Red vinegar has a distinctive tang, while full-bodied black vinegar. sometimes known as Tientsin vinegar, has a faint flavor similar to balsamic vinegar. Use sparingly as a seasoning or dip. Japanese rice vinegar makes an acceptable substitute for the white. There are no good substitutes for red and black vinegar. Slightly diluted cider vinegar can be used in place of rice vinegar.
WAKAME See SEAWEED
WASABI Indispensable in Japanese cuisine, and widely available in tubes. Wasabi powder (available in tiny tins), mixed with a little water 10 minutes before required, gives a much closer approximation of the freshly grated root.
WATER CHESTNUT Although it is troublesome to peel away the dark brown skin of this crunchy tuber, it's well worth using fresh water chestnuts if you can find them. Their crisp texture and sweet flavor make them ideal in salads, stir-fried vegetable dishes and desserts. Fresh yam bean is a better substitute for fresh water chestnuts than the canned variety.
WATER CONVOLVULUS This aquatic plant, a member of the convolvulus or morning glory family, is sometimes known as kangkong or water spinach. The arrowhead-shaped leaves and tender tips are usually stir-fried. Discard the tough, hollow stems. Young shoots are often served as part of a mixed platter of raw vegetables for dipping into hot sauces.
WHITE FUNGUS A crinkly golden-colored dried fungus that turns transparent after soaking. Prized for its chewy texture, and used in Chinese soups and desserts.
WILD GINGER BUD The pink waxy flower from a ginger plant, sometimes known as torch ginger (Etlingera elatior). Used in some Malay and Nonya dishes. No substitute.
YAM BEAN Known as jicama in the Americas, where it originated, this crunchy, mild tuber has a crisp white interior and beige skin, which peels off easily. It taste like a potato and apple cross. Excellent raw with a spicy dip, and can be cooked.
YUNNAN HAM A smoked salted ham used mainly as a seasoning. It is sold in tins.
YUZU ORANGE An orange-colored citrus fruit used for its fragrant rind. Lemon or lime rind could be used as a substitute, or else kaffir lime.
The traditional open hearth or irori is virtually a museum piece in Japan today
The Asian Kitchen
Spoons made of coconut shells or wood are put to countless uses in the Indonesian kitchen.
You do not need a range of exotic implements to cook Asian food. Perhaps that is the most surprising aspect of Asian cooking-that often sophisticated food is prepared with so few utensils! Most of the implements found in the average Western kitchen can be adapted for use in Asian cooking, although several items, such as a wok or rice cooker, will make the preparation and cooking of certain dishes much easier. Far more time is usually spent on the preparation of the ingredients, which have to be peeled, chopped, grated, ground, and blended before the cooking begins. You should be able to obtain most of the implements mentioned here from Asian grocery stores.
Cooking Implements
Perhaps the most essential ingredient in the Asian kitchen is the wok-known as a kuali in Malaysia and Indonesia-a deep, curved pan traditionally made of cast iron and used for just about everything except cooking rice: stir-frying, deep-frying, braising, making sauces, steaming, and so on. The shape of the wok distributes the heat evenly, while its sloping sides ensure that food falls back into the pan and not over the edge during stir-frying. It's also practical for deep-frying, requiring less oil than a conventional saucepan or skillet. It allows just the right amount of evaporation for many dishes which begin with a large amount of liquid and finish with a thick sauce. When choosing a wok, avoid aluminium or Teflon-coated types; a heavy cast-iron wok that won't tip over easily is preferable, or best of all, a non-stick alloy that will not scratch when metal scoops are used.
A wok should be "seasoned" before its first use so that food will not stick. Wash the inside of the wok with warm soapy water but do not use a scouring pad. Rinse with fresh water and dry thoroughly. Put some oil on a paper towel and wipe the inside of the wok. Repeat until the paper towel comes away clean. Chinese cooks always heat the wok before adding oil to be sure that it is dry and the oil will not splatter. After cooking, never clean your wok with detergent or harsh abrasives; just rinse it with warm water and wipe dry. Remember to buy a lid for your wok-invaluable for when you want to steam food and for finishing off dishes.
In India, the kadai, a large wok-like utensil, is used for frying and sauteing. The kadai is made of iron, brass or aluminium, and slightly deeper than a wok, but the latter makes an excellent substitute. For rice and curries, a flat-lidded, straight-sided pan known as a degchi is used, but a good heavy-based pot will do.
To partner your wok, a frying spatula, as well as a perforated ladle for lifting out deep-fried food, are useful. Chinese cooks use a round-edged spatula for tossing stir-fried ingredients in the wok. Indonesian cooks use an assortment of wooden or coconut husk spoons for stirring.
Other useful utensils include a wire mesh basket on a long handle, good for scooping out deep-fried food or boiled noodles. Chinese cooks also use a pair of long wooden chopsticks for turning over food during deep-frying, although this requires a certain dexterity, only acquired with practice. You may be happier with tongs.
Extremely high heat is needed when stir-frying food in a wok, and many electric cookers cannot achieve the ideal heat. Malaysian cooks—especially Chinese—insist on at least one gas fire, often with a double ring of gas jets. If you are using an old-style electric cooker which cannot reach a very high heat nor be reduced in temperature quickly, you should consider investing in a gas-fired ring to be used with your wok.
Almost any saucepan can be used for cooking Asian dishes, but take care to choose one that has a non-reactive lining, since many dishes contain acid such as tamarind or lime juice. Non-stick saucepans are ideal for Asian food as they avoid the problem of spices sticking on the bottom and allow you to use less oil when frying. Claypots of various shapes and sizes, with a sandy outside and a glazed interior, are used for slow cooking and for making soups and stocks. These are attractive and inexpensive, but any type of saucepan can be used.
Rice was usually cooked in an aluminium or a stainless steel saucepan, although most homes in the cities now boast an electric rice cooker —a great boon if you eat rice fairly often. It's foolproof, produces dry fluffy rice every time, and also keeps rice warm for latecomers. Alternatively, use a heavy saucepan with a firm-fitting lid.
Steaming is a healthy method of cooking in Asia, and a multi-tiered bamboo steamer with a plaited cover to absorb any moisture (unlike a metal cover where moisture condenses and falls on the food) is invaluable. If you are using a multi-tiered metal steamer, put a tea towel under the lid to prevent moisture from dripping back onto the food. The steaming basket is placed inside a wok on a trivet above boiling water. Chinese stores also sell perforated metal disks that sit inside a wok above the water level; these are useful for steaming a single plate of food. Cover the wok with a lid
