Japanese Sake
Posted on 01. Thu, 2010 by grace in Ingredients, Japanese
Sake, often called the “Drink of the Gods” by the Japanese, is a beverage produced from sake rice, pure water, koji spores, and specially selected yeasts. Sake is brewed like beer, but it is served and enjoyed like a fine white wine. There are different sake grade levels, each requiring different brewing methods and a different percentage of rice milling. In general, the more you mill )or polish) the rice, the higher the quality. The brewing process for higher grade sake is also more labor intensive and more steps are done by hand and over longer time periods.
Vine Connections imports only premium, authentically-Japanese sake, the majority of this failing into a grade level specifically referred to as “Ginjo” sake. Ginjo [...]
Five Spice Powder
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Chinese Five Spice Powder is a mixture of fennel, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns. But there are different spice blends and sometimes more than just five. It balances all 5 flavors of Chinese cooking: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and pungent. Just a pinch is all that’s needed—it’s a strong spice and can take over the entire dish if you use too much! Its great when mixed with sea salt to season chicken for the grill or just a few dashes can be added to any Chinese stir-fry. Five Spice Powder is a popular spice mix, you can probably find it at your regular grocery store.
Fish Sauce
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Fish sauce is an essential ingredient in my pantry. It has a nice salty-sweet flavor to it, and you use it very sparingly, like Anchovy paste. A little goes a long way! There are several brands of fish sauce, the best one I’ve found so far is called “Three Crabs” Good fish sauce should be the color of brewed tea. Anything darker (like the color of soy sauce) is a lower quality brand. If you think that “fish sauce” sounds like a weird ingredient, guess what? A big chuck of the most popular Thai and Vietnamese dishes call for fish sauce! After opening, you can store fish sauce in your pantry or refrigerator.
Dashi
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Dashi is like the backbone of Japanese cuisine, flavoring everything from miso soup to braised chicken. It’s a stock made of seaweed and dried bonito flakes. Instant dashi or Hon Dashi, is used in a lot of quick home cooking in Japan, and making it so convenient to whip up a bowl of miso soup in minutes! There are vegetarian versions of dashi made from dried shitake mushroms—though I haven’t found a vegetarian instant dashi. Also, instead of boiling frozen edamame pods in plain water, I add a couple spoons of instant dashi granules in the pot. You’ll notice the difference in the taste tremendously!
Thai Curry Paste
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Thai curry paste is sold in little cans, pouches or tubs. I recommend the little 4-ounce (xx-g) cans or pouches as they are easy to store and use. If you do buy the larger tubs, curry paste does keep well in the refrigerator for several months if you store it properly and keep it covered. There are many different types of curry paste – red, green, yellow, masaman. Each is made from a different combination of herbs and spices such as garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, galangal, and of course chilies. If you’re new to working with curry paste, it’s best to add just a bit first into the dish, taste and then adjust.
Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong)
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Chinese sausage or “Lap Cheung” is found in the refrigerated section or in the dry goods section. Chinese sausage is sold in plastic shrink-wrapped packages in Asian markets. It is cured, so it lasts for a long time like Italian sausage. Keeps for about six months, sealed in its original packaging at room temp. Once you open, seal in plastic bag and refrigerate for up to another 6 months. Unopened, they keep in your pantry for 1 year, as they have already been cured.
Rice Wine
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Shaoxing wine is the most popular Chinese rice wine, and it’s made from rice and yeast. While you can drink good quality Chinese rice wine, it’s not my cup of spirit. However, I can’t imagine cooking Chinese dishes without it! I use Chinese rice wine in everything from marinating meats to a splash in my stirfry to an entire cup in braises. You can substitute with dry sherry.
Chinese Black Vinegar
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
This is one of my secret ingredients in my pantry. Anytime that I think a Chinese stir-fry needs a little somethin’ – a splash of Chinese Black Vinegar always does the trick. It’s made with sweet rice that has been fermented, like fine aged vinegars. You can substitute with balsamic vinegar. You’ll find that Chinese black vinegar is that indescribably secret ingredient in Steamy Kitchen’s Broccoli Beef.
Chilies
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by admin in Ingredients
Of all ingredients, this is the most fun to play with. There are so many different chilies from all over the world and each has different levels of heat. In the U.S. you’ll find finger-length chilies (medium spicy) to Thai Bird’s Eye chili, which are tiny but will have you screamin’ for your mama. Here’s my tip. Use what you like and what you can find fresh in your markets. Generally (and I really do mean generally) the larger the chili is, the less spice it packs. I try to find larger chilies because while I totally enjoy the flavor of fresh chilies, my spice tolerance really isn’t that high. Jalapenos, while not Asian, are super-fresh and plentiful in my [...]
Japanese Sweet Rice
Posted on 01. Sun, 2010 by grace in Ingredients, Japanese
Japanese rice is short grain rice that becomes sticky when cooked. Most rice is sold with the outer portion of the grains polished away. Unpolished [...]