Despite the awning, the stacks of dried saltfish, the buckets of pig's snouts and tails, and the shelves of Caribbean goods, this produce market and grocery now seems to be Korean-owned and -operated.
Chosen as condiments for a group dinner at a friend's house, Matouk's tamarind chutney (450 g.; $4.99) and Chatak mango chutney (378 g.; $4.49) were standard; Chatak shadon beni chutney (378 g.; $4.49; like the others, from Trinidad and Tobago) was the "stretch" selection. "Shadon beni is a very flavorful green leafy herb with a pungent aroma," according to the jar; how pungent, you can guess from its scientific name, Eryngium foetidum. Also called culantro and (especially in Puerto Rico) recao, this relative of cilantro is "blended with mangoes and hot red peppers" into a chutney that, to my surprise, was spooned up just as eagerly as the others.
For dessert, tamarind balls — not the tough little nuggets from Thailand, but the larger, softer Caribbean style (not shown; bag of four or five; $1) — were overly sweet.
Moons Fruits & Vegetables
1307 Fulton (Nostrand Ave.-Verona Pl.), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
718-638-1773
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