and the Pork and Mango Potstickers (page 46). I included them because these are super-awesome dishes and also because they are great for freezing and saving for a lazy kitchen day or last minute party nibbles. Both recipes go from frozen to dinner table in about 15 minutes. Can’t beat that!
Fast is not the only thing you’ll find in this book. I love vibrant vegetables, aromatic herbs and ripe, juicy fruits. You’ll find that each dish is incredibly colorful with fresh herbs, chilli peppers and veggies. Food comes so fresh these days—it’s a shame to do too much to them other than a quick stir-fry in a pan!
But I think if there was one thing that defines this book, it’s that the recipes are simple. Simple enough for tonight’s family dinner. I’ve got lots of step-by-step photos to help break the steps down so you can visually see how to do something, like rolling Mom’s Famous Crispy Egg Rolls (page 50) or deveining a shrimp with the shell-on (page 71).
Because I’ve been teaching hands-on cooking classes for a few years now, I’m really good at knowing what questions you’ll want answers to and how to explain things clearly. At the end of class, people always proclaim, “I never knew it was that EASY!”
What is Asian Cooking?
I put a lot of thought into what “Asian cooking” really means, and it’s more complex than just a section of a shelf at a bookstore. You see, I grew up in North Platte, Nebraska, in the ’70s, during a time when I was the only Asian kid in my entire school. So, you can imagine some of the comments and attitudes that I had to endure as a child.
When we moved to Los Angeles, California, things changed. It was actually quite a bit of a culture shock for me, being surrounded by “my peeps” everywhere! No longer was I any different than the general population. When Scott and I moved to a small town in Florida to start a family… and as you read earlier, it kinda jarred me back to the days of childhood.
I think calling my style of cooking “Asian” will be short-lived because Asia is made up of so many different countries! We don’t use the term “European Cooking” as we can differentiate between French and Italian cuisines. And if I called what I specialize as “Asian” I would be just as guilty as the ignorant.
But at the same time, we’ve got to start somewhere. I hope this book inspires you to explore the ingredients in your local Asian market and play with them in your kitchen, and at the same time I hope to teach you some things about each spice, herb and vegetable, such as their origins and popular uses. And maybe one day, the foods of Laos will be just as popular as the specialties of Germany.
Having been born in Hong Kong, having grown up in secluded Nebraska, and having lived in crazy California and now in Florida, I think all Asian food is relative. It depends in part on geography (living nearby the bustling Los Angeles Chinatown versus having to drive four hours to the nearest Asian market in Nebraska), but also on learning how to take whatcha got and adapt it to your family meal. With several Asian online grocers in business (see the Resource Guide for a list) and many “ethnic” ingredients popping up at your regular grocery store, it’s easier than ever to create fabulous meals with ingredients from all over Asia at home. This is why Martin Yan, Ming Tsai and Andrea Nguyen—my cooking idols— are such amazing chefs. They are able to keep the authenticity and essence of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai ingredients and help us integrate them into our American lifestyle without “dumbing down” Asian food. My style of cooking is really a combination of my Mom’s home-style dishes and and of course influence from chefs and my fellow food bloggers.
With this book, I wanted to showcase all types of Asian ingredients, but specifically pantry items (like canned goods, bottled sauces and spices), frozen foods (fresh frozen noodles, dumpling wrappers) and preserved/dried ingredients (black mushrooms, Chinese sausage). And here’s why. With our lifestyle, we don’t necessarily eat Asian foods everyday, but I do like having the ingredients at my fingertips. I love going to my local Asian market once a month to stock up on ingredients that keep well in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer for weeks or even months at a time. I can combine any of these ingredients with a fresh vegetables, meat or seafood from my regular supermarket. That’s exactly what I do these days and it’s exactly how my Mom did it when we used to live in Nebraska and our nearest Asian market was a few hours away!
So, for example, pair canned black bean sauce with fresh clams—and 15 minutes later you’ve got a delectable dish. Slather jarred sweet plum sauce over chicken and roast— for a savory yet sweet, moist chicken. Fresh noodles found in the freezer section paired with crunchy carrots and soft mushrooms make it to the table in less time that it takes to order a take-out dish.
This cookbook is a compilation of some very traditional Chinese recipes from my Mom, some not so traditional but modern take-out old favorites, and of course, some that my kidlets have chosen for you, like Chocolate Wontons (page 147)! Many of these recipes were inspired by some of my very favorite food bloggers that I am lucky to count as my friends. We are constantly swapping recipes, learning from each other and inspiring new creations. And you don’t have to just depend on me to tell you that the recipes in this book work. The recipes were tested, and retested, by almost 200 of my dear blog-readers from all over the world, making this possibly one of the most well-tested cookbooks out there!
My wish is that you’ll find this cookbook full of fantastic meals you’ll share with your family and friends. It can’t get any better than fast, fresh and simple enough for tonight’s dinner!
Please continue the journey online with me at www.steamykitchen.com where I am constantly updating the site with new recipes, videos, clips from my television segments and links to other fabulous blogs. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with the recipes, just comment on the site, email me at [email protected] or find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/steamykitchen.
WHAT TO DRINK
After chopping, stir-frying, tossing and tasting in the kitchen, there’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting down to a delicious meal with friends and family and a suitable beverage. We always keep a stash of chilled lager-style beers on hand. Their clean, simple taste immediately quenches thirst and is a fail-safe accompaniment to any Asian style dish. But sometimes, depending on the time of year or if we feel like something a little more upscale or festive, we pull out bottles of wine or sake. I’ve asked my friend Anu Karwa of Swirl Events to tell you about pairing wine with Asian dishes and Morgan Hartman of Vine Connections to tell you about sake. Aren’t I lucky to have such experts as friends who can do that fancy wine and sake talk?
PAIRING WINE WITH ASIAN FOOD
The complexity of flavors—spicy, sweet, salty and sour—in Asian food makes pairing wine lots of fun. Here are some guidelines to pick the perfect wine to enhance, not overpower, your Asian meal.
Spicy dishes beg for a wine to balance the heat, not add to it. You want to stay away from anything too high in alcohol because it can intensify the heat. You also want to avoid highly tannic wines, which can add a bitter taste to highly flavorful, pungent dishes. For lighter Asian dishes, my “go-to” recommendation is Gewürztraminer from Germany. Its lychee and roselike aromas that hint at sweetness make it a natural fit. Another great pairing is a dry Riesling, such as a Kabinett-style, from Germany. Its slightly dry taste and racy acidity really works. Other options for spicy dishes with slightly more pronounced flavors or heavier texture, such as Spicy Korean Tofu Stew (page 112), include a Muscadet from the Loire Valley in France. For the more adventurous wine drinker, try the up-and-coming varietal
