Plum Sauce
A sweet sauce made from plums, vinegar, sugar, and a
dash of chillies. Sold in jars or cans in the
supermarket.
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Rice Wine
A mild and lightly fragrant vinegar that is added to
marinades and stir-fried dishes. Substitute sake or dry
sherry.
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Sesame Oil
Extracted from sesame seeds that have been well toasted,
producing a dark, dense, highly aromatic oil that can be
used for cooking, marinades, sauces and soups, or as a
table condiment. Sold in plastic bottles in
supermarket.Its nutty, smoky flavour has become a
hallmark of Chinese cuisine.
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Shallot
A
small bulb which resembles an onion and is used for
pickling or as a substitute for onion.
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Sichuan Pepper
Also called Chinese pepper, this spice has a sharp
pungence that tingles and slightly numbs the lips and
tongue.
Sichuan peppercorns,
the dried berry of a climbing vine, used whole as a
spice or crushed or ground to make pepper, are
available from Chinese stores, or as sansho from
Japanese stores.
To make Sichuan pepper-salt powder, dry-toast
Sichuan peppercorns with sea salt (2 tbs peppercorns to
1/2 tsp salt), grind to a fine powder and sprinkle over
cooked dishes as garnish.
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Soy Sauce
Brewed from wheat, salt and soybeans. It is a clear
brown liquid with a salty taste. Black Soy Sauce
is denser and less salty with a malt tang. Sweet black
soy sauce (kecap manis) is thick and sweet, and
generally used in Indonesian dishes and desserts.
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Sultana
A
small, light brown, seedless raisin used in foods such
as puddings and cakes.
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Tamarind (asam)
A fruit used to add sourness to many dishes. To obtain
tamarind juice, mash the pulp in warm water, then
strain, discarding the solids. If using prepared
tamarind pulp or concentrate, reduce the amounts called
for in the recipes.
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Thai Basil Leaves (horapa)
Similar to European sweet basil. It is used liberally as
a seasoning and sprigs of them are often added to a
platter of fresh raw vegetables.
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Tofu
Rich in protein and amazingly versatile. Various types
of tofu, originally introduced by Chinese, are now used
by almost every ethnic group in Asia. Firm tofu holds
its shape better when cut or cooked and has a strong,
slightly sour taste. Pressed tofu (often confusingly
labelled as firm tofu) has much of the moisture
extracted and is therefore much firmer in texture and
excellent for stir-fries.
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Turmeric
A
bright yellow aromatic powder obtained from the rhizome
of a plant of the ginger family, used for flavouring and
colouring in Asian cookery.
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Wine
Used frequently in Chinese cooking as a tenderizer, to
eliminate rank tastes in meat and fish, to blend
flavours and to enhance taste. The best wine for Chinese
cooking is rice wine, although Japanese sake and
mirin may also be used. Another good alternative
is dry sherry.
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