Special ingredients
A little planning ahead makes stir
frying easier.
Agar-Agar
Is made from different types of seaweed. It has
excellent setting properties, similar to gelatine,and
will set at room temperature.
Bok choy
Also known as Chinese chard or Chinese white
cabbage, has fleshy white stems and dark green
leaves. It has a slight mustard taste.There is also a
smaller version called shanghai or baby bok choy.
Bamboo shoots
The young tender shoots of bamboo plants are
available in cans.They are mainly used to add
texture to food.
Coconut cream and coconut milk
Both coconut cream and milk are extracted from the
grated flesh of mature coconuts.The cream is a
richer first pressing and the milk the second or
third pressing.
Chillies, fresh and dried
Chiles are available in many different types and sizes.
The small ones (Thai, macho,serrano, jalapeno) are
the hottest. Use tight fitting gloves when handling
and chopping fresh chiles as they can burn your skin.
The chile seeds are the hottest part of the chiles so
remove them if you want to reduce the heat content
of recipes.
Cilantro
This is also known as coriander and Chinese parsley.
It is essential to many Southeast Asian cuisines.A
strongly flavored herb, use it sparingly until you are
accustomed to the unique flavor.Parsley can be used
as a substitute; it looks the same but tastes quite
different. Cilantro is available fresh.The dried spice
version is labeled coriander and is available whole
or ground.
Char siu sauce
This is the equivalent of Chinese BBQ sauce.
Crisp fried shallots
These are available from most Asian Supermarkets
pre-prepared.
18