chilli version (page 26) that is great tossed with cooked noodles, used as a dipping sauce or topped on plain chicken.
Sausage, Chinese, see Chinese Sausage
Scallions or Spring Onions, see Green Onion.
Sesame Oil, Toasted or Dark Sesame oil is the oil from toasted sesame seeds. The dark sesame oil has a very strong flavor and fragrance, so only a few drops to a teaspoon is all that’s needed in a dish. Otherwise, your entire dish will end up tasting like the sesame oil! It’s used as part of a marinade for meat and seafood for Chinese stir-fries, but mostly added towards the end of a dish as the sesame oil smokes at high heat. Buy sesame oil in glass bottles and store away from heat and light, it turns rancid pretty easily. If you don’t have sesame oil, add regular cooking oil to toasted and crushed sesame seeds.
Sesame Seeds These itty bitty seeds are used whole in cooking for its nutty, sweet aroma with a rich, buttery, nutty taste. They come in shades of pale ivory, brown and black. The ivory colored sesame seeds are probably untoasted or unroasted. You can use them as is, but for maximum flavor, toast them in a dry frying pan on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. The brown and black sesame seeds are pre-roasted (check the label) and are beautiful and provide a nice contrast in your dish.
Shallots are small, anywhere from 1 1 /2 to 3 inches (3.75 to 7.5 cm) across. They are sweeter and milder in taste than onions and are a very popular ingredient in Asian cooking. You can add them to your stir-fry along with the garlic and ginger, or you can deep-fry them for a crispy topping on a dish. Store shallots in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, just as you would store your onions or garlic. Substitute shallots with finely minced onion.
Sichuan peppercorn Contrary to its name, the Sichuan peppercorn (sometimes spelled “Szechuan”) is not a peppercorn, but rather a berry from a bush. Put a couple of pods between your teeth and chew—you’ll get a numbing, tingly sensation all inside your mouth and lips. Contrary to what people think, Sichuan peppercorn is not really spicy in your face hot. It has a citrusy, warming and woodsy aroma and flavor. Try making a flavored salt with Sichuan peppercorn (page 24).
Soy Sauce/Dark Soy Sauce This essential seasoning is made from fermented soybeans mixed with some type of roasted grain (wheat, barley, or rice are common). It tends to have a chocolate brown color, and a pungent, rather than overly salty, flavor. Dark soy sauce is used in Chinese cooking and is a bit richer, thicker, and more mellow than the lighter varieties. I use both the more full-bodied dark soy sauce in many Chinese meat stews and braises and the lighter variety, which I refer to simply as “soy sauce” in the recipes as my everyday soy sauce.
Sriracha Sauce. See Chilli Sauce.
Sweet Chilli Sauce is my “ketchup”— it’s sweet, vinegary and just barely a hint of spice. I use it as a dip anything for Mom’s Famous Crispy Egg Rolls (page 50) and Firecracker Shrimp (page 48) as well as in stir-fries (Thai Chicken in Sweet Chilli Sauce, page 104). Two great brands are Mae Ploy and Lingham (thicker, spicier and less sweet than Mae Ploy). When my assistant, Farina, eats at a restaurant that doesn’t have sweet chilli sauce, she makes her own concoction from a combo of ketchup, hot sauce (Tabasco), sugar and salt. If you have Plum Sauce, you can use that as a substitute.
Tamarind comes in blocks of pulp (with or without seeds) or prepared in jarred form as a paste (sometimes called “concentrate”). To make tamarind paste out of the blocks, in a medium sized bowl, combine a golf-ball sized piece of tamarind and ½ cup (125 ml) of hot water. With a fork, smash and “knead” the tamarind to extract as much pulp as possible. You can also use your fingers to knead as well. The consistency should be like thin ketchup. Drain and discard the tamarind solids, reserving the water. If you’re using the concentrate form, measure straight out of the jar.
Tea leaves, whether white, green, black or oolong all come from the same bush, Camillia Sinensis. The differences arise in the processing. Green and white teas are not fermented and the oolong and black tea are semi fermented and fermented. Chinese drink tea like water and of course, loose leaf tea is best (supermarket tea bags = stale tea dust!). In addition to drinking tea, I’ve got a recipe where I’m using tea to smoke and flavor salmon (page 80).
Thai Basil. See Herbs.
Tofu/Bean Curd (though tofu sounds sexier) is made out of soybeans—soft and firm. The soft, or silken is lovely eaten as is with a ginger-miso salad dressing. It’s also used cubed in miso soup. The medium and firm tofu are perfect for baking (Baked Tofu Salad with Mustard Miso Dressing, page 64) stir frying and pan frying, as they hold up better in the cooking process (see chapter on Vegetables, Tofu & Eggs, page 108). Tofu has very little taste on its own, so it takes on whatever flavors you have in the dish. It’s incredibly healthy for you and inexpensive to buy. They don’t last too long in the refrigerator, though, so use within a few days of purchase. Tofu often comes in a plastic tub covered with a thin plastic film. Slit the film and drain all the water out. To store, you can put the tofu in a bowl or container, fill with cool water, cover and refrigerate. Check the expiration date and if the package puffs out with locked in air and the package looks like it’s about to pop, discard (tofu is doin’ something funky inside). Soft or silken tofu also comes in a paper carton that does not need to be refrigerated. It’s much silkier, smoother and more delicate than the tub version. It’s difficult to use for stir-fries (but great for Tofu and Clams in a Light Miso Broth, page 117), but handy to keep in the pantry.
Wrappers From egg rolls to summer rolls and potstickers to firecracker shrimp, Asians love to wrap their food! Wonton Wrappers: Find wonton wrappers in the freezer section of an Asian market. They are very thin and square. To defrost, place package unopened on the counter for 45 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator. Do not attempt to submerge the wrapper package in warm water or microwave to defrost. It doesn’t work well that way. Once the package is opened, always keep the wrappers covered with a barely damp paper towel to prevent the edges from drying. If they do happen to dry, you should just trim off the dried edges. Potsticker Wrappers: Same info as above, but they are round instead of square. They are also called gyoza wrappers. Egg Roll Wrappers: Same info as above, but they come in large squares, 9 inches by 9 inches (23 x 23 cm). Look specifically for spring roll wrappers or egg roll wrappers. Where I live, my local non-Asian market has fresh egg roll wrappers for sale in the produce section. I generally will tell you not to buy these fresh “pasta sheets” that are marketed as egg roll wrappers. They are way too thick and just taste too starchy. You want very thin egg roll wrappers that crisp up beautifully. Rice Paper. Dried rice paper comes in different sizes and thickness and is used for summer rolls and is available in Asian markets. My favorite brand for summer rolls is “Three Ladies”; it’s a bit thicker and better quality than the others. Look at the ingredients on the package. Don’t get the ones that include “tapioca” as an ingredient. They are micro-thin and very difficult to handle. See Vietnamese Summer Rolls (page 44) for more information on how to use and handle.
the basics
I hope that these recipes for chilli sauces, dips and stocks will be some of your favorites, whether you use them to cook dishes in this book or adapt them in your own recipes. The chilli sauces store well and are great to put out on the dinner table every night to add a little fire to your meal, and the dipping sauces (like the Cashew Nut Dipping Sauce, page 30) are great for satays, chicken wings, summer rolls or even carrot and celery sticks! The stocks are the basis of many soups (stocks made from scratch always make a difference!) I also use stocks to flavor my stir-fries and when steaming vegetables—they just add an amazing dimension of flavor! Make a big batch of stock and freeze them in freezer bags, plastic containers, silicon cupcake trays or ice cube trays so that you have
