it will require less water for cooking than last year's crop.
Every country of Asia has its own standard of quality. Some like it dry and flaky, others prefer it sticky and glossy. Even the method of boiling rice varies widely from place to place. But besides its importance for centuries as the main sustainer of life, rice has deep religious and psychological associations.
In some Eastern languages, the words for rice and food (meal) are identical. Many ceremonies have arisen in connection with planting and harvesting rice based on the notion that rice has a spirit that must be propitiated. In some farming communities, even the cutting implement that is used to harvest rice may be sacred to the rice goddess and therefore cannot be forsaken for new and more efficient cutting methods. In Thailand, when the rice plants begin to seed, the Thai expression is that the rice becomes pregnant. In China, when one loses a job, it is referred to as "breaking one's rice bowl."
Only three varieties of rice are used in the recipes in this book: long-grain white rice, short or medium-grain Japanese rice, and long-grain brown rice. Basmati rice is suggested in the Indian recipes, but it is expensive and difficult to find. Long-grain rice becomes quite fluffy and the grains tend to remain separate after cooking, whereas short-grain becomes more sticky and the grains tend to cling to one another. Brown rice is gaining favor in the United States because a more health-conscious public is aware that many nutrients are lost in the polishing process. Strange as it may seem, in some Asian countries brown rice is scorned for human consumption and is used to feed livestock. Recently, however, some Chinese restaurants in California have begun offering brown rice on their menus. To wash or not to wash rice, that is the question. The debate goes on. I find it unnecessary and wasteful of nutrients, although Asian cooks will agree on nothing else. The amount of water required to cook rice varies depending on its age. In general, if rice is old and therefore very dry, more water will be needed. For more about rice, please refer to the recipes themselves.
Soybean Curd Bean curd, also known by its Japanese name, tofu, is a high-protain food made from soybeans. It has a delicate, custardy consistency and though quite bland on its own, it readily absorbs the flavors of other foods, making it a useful extender. In the United States it comes packed in water in plastic tubs, in soft, medium-firm, and firm consistencies. When it is labeled "regular" it is medium-firm. Rinse packaged curd after opening. Then cover with cold water and refrigerate for up to a few days, changing water daily.
Soy Sauce and Other Asian Condiments Asian condiments are loaded with sodium. Use a low-sodium alternative whenever possible, and, to ensure a measure of control over how much sodium you ingest, never pour soy sauce or any other condiment out of a bottle. Consult the Fat-Cholesterol-Sodium Tables (pp. 332-34) for an approximate idea of how much sodium these substances contain, and always use a measuring spoon. But before you add more of a condiment to a particular dish, consider adding instead chili pepper flakes, black pepper, Japanese pepper, seven-spice mixture, vinegar, or lemon juice. It is my contention that it is possible to dine on very appetizing meals and still keep within the American Heart Association guidelines for sodium.
Tamarind The brown acidic fruit shaped like a large broad bean that grows on the tamarind tree is widely used in Southeast Asian cooking. To make tamarind water, combine 2 to 3 ounces tamarind pulp with 1 cup boiling water in a nonmetallic bowl. Mash with a fork and soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain by rubbing through a sieve. Tamarind has such a fine tart flavor that it is worth making some effort to locate it if it is not readily available in your locality. It is possible to substitute the juice and rinds of limes or lemons, or vinegar, but the taste is not the same.
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Processed Foods Choose low-sodium and low-fat processed foods whenever there is an alternative. Read labels carefully. You may need your glasses because the print is usually too fine for the naked eye.
Cooking Tips
Utensils Most of the dishes in this book can be cooked with available Western utensils. Though a steamer would be handy, especially for cooking a whole fish, it is not essential, since one can be easily improvised. In a large tightly-covered pot or roasting pan, place two small heat-proof bowls or small empty tuna cans. On top of these bowls set the heat-proof food-laden plate. Add water to the pot but keep it at least two inches below the food. There must be enough space around the plate to allow the steam to rise and circulate freely.
Another important piece of equipment in an Asian kitchen is the mortar and pestle used to reduce' chilies and spices to a paste. An electric blender will give the same results in much less time though it may be impossible to pulverize small quantities of food in it without the addition of extra liquid. If you don't have a blender, or just do not want to take the trouble to use it, dishes will be just as good tasting if you simply chop things finely and mix them together before cooking.
Stir-Frying Some enthusiasts insist on using a wok, which is the basic Chinese cooking vessel. It is widely used all over Southeast Asia, its bottom fitting nicely into the open top of a charcoal brazier. Its shape, unchanged for centuries, is ideal for stir-frying, because food is easily turned over along its sloping sides. I find it impossible to use on an electric stove because its rounded bottom barely touches the -hot coils, making it impossible to heat it to a high enough temperature. A wok works better on a gas stove, but the fit is still not right. I am partial to nonstick skillets coated with Teflon or SilverStone because they permit stir-frying with a minimum of fat without ingredients sticking to the pan. But you can also produce perfect stir-fried dishes in a heavy cast-iron skillet, though more fat will be needed to keep foods from sticking. If you decide to use a nonstick pan, be sure to buy the largest size available to ensure that foods will not be crowded when they are being stir-fried.
In most Chinese cooking, all the pieces of food in a recipe should be cut about the same size and shape to ensure uniform cooking. Meat is sliced across the grain to make it more tender. Stir-frying requires a very hot pan and sizzling oil. When the ingredients are added there should be loud crackling and popping noises as they are briskly tossed and turned to keep them from scorching. The heat must remain high and the cook must resist any temptation to turn it down. Onions and garlic are usually stir-fried first to flavor the oil before introducing other ingredients. Cook the onion before adding the garlic, because garlic tends to burn easily. The basic process is quite simple, and the recipes are clear in stating how long each step should take. Cooking time rarely exceeds 5 minutes.
Much of the success and most of the effort required lie in the preparation. Everything you need to do for a particular dish—cutting meat and vegetables, measuring seasonings, and mixing sauces—should be carefully done ahead of time and the necessary ingredients should be placed in separate bowls within easy reach of the stove, because a delay in the cooking could lead to disappointing results. Foods are usually cooked in a certain order, those which take the longest being cooked first
A stir-fry cannot be made ahead of time, so you must be prepared to leave your guests for 5 minutes to do the cooking without interruption immediately before you sit down to eat. Each food must be cooked until it is just done and not a moment more. Vegetables must be crisp. Fish and meat must be succulent, never overdone and dry, and, needless to say, all the ingredients you use must be as fresh as possible.
A word of caution is necessary on how to avoid limp, soggy, stir-fried dishes. The smaller the quantity of food stir-fried at any one time, the better the dish will turn out. No more than a recipe for four should be attempted in one batch. If you double a recipe, cook each batch separately.
The stir-frying and steaming process results in many health benefits. The coating of food with hot oil seals in all the juices, flavor, and nutritional value of the ingredients while increasing their fiber content, and steaming removes less soluble fiber than boiling.
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Most of the nutrition data in this chapter came from the American Heart
