taste to adjust.
5. Return the lardon and fishballs to the pan and toss through until everything is heated through. Stir in the spring onion, remove from the heat.
6. Serve immediately with pickles, sliced cucumber and prawn crackers if desired, and sprinkle pre‑made Asian Boy Fried Red Onions on top just before serving to keep them crisp.

04/06/2026

After working hard all day yesterday we wanted something hearty and cosy, so I made a very simple miso broth with udon noodles and salmon.

Here’s a simple, flavour‑rich Udon noodles with miso‑broth.

Ingredients
Shemaiah Kombu‑Dashi Soup Stock – 800 ml
Yutaka Udon Noodles – 250 g (fresh or frozen)
Yutaka Miso Paste (white or light) – 2 tbsp
Sanchi Soy Sauce – 1 tsp
Yutaka Mirin – 1 tsp (optional, for a touch of sweetness)
Toba Tabo Fresh Ginger – 1 cm piece, finely grated
Amoy Pure Sesame Oil – ½ tsp (for finishing)
Salmon fillet – 200 g, kept whole and cut into 2–3 cm‑wide thick slices with the skin left on
Spring onions – 2, sliced thinly (green parts only)
Garlic – 1 small clove, minced (optional)

Method
Heat the dashi

Pour the 800 ml of Shemaiah Kombu‑Dashi into a medium saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Add aromatics

Stir in the grated Toba Tabo ginger (and the minced garlic, if you’re using it). Let the flavours infuse for about a minute, stirring occasionally.

Incorporate the miso

Reduce the heat to low. In a small bowl, whisk the Yutaka Miso paste with a ladleful of the hot dashi until smooth, then stir this mixture back into the pot.

Season the broth

Add the Sanchi Soy Sauce and the Yutaka Mirin. Taste and adjust – a little more soy sauce if you prefer it saltier, or a splash more mirin for extra sweetness.

Poach the salmon

Place the thick salmon slices skin‑side down in the simmering broth.
Poach gently for 6–8 minutes, or until the flesh becomes opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. The skin will soften and lend extra richness to the soup.

Cook the udon

While the salmon is poaching, bring a separate pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
Add the Yutaka Udon noodles and cook according to the packet instructions (usually 2–3 minutes for fresh noodles).
Drain and give the noodles a quick rinse with warm water to stop further cooking.

Assemble the bowls

Divide the cooked udon among serving bowls.
Ladle the hot miso‑salmon broth over the noodles, ensuring each bowl receives a generous slice of salmon with its skin still attached.

Finish and garnish

Drizzle a few drops of Amoy Pure Sesame Oil over each bowl for a subtle nutty aroma.
Sprinkle the sliced spring onions on top for colour and a fresh bite.
Serve straight away, perhaps with a side of pickled radish or a simple cucumber salad if you like a contrasting texture. Enjoy your hearty miso‑broth ud Udon with succulent skin‑on salmon!

www.tobatabogroup.com

www.tobatabogroup.com At our Rothesay shop or our online store: amazing quality Japanese, Korean and Chinese deliciousne...
02/06/2026

www.tobatabogroup.com

At our Rothesay shop or our online store: amazing quality Japanese, Korean and Chinese deliciousness to elevate your palate to another dimension!

31/05/2026

When I was growing up on Bangka Island in Indonesia, this recipe was a family favourite for when we didn't have fresh fish in the house because the fisherfolk couldn't go out due to heavy seas.

A Sumatran recipe for making a delicious meal with canned fish. (Ikan kaleng)

Ingredients:
- 2 cans (about 425 g total) canned mackerel in brine.
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2–3 red chillies, sliced diagonally (adjust to taste)
- 1–2 bird’s-eye chillies, whole or sliced (optional)
- 1 cm piece of ginger, crushed or finely chopped
- 1 big tomato, chopped
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves
- 5 g grated palm sugar (or 5 g soft brown sugar)
- 5–10 ml tamarind water (from 15 g tamarind paste + 30 ml water), or substitute 15 ml sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) + 5 ml vinegar
- 5 g salt (adjust to taste)
- 30 ml cooking oil for frying
- 100–150 ml water (adjust for desired consistency)
- Juice of ½ lime for serving (optional)
- Spring onion, chopped
-Chinese celery, chopped

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the shallots and garlic till they are browned and aromatic but not over fried. Add bruised Kaffir lime leaves, ginger and chopped tomato.
3. Add the red chillies and bird’s-eye chillies; fry for 1–2 minutes until slightly softened.
4. Add the canned fish sauce and 100 ml of water. Stir it mixed.
5. Add the canned fish, the palm sugar, salt and tamarind water (or the sweet soy sauce + vinegar substitute). Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 3–5 minutes to blend the flavours.
6. If you prefer a thicker sauce, simmer until reduced; add more water if it becomes too dry.
7. Add the chopped spring onion and Chinese celery.
8. Remove from the heat and serve hot with a squeeze of lime and steamed Jasmine rice.

Variations:
- Add 1/2 tsp ground turmeric for a stronger spice note.
- For a hotter, more rustic Sumatran flavour, increase the bird’s-eye chillies and add 2–3 g roasted shrimp paste (terasi), mashed into the sauce.

Address

75 Victoria Street
Rothesay
PA200AP

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 12am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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