White Curry Soup with Pressed Rice Cakes V GF
Warming Vegetable Pho V GF*
Easy Miso Ramen V
Wintry Kimchi Stew V GF*
Red Curry Noodles with Roasted Cauliflower and Rainbow Carrots V GF*
Index
Acknowledgments
(V = Vegan; GF = Gluten Free; V* and GF* denote recipes that can be made egg, honey and gluten free, respectively, with substitutions)
Preparing Seasonal Vegetables The Flavorful Asian Way
When I was growing up in Singapore. I didn’t yet understand the concept of eating and cooking seasonally, or what is now known in the U.S, as the "farm-to-table” movement The tropical climate meant we only had two "seasons”—hot and wet and hot and dry. And since the island-state imported most of its food, many of the same items were available year-round (except for the "King of Fruits.” the durian, which I looked forward to every June and December). My childhood meals usually consisted of white rice accompanied by one or two vegetable dishes, an egg, meat or fish dish, and/or a soup. One-pot meals like nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) and mee soto (noodles in turmeric-spiced broth) featured rice or noodles studded with tiny bits of meat and showered with fresh vegetables, herbs, spices and chilies. This diet is a perfect example of the peripheral role meat plays in the average Asian diet.
When I moved to Seattle for college. I was shocked to learn that many of the fresh fruits and vegetables I had taken for granted back home were hard to come by. And even when available, they were only sold at certain times of year. In their place I found strange items like fennel, crookneck squash and parsnips. My introduction to the seasonal food-growing cycle was also a rude awakening, but I quickly learned to adapt.
Today, my edible inclinations stem both from my cultural upbringing and a conscious lifestyle choice. My affinity for seasonal produce grown by local farmers developed while managing a farmer's market in Pacific Grove. California. I was at the market every week, getting to know the people who grew my food and discovering all their wonderful locally grown produce. Friendly farmers gave me samples of their best wares, and cooking suggestions were always forthcoming. I was taught to sauté Swiss chard with potatoes and onions and wrap this filling up in fresh tortillas. I learned to peel and slice broccoli stems and toss them with a red-wine vinaigrette dressing to make a crunchy and delicious salad. As a result I’m a full-fledged, card-carrying member of the farm-to-table club, eating whatever is grown locally according to the rhythm of the seasons.
I bring my son to the farmer’s market to show him how to select fresh produce.
Red and Golden Beets in Green Curry (page 106)
My mom, Juliana taught me the finer points of Indonesian cooking. I still defer to her.
The benefits of local and seasonal eating are manifold, including grocery savings and a smaller carbon footprint Foods in season are harvested and sold at the peak of their availability, making them cheaper to harvest and transport But most of all, foods in season are at their freshest and most flavorful. Japanese food expert Hiroko Shimbo uses the term shun to describe the magic moment when ingredients are at peak quality. For example, asparagus becomes shun in early summer when they are bursting with flavor, and tender and juicy. Spicy-crisp daikon radish is shun in winter, as are sugar-sweet English peas in springtime.
The Asian Spark
I've always known that Asian cultures approach vegetables with creativity and spark. This is no coincidence, as much of Asian cooking is authentically vegetarian—and very often vegan.
The key to cooking vegetables is understanding how to blend flavors, textures, aromas and colors—all trademarks of Asian cooking—to create dishes that truly sing.
Asian cooks tend to combine contrary flavors, and love to play with the four basic tastes of sweet sour, salty and bitter. If you've had a bowl of tom yum soup or a plate of sweet-and-sour pork, you'll agree that Asian cooks are masters at balancing these tastes to create a culinary symphony.
The fifth taste, umami, is another important component in Asian cooking. The word umami has been used in Japan for hundreds of years to signify something delicious. Yet umami's true qualities remain elusive. Simply put umami is the satisfying flavor of protein— which makes everything delicious.
"Secrets" of Asian Cooking
Think of this cookbook as an Asian cooking "tell-all" sharing secrets used throughout Asia to make dishes more flavorful and more nuanced.
Here's a sneak peek
Harmonizing the contrasting flavors of ingredients like palm sugar (sweet), soy sauce (salty), tamarind juice (sour), and chili paste (spicy) elevates a vegetable dish from ordinary to oh-so delicious.
My mom invented a yu sheng (raw fish salad) for our Lunar New Year celebration.
Vegetable and Egg Donburi Rice Bowl (page 112)
Fun on Portland, OR, KATU's "AM Northwest" cooking with the late Dave Anderson.
Umami enhances the flavor of vegetables without overpowering their delicate natural flavor. Meat and dairy products are naturally umami-packed. Vegan options include umami-laden ingredients like sea vegetables and produce such as tomatoes and mushrooms. And let’s not forget fermented products like soy sauce, kimchi and fermented beans or miso.
Infused oils are another easy way to boost the flavor of vegetable dishes. Oils infused with garlic, onion and chili are commonly used in Asian cooking—just a few drizzles can add a whole new flavor dimension to any dish.
Furthermore, Asian cooks have always known that texture is a turn-on. Fried shallots, crispy garlic slices, and crunchy pickles not only inject lots of flavor, but also impart a contrasting texture in the mouth that makes a dish more appetizing and interesting to eat
Think of fried spring rolls; when you bite into a roll, the crisp shell shatters to reveal the moist shredded vegetable filling. And doesn’t a forkful from a Vietnamese noodle bowl— crunchy pickles, firm fried tofu, slippery noodles and soft mushrooms—feel like a party in your mouth?
Local Vegetables, Asian Flavors
Many Asian vegetarian cookbooks that have come before simply replace the meat in a recipe with tofu. However, this cookbook shines the spotlight on vegetables. I also wanted to answer the question, "How do you prepare local vegetables the Asian way to maximize their flavors?"
Vegetables like bok choy. Chinese (napa) cabbage and pea shoots are a common sight in farmer’s markets and supermarkets; others, like bitter melon and Chinese flowering cabbage (choy sum) are harder to find. On the other hand, tables at farmers' markets are buckling under the weight of locally grown vegetables such as beets, butternut squash and purple potatoes. Although not common in traditional Asian cooking, these vegetables are equally versatile and delicious, and can be prepared in similar ways to Asian vegetables. You just need to learn to mix and match cooking techniques and flavors with each vegetable.
Fortunately,