Hoisin sauce consists of fermented soybeans, garlic, chilies, and vinegar. The sauce is thick and dark and has a sweet, salty flavor. Commercially bottled or canned hoisin sauce is available in most grocery stores.
Kiam chye (salted preserved mustard cabbage) is a type of pickled vegetable like sauerkraut. Soak the salted cabbage in water for 15 minutes to remove some of the saltiness, repeating if necessary.
Noodles, both fresh and dried, are widely used in Asian cooking. Fine dried rice vermicelli or beehoon/ mifen are similar to glass noodles, but made of rice flour. Dried glass noodles or tang hoon are translucent noodles made from mung bean starch. Both types of noodles need to be blanched with hot water before using.
Pickled salted radish or chye poh, is a type of preserved Japanese radish or daikon. Often added to dishes for its crunchy texture and salty flavor, it keeps almost indefinitely and is sold in plastic packets in Asian markets. If the radish is very salty, soak in several changes of water, then squeeze out the excess liquid (dried radish is also available minced and is still very salty, so requires rinsing).
Soy sauce is brewed from soybeans and wheat fermented with salt. Regular or light soy sauce is very salty and is used as a table dip and cooking seasoning. Dark soy sauce is denser and less salty and adds a smoky flavor to dishes.
Rice wine is made from fermented rice and is used in cooking. Wine from Shaoxing, generally considered the best, is available from Chinese food stores. Substitute Japanese sake, mirin or dry sherry.
Salted black beans are soybeans that have been fermented and preserved in salt, hence their strong, salty flavor. Mainly used to season a number of dishes, especially fish, beef and chicken, they are sold in packets or cans and can be kept for several months if stored in the refrigerator. Soak in warm water for 30 minutes before using to remove the excess salt.
Tofu or bean curd comes in various forms. Pressed tofu or tau kwa (often confusingly labeled as firm tofu) is a type of firm tofu with much of the moisture extracted and is therefore much firmer in texture and excellent for stir-fries. Refrigerate fresh tofu enclosed in a plastic container submerged in water. Dried tofu skin is the dried skin that forms on top of boiling soy milk; it is dried and sold in sheets as a wrapper.
Sesame oil is extracted from sesame seeds that have been toasted, producing a dark, dense and highly aromatic oil that can be used for marinades, sauces and soups, or as
a table condiment.
Water chestnuts are small, acorn-shaped roots with a brown leathery skin outside and a crisp, crunchy flesh and a juicy sweet flavor inside. Fresh water chestnuts can be found packed in water in the refrigerator sections of some supermarkets. Canned water chestnuts are also available.
Pan-fried Tofu Skin Rolls
In Taiwan, tofu skin is a frequently used as a wrapper for savory stuffings. Not only does it taste better than pastry skins, it also provides protein nutrition rather than starch as in other flour products. The filling in this recipe includes water chestnuts, which gives a fine flavor and crunchy texture.
3–4 sheets dried tofu skin Oil for pan-frying
Sprigs of coriander leaves, to garnish
Bottled sweet chili sauce or black Chinese vinegar and sesame oil, for dipping
Filling
300 g (1½ cups) minced white fish fillets
300 g (1½ cups) minced chicken breast
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornflour
7 water chestnuts, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 Soak the dried tofu skin in hot water until pliable, about 3 minutes. Cut the skin into 10 pieces (about 20 cm x 14 cm/8 in by 5½ in).
2 To make the Filling, place the minced fish and minced chicken in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, salt, sugar, pepper and cornflour, mix well and set aside to marinate for 5–20 minutes. Then add the diced water chestnuts, carrot and onion and mix well to combine.
3 Lay a sheet of tofu skin on a clean work surface and place 5 tablespoons of the prepared Filling in a diagonal line across the center. Roll into a tube, starting from the end closest to you. Twist both ends tightly to seal each roll.
4 Pour the oil into a flat pan wide enough to hold the rolls and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the rolls, one or two at a time, for about 5 minutes, until the skins are crispy and golden-brown. Transfer and drain on a rack lined with paper towels. Then place the rolls on a clean board and cut diagonally into 1.25-cm (½-in) rounds. Arrange the cut rounds on a serving platter and serve. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with bottled sweet chili sauce or black Chinese vinegar and sesame oil.
Makes 10 rolls
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 mins
Popiah (Fresh Spring Rolls)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with a little salt
3 teaspoons hot yellow mustard
150 g (1 cup) finely grated roasted peanuts
100 g (2 cups) bean sprouts
1 cake pressed tofu (tau kwa), deep-fried until golden, sliced into thin strips
2 eggs, beaten and fried to a thin omelet then sliced into thin strips
2 dried sweet Chinese sausages (lap cheong), simmered in water for 3 minutes, thinly sliced
Wrappers
125 g (1 cup) plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups (300 ml) water
5 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons oil
Filling
1½ tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
100 g (4 oz) pork loin, very thinly sliced
100 g (4 oz) fresh small prawns, peeled
150 (1¾ cups) shredded jicama (bangkuang)
1 carrot, thinly shredded
100 g (1 cup) thinly sliced