Dry-roasted Grated Coconut
This can be done using either fresh or desiccated coconut; the latter will turn golden much more quickly than freshly grated coconut. Put the coconut in a heavy dry wok and put over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for fresh coconut, 3 to 4 minutes for desiccated. Remove immediately and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Sometimes, roasted coconut is pounded while still hot until it turns into any oily paste.
Dry-roasted Peanuts
Roast the peanuts in a dry wok, preferably with the skins intact, in the same fashion as for coconut, for about 8 to 10 minutes. After cooking, leave the peanuts until cool enough to handle, then take outside and rub the skins vigorously to loosen the skin. Toss the peanuts a little, blowing to dislodge the skins (or let the wind do it for you).
Toasted Dried Shrimp Paste
Dried shrimp paste is almost always cooked, except in a few Thai dips. Sometimes, it is added raw to other pounded ingredients which are then fried or simmered, but more often, it is cooked on its own before being added to the dish. Even the most ardent shrimp paste lover will agree that it has an incredibly pungent smell during cooking, so to avoid having to do the job too often, and to have a stock of cooked dried shrimp paste on hand, I suggest toasting I to 2 tablespoons and keeping it in a sealed jar (you seldom need more than 1 teaspoon per recipe). Do not, however, use ready-toasted dried shrimp paste for dips and sambals; the full flavor of freshly cooked shrimp paste is vital for these.
One of the best ways to cook dried shrimp paste without the smell forcing everyone out of the house is to put the required amount on a piece of foil, folding over a flap and pressing down to make a thin layer. Tuck the edges of foil in loosely to make a packet, then set this on a wire grill directly over a medium gas flame, or under a broiler or grill. Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for another couple of minutes. Open the packet to check that the shrimp paste has lost its wet, raw look and smells fragrant. If you don't have a grill or broiler, you can put the foil package into a wok or non-stick frying pan; it may need a little longer to cook.
Roasted Rice Powder
Put ¼ cup of raw long-grain rice in a heavy dry wok and put over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the rice is golden-brown all over, about 8 to 10 minutes. While still hot, transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and grind or process to a sandy texture; do not grind finely as it is important for it to have a crunchy texture. I prefer to use a mortar to be able to monitor closely just how fine the rice is getting; around 30 seconds of turning the pestle firmly is generally enough. When the rice powder is completely cold, store in an airtight jar.
Preparing Ground Spices and Seasoning Pastes with a Spice Grinder
If you're ever tempted to use ground spices bought in a bottle or plastic pack, just try this test. Lightly toast in a dry pan some whole spice seeds (coriander, for example) for about a minute, or until they start to smell fragrant. Transfer them to a spice grinder and process to a fine powder. Lift the lid and sniff the result, then compare this with commercially available ground coriander that was processed goodness knows how long ago, and has gone from the factory to the store to your cupboard and been kept there until you're about to use it. I'm certain that after doing this test, you'll be convinced that it's best to grind your own spices. Heating spices before grinding crisps them slightly, making them easy to grind, and it also helps release the fragrance and flavor in the volatile oils.
Freshly roasted and ground spices can be cooled before being stored in an airtight container in the freezer, where they keep every bit of their fresh fragrance. Since I use a lot of coriander and cumin, to save time, I prepare a batch of several tablespoons of freshly roasted and ground spices and freeze them; they do not freeze into a solid block but retain their powdery texture, and when used, taste as if they have been freshly toasted and ground.
Seasoning pastes are used in countless Southeast Asian dishes. When using a spice grinder (and, indeed, if using a mortar and pestle), it is important to slice or chop the ingredients before processing. If using dry spices as part of the paste, these should be ground first, then the fresh moist ingredients such as chilies, shallots, garlic, galangal, and lemon grass added.
If you are not including shallots, which give off a lot of moisture, you may need to add some liquid to the spice grinder to keep the ingredients turning. Process the ingredients to break them up, switch off the grinder and scrape down the sides and lid with a rubber spatula, and process again. Keep repeating this, adding a little oil, water or coconut milk (each recipe suggests which is appropriate) if needed. Don't overload the jar of your spice grinder; divide the ingredients into two or even three batches if needed and process each until completely ground.
Cutting a Chicken
The chicken is usually cooked still on the bone, and most cooks begin with a whole fresh chicken, which is cut it in to manageable portions before going into the cooking pot. You'll need a sharp heavy cleaver and a wooden chopping board for the task. In Southeast Asia, when you buy a chicken in the market, you get the whole bird, head, feet and all. Remove these, or start with a trimmed Western-style chicken. Cut off both the legs at the joint where they join the body, then cut each leg, separating the thigh from the drumstick, in half. Put these four pieces to one side. Cut off the wings, taking a generous portion of the breast where they join the body. Cut off the wing tips and reserve for stock. Cut lengthways down the body, to one side of the back bone, then chop across each half to make a total of six pieces. You will now have 12 pieces of chicken; if the thighs seem large, you could cut these in half so you have a total of 14 pieces.
Steamed Rice
Throughout Southeast Asia, where a meal is synonymous with rice, a common greeting is "have you eaten rice yet?" Steamed white rice — usually fragrant long-grain rice but sometimes glutinous or sticky rice — is most commonly cooked by the absorption method. In a few areas (such as Java), it is first boiled briefly in lots of water, then transferred to a conical woven basket, set over boiling water and steamed. Thousands of women in the cities and towns use a rice cooker; rural cooks and those who don't have a rice cooker follow this basic method for cooking rice. Choose a saucepan with a heavy base and allow ½ cup uncooked rice per person. This should be enough for four.
2 cups (400 g) long-grain rice, preferably Thai jasmine water to cover (see below)
Put the rice in the saucepan and cover it with cold water. Rub the rice with your hand for a few seconds, then pour out the cloudy water. Repeat this process two or three times until the water runs clear. This step is important as it removes any loose starch caused by the grains rubbing together during packing and transit, and helps make sure that your rice won't stick together in an unpalatable mess when cooked.
Add sufficient fresh water to the pan so that it comes up to the first joint of your forefinger when you set it on the surface of the rice. Cover the pan and bring the rice to the boil over high heat. Put the lid slightly to one side, lower the heat a little and continue boiling until all the liquid has been absorbed and you see small "craters" appearing on the surface of the rice; this will probably take around 5 minutes.
Lower the heat to the absolute minimum, cover the pan firmly and cook the rice for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, wipe off any moisture underneath, and fluff up the rice with a fork or chopstick. Cover the pan again, remove from the heat and stand 10 minutes, or up to I hour, before serving.
Basic Chicken or Pork Stock
This simple, lightly seasoned stock is the basis of countless soups and other dishes in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese cooks like to add a pinch of sugar; some cooks omit the peppercorns; others use