Select an oil with a high smoke point—sunflower and peanut oil are good choices.
Buy a deep-fry thermometer to track optimum temperature; a candy thermometer works, too. For a visual indicator, dip a wooden chopstick into the oil; if bubbles gather around it, the oil should be hot enough. You can also test-fry a bread cube or a small portion of what you're cooking—it should bubble gracefully to the surface and sizzle gently. If it just sits there soaking up oil, wait a couple more minutes before starting.
Fry in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding lowers the oil temperature and may lead to splattering or spillage.
Battered foods often leave debris in the oil. Use a slotted spoon or a wire-mesh strainer to remove leftover fried bits, and then bring the oil temperature back up again before frying next batch.
Stir-Frying
Always preheat your wok or pan to achieve good wok-searing action and to dry up any water droplets. I generally heat my wok to medium-high heat and then raise or lower it if I need to.
How do you know it's ready? Sprinkle some water onto the wok. The beads should dance on the surface and vaporize within a couple of seconds. You'll also see a wisp or two of smoke.
Chopsticks have many uses-I can even use them to lift a collapsible steamer basket.
After adding oil, throw in your first ingredient, usually garlic. If it sizzles gently and bubbles gather around its edges, you're ready to go. If it fries aggressively and starts burning, the oil is too hot. If it sits still, the oil isn't hot enough.
If the oil gets too hot and starts to smoke uncontrollably, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds and lower the heat.
Don't overcrowd the pan. Putting too many ingredients in the pan lowers the temperature, and the foods will steam instead of sear. Add ingredients gradually, in small handfuls.
Adjust the heat after adding colder foods or liquids. Listen to the sizzle in your pan. If you hear too much sizzle, decrease the temperature; too little sizzle, increase the temperature.
Keep things moving swiftly around the wok; slide your spatula to the bottom and turn and toss ingredients up and over one another.
To Market, To Market!
Many people, me Included, shop for Ingredients fully intending to cook them. But life often gets in the way and produce goes bad. Unfortunately, fresh vegetables and herbs don't freeze well, so you have to use them up before they go bad. I got tired of wasting food, so I came up with some strategies for buying and storing produce efficiently.
Planning Your Meals
Make a list of the recipes you want to try. Then pick out recipes that have common ingredients and group them accordingly. Many of the recipes in this cookbook use aromatics like garlic, ginger, onions and shallots. Note them down and you'll be able to prep everything at the same time.
Shopping
Create a shopping list based on your recipes, doubling or tripling ingredients as needed. Before you head out, determine what you have and what you need to buy, and clear out your fridge to make room for perishables.
At the store, pick up nonperishable items before you head to the produce aisle, especially if you're buying fragile produce. Get home as soon as possible and refrigerate your fruits and vegetables. If you'll be running errands between the market and your kitchen, keep a cooler in the car.
Shop farmers' markets early. Just-harvested greens wilt rapidly after a few hours in the sun.
Prepping
Cutting vegetables ahead of time isn't ideal. But if you're a busy working parent, or work late nights, having ready-chapped ingredients in the fridge means you'll be more likely to cook dinner at home than buy takeout. This advance prep also means dinner will be on the table faster. If it suits you, set aside part of your weekend for vegetable prep to save time during the week. Divide cut ingredients up according to each recipe. Then bag, pack, label and refrigerate in glass containers or zip-top bags as you go.
Storing
Leave refrigerated produce unwashed in its original packaging or wrapped loosely in a plastic bag. (Exceptions: place leafy herbs in a glass of water and cover with a plastic bag, and store mushrooms in a brown paper bag).
Farmers' Markets offer a bounty of locally produced fruits and veggies.
If storing fruits and vegetables at room temperature, remove from packaging and leave loose.
Eat Perishable Produce First
Here are some examples:
Eat first: asparagus, corn, green beans, mushrooms
Second: arugula, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini
Third: bell peppers, cauliflower, leeks, spinach, tomatoes
Last: cabbage, carrots, potatoes, winter squash
My son enjoys helping me in the kitchen with meal prep.
My Asian Pantry
These are tried-and-true Asian Ingredients that I always have on hand. Fortunately, many sauces and pastes are pretty similar across cultures, so I just buy one type Instead of having, say, both Japanese shoyu and Chinese soy sauce. I try to buy these essentials at an Asian market because they’re usually cheaper there, but some variation of all the Items listed should be available in the Asian/International aisle at your local supermarket If not you can also find them at a specialty market like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s (or online). This section describes only a fraction of all the Ingredients used in Asian cooking. It would take whole volume to cover them all, so only the Ingredients used in this book are Included here.
CHINESE BLACK VINEGAR Also called Chinkiang black vinegar, this can be made from rice or other grains such as wheat, millet or sorghum. The best ones have a complex, smoky flavor developed over years of aging, reminiscent of a good Italian balsamic vinegar, which is a great substitute. My favorite brand, Gold Plum, is found in the bottled sauce aisle of the Asian market.
CHINESE COOKING WINE This aromatic cooking wine, also known as Shaoxing rice wine, is made by fermenting glutinous rice. I add it in moderation to marinades, braises and stir-fries for a little kick. I like LinChen's Michiu brand from California, but any additive-free brand will do. If I can't make it to the Asian store, I'll buy a bottle of pale dry sherry as a substitute. Because I don't have room for three different types types of cooking spirits, I also use it in recipes that call for mirin (adding a little sugar, because mirin is sweet) or sake.
Chilies
Chilies are a very important component of Asian cooking, adding both aroma and heat. Try to obtain a good balance of the two when selecting chilies, remembering that size and color are not good indicators of their potency. In all the recipes in this book, the amount of chilies you use is up to your discretion. The seeds are the most potent part of the chili, so remove them as desired. One caveat: Don't add so much chili that you cannot taste the sweet, salty and sour flavors that make up a dish.
DRIED RED CHILIES Dried chilies abound, but the small red ones used in Asian cooking tend to be arbol or Japanese chilies. Both are spicy, measuring no longer than 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm). Use them whole, ground, crushed or roasted, with or without their seeds. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
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