Some ingredients are harder to find than others, Sarah Maddox gives us the 411 on where to buy them.

Although when you first arrive in Istanbul, cooking for yourself is about as far from your mind as the nearest taxi with its horn disconnected, after a couple of months of nothing other than doner kebabs, olives, tomatoes, feta, çorba and ekmek, for the good of your digestive system as well as your taste buds, you may want to start breaking up these Turkish delights with something from home — or just something from anywhere but Turkey.

For those of us who come from cities with a much more diverse multicultural palette than exists in Istanbul, after months away from a pad thai, inevitable cravings for the veritable feast of options available at home will begin before long. But if you don’t want to resort to paying hefty prices at transnational supermarket chains that are probably doing as much good for the world as a Turkish “wet burger” does for your low-fat diet, then here are a few suggestions of places you can find international ingredients to keep those cravings at bay.

Although soy sauce is a regular staple among most supermarket’s stock in Istanbul, and most spices can be found at either the spice bazaar or local markets, other Asian ingredients and seasonings are harder to come by. Fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and sweet chilli are either missing from supermarket shelves or are shockingly expensive. That is until you discover, Istanbul’s Chinatown. Tiny as it may be, heading toward Besiktas from Taksim, just down the hill past the dolmus stand, you know you are on the right track when you see the traditional Chinatown red latern archways that leads to a smattering of Asian restaurants perched on a steep side street. Follow that and you will come across the Cin Market off to the right, that has all these sauces, rice noodles, curry pastes and much much more.

If it is daydreams of curry on a beach in Ko Samui that you are after, then you cannot go past a tiny little grocery shop tucked away in the backstreets of Cihangir. Although it looks as Turkish as they come from the front, and is indeed stocked with every local ingredient imaginable, for a little shop with some mops and soda bottles out the front, inside it is another world. There is an astonishing array of rice noodles, egg noodles, red and green thai curry paste and coconut milk. From Taksim, heading down Siraselviler, past the German hospital to the junction, take a left at Akarsu Sokagi and then head all the way to the end, just before you reach the stairs heading down to the Istanbul Modern foreshore. The shop is perched just to the right of the stairs and when on entering you could be forgiven for wondering why it doesn’t topple down them as you discover the owners have not only mastered the art of tetris, they may very well have created it, with stock towering over you all the way up to the roof. If the kitchen sink is not in there too already, I am sure it will be soon.

This little shop is also home to some European delicacies, from Italy — parmesan cheese both freshly grated and in big unadulterated chunks, tomato and avocado salsas and jalapenos from Spain, and from France — dijon mustard, french cream, smoked salmon and capers and while not cheap compared to local food prices, it is much cheaper than you see in the French multinational down the road. Unfortunately for us Australians, no vegemite. Yet.

If it is the backstreets of Rome or a Tuscan villa you can’t stop thinking about, then a little Italian shop has opened up off Istiklal Caddesi on the street parallel to the British Consulate. Stocking red and green pesto, tomato pastes, every type of pasta imaginable and lasange sheets it is little Italy within 2 square metres. There is no fresh food section yet but the stock grows regularly so here’s hoping.

Pork can be hard to find in Istanbul. Rumours abound among expats about a little Greek butcher that stocks not only pork in all its guises but also has a small international foods section, how true they are and the actual location is a bit of a mystery. (For more information on pork shops in Istanbul, check ‘My Pork Hunt’ at www.timeoutistanbul.com/english )  For those up for an adventure, the most detailed directions I can find are that it is in Tarlabaşı near Bilgi University and right next to a Shell Petrol Station. However, for those who want a more certain option, a delicatessen on Siraselviler Street in Cihangir features all the many varied and mouthwateringly tasty versions of pig that you can get— ham, bacon and pork. It also has an array of European and other Asian international ingredients.

Just across the road from the delicatessen for all the wine connoisseurs among us is a shop called La Cave. Stocked to breaking point of bottles of the fruit of the gods from nearly every wine producing region on the planet, California, Italy, South Africa and Australia, while not a cheap option, if you are looking for champagne or something special from home for a treat, this is the place for you.

If it is not the lack of variety that the gloriously unhealthy but fantastically delicious white bread ekmek goodness that is the problem and more the fact that you are just totally allergic to it, an organic food store is probably what you need. Ambar organic is the answer. Nestled off the Galata end of Istiklal Caddesi on a side street in Tünel, and googleable - if that is indeed a word- Ambar stocks everything from free-range eggs, tofu, honey, soy milk and other health foods that are wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, but far from fiscally free. Yet again not your cheapest option but at least the money stays independent and if Meg Ryan in “French Kiss,” was anything to go by lactose intolerance doesn’t look like much fun.

So there you have it. For those of you who have had one Turkish delight too many and need a little bit of home, happy cooking.