not be discarded. The ink from the squid was an important source for Europe's ink, called sepia, until about half a century ago, when other dyes were invented.
In some countries, notably Spain and Italy, this ink is used as an ingredient in cooking. Arroz negro (black rice) is -rice cooked with squid, tomato, peppers, onions, and squid ink mixed with wine. It is served with a potent garlic-olive oil sauce. Spaghetti nero is al-dente cooked pasta that is served with a sauce made by sauteing minced garlic in olive oil and adding the squid ink and small pieces of chopped squid.
The maximum cooking time for stir-fried squid is three minutes. For moist cooking, baking, or stewing, at least 20 minutes are required to tenderize it. Do not marinate squid any more than 30 minutes, or the meat may soften too much; and be warned that it will taste bitter if vinegar or lemon juice is used.
Cooking Fats and Oils Safflower oil is preferable to other vegetable oils because it is lighter and has more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fat than other oils. In this book, it is substituted for pork fat and lard, and for coconut oil, which is highly saturated. Ghee used in Indian cooking is similar to clarified butter, which is pure butter fat with all the milk solids removed. Safflower oil or polyunsaturated margarine takes its place. Avoid solid vegetable shortenings and substitute polyunsaturated vegetable oils and margarines. The total fat and calorie content may be the same, but the saturated fat content is much lower and there is no cholesterol in pure vegetable fats. Ideally, the oil or margarine should contain at least twice as much polyunsaturated (P) as saturated (S) fatty acids.
If the label shows a P/S ratio, it should be 2 to 1 or higher. Also, do not buy margarines that list "partially hydrogenated" or "hardened" oil as the first ingredient. The label should list liquid vegetable oil as the main ingredient. Avoid any product that contains coconut or palm oil. (See Fat-Cholesterol-Sodium Tables on pages 332-34.)
To cut down on the quantity of fat needed in cooking, Teflon- or SilverStone-coated nonstick pans are recommended because foods brown nicely in them without sticking, even when the smallest amount of grease is used. Do not heat fat to the smoking point. Fat that begins to smoke releases undesirable chemicals and should be discarded.
Eggs Eat no more than 3 egg yolks a week, including eggs used in cooking and baking. A single egg yolk has 265 to 275 milligrams of cholesterol, nearly the maximum amount recommended for an entire day. More than half the protein in eggs is in the white, which is free of fat and cholesterol and can therefore be eaten in unrestricted amounts. The yolk is nearly twice as rich in fat as it is in protein and has more than three times the number of calories found in the white. These facts should not be cause for giving up omelets. A very good one can be made with 1 egg yolk and 3 whites. Feed the unused yolks to your pets. They do not get atherosclerosis because unlike humans they excrete cholesterol.
Another alternative is to use an egg substitute. Commercial egg substitutes that are made from egg whites are available in the dairy section of the supermarket. Read the labels carefully, however, and do not buy any that contain coconut oil, palm oil, or other saturated fat. A recipe for an egg substitute based on one from an American Heart Association cookbook will be found in the Korean section under Fish Fillets and Vegetables Wrapped in Egg Batter on pages 75-76. Still another American Heart Association cookbook recommends an even simpler substitute: for each egg in a recipe, substitute 1 egg white and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. For recipes that require a lot of eggs, such as a sponge cake or a souffle, these substitutions will not work, though they will work for other cake and cookie recipes. Some experimenting may be required.
About Some Essential Ingredients Used in These Recipes
Black Pepper A native of India and Indonesia, black pepper is the berry of a tropical vine. It is green when immature and red and yellow when ripe. The berries are gathered before they are ripe and allowed to dry in the sun. The result is black peppercorns. Black pepper is lower down on the heat scale than chilies, but when sprinkled generously on food it wakes up the tongue and enhances the flavor of the food itself rather than overpowering it. Black pepper is used extensively in Asian cooking and is one of the main spices in the garam masalas of India. Perhaps larger amounts are added to these dishes than you are used to. If you wish, use a smaller quantity but keep your peppermill (not your salt shaker) on the table to add more if you need it.
Chili Peppers The chili pepper is an indispensable ingredient in Asian cooking. It was once thought to have been brought to Asia from the New World by way of Spain and Portugal, but some botanists believe that the plant, like com, was carried by pre-Columbian voyagers across the Pacific from the Americas. As a general rule, the smaller the size of a chili, the hotter it is. For example, the tiny, pea-sized chilies used in Thai and Indonesian dishes can be so excruciatingly hot that they will jolt the palate like an electric shock, bringing tears to the eyes and a searing blast to the nasal passages. Devotees of this chili swear that when the discomfort subsides, only pleasure remains. The amount used in a dish is a matter of taste. Not all palates can tolerate chilies. For me, too much chili is a palate-searing assault that overpowers all other tastes in the dish. There are many varieties of chilies with differing flavors and uses, but I have not specified which to use in these recipes, although fresh ones are preferable to dried ones. Serrano chilies are the choice of many cooks, though I prefer the Anaheim chili because it is milder. But chilies are notoriously unpredictable.
Even chilies of the same variety can vary drastically in heat and flavor depending on the soil they were grown in. When I do not have fresh chilies on hand, I resort to my supply of small dried red ones and usually use one or two at the most. Dried chili flakes are also very convenient and have a nice flavor. Both fresh and dried chilies are no longer difficult to find and are available in almost every supermarket.
A word of caution about handling fresh chilies. More heat is concentrated in the white ribs and seeds than in the flesh itself. So if the ribs are large enough they should be scraped away and discarded. You may want to wear a pair of gloves when cutting chilies as the chili oils may be irritating to your hands. Do not rub your face or eyes after handling them, as these oils will cause painful irritation. Dried chilies will provide almost as much heat and flavor as fresh chilies, but their effect on the skin is less irritating.
Coconut Milk An essential ingredient in the cooking of nearly all coconut-growing countries, coconut milk is used in soups, curries, and meat and fish dishes, as well as in sweets. It is not the delicious clear fluid found inside of a young coconut. Rather, it is the milky liquid extracted from grated fresh coconut or from dried (desiccated) shredded coconut. It has a unique flavor and richness that no other ingredient can duplicate exactly.
Twenty years ago it was almost impossible to find coconut in the United States except for the very sweet packaged variety used for desserts or the occasional wizened coconuts found in some markets. Today desiccated coconut is easy to find in many markets and health food stores. However, some visitors from Southeast Asia have commented that no dried shredded coconut they have bought in the United States is really satisfactory, because it has an unpleasant after-taste, which is a sign that the coconut is too old or rancid.
In the countries where it grows, they say, a coconut at this stage of life is called copra and is turned into coconut oil, the main cooking fat for many of the region's people, especially Muslims, who do not use pork fat. It is also used in the manufacture of soap, perfume, and face and hair creams. For the freshest taste and ease of preparation, unsweetened canned coconut milk, both fresh and frozen, is by far the best tasting. The brand that comes from Thailand, called Cheokoh, is superior, although one other, a frozen brand from the Philippines, is also good. It must be kept in mind that though it contains no cholesterol, coconut is high in saturated fat, which medical practitioners warn should be used in limited quantities in a low-fat diet. Keep in mind that there are about 280 calories, 25 grams of saturated fat, and 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat in one cup of coconut, an obviously unfavorable P/S ratio.
Substitutes for coconut milk: In these recipes, I have substituted lowfat
