chinese cook box- essential larder ingredients

[paultownsend]

so iv got into making fresh currys, and its awesome. finally i can eat as much as i like and its relatively healthy.

now im wanting to get into oriental cooking. what are the essential ingredients?

soy sauce
rice/white wine vineger
seseme seed oil
five spice
dried chilli flakes
szechuan peppercorns

my first recipe is steins five spice slow roast pork belly. but id also like to make some sort of dipping sauce (chilli)

Paul

Edited by paultownsend on Thursday 21st October 21:22

[Pferdestarke]

I would add ginger, garlic, fermented black beans, chili oil, oyster sauce, ketcap manis and a wok stand.

[Mobile Chicane]

Try this recipe as a dipping sauce for any type of fish, meat (or grilled fruit). It's freakin' awesome.

Mix together:

3 tbs kecap manis
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 red Thai chillies, finely chopped
1/2 a banana shallot, finely chopped

[Wadeski]

essential liquids:

light soy
white rice vinegar
black rice vinegar
chilli oil (make it at home - pour a pint of deep fry hot peanut oil over a mix of dried and fresh chopped chilies, leave to cool and leave for 24hrs before using)
toasted sesame oil
rice wine
chicken stock (or, ideally, chinese stock which is chicken and pork bones) and fish stock. freeze it in cubes.

also useful:

oyster sauce
thai fish sauce (not chinese but handy)
dark soy sauce
mirin (japanese sweet rice wine)

essential other bits:

dried chillies
star anise
sichuan pepper
dried black beans (dont buy black bean sauce, its vile - just add washed black beans to rice wine and sugar)
5 spice (making your own in a grinder is nicer than shop bought)
fresh garlic, ginger, chillies, spring onions, red onions and green leaves (iceberg lettuce, chinese cabbage etc)
Toban Jian (chilli bean paste)
Pickled mustard greens
dried mushrooms
dried prawns
plain roasted peanuts
corn starch or potato starch (to thicken sauces - no MSG needed
firm tofu


thats what i have in my cupboard anyway

[Pferdestarke]

Mobile Chicane said:

kecap manis

I have a 't' in mine. Oops!

Wadeski - that puts my list to shame and I have most of what you suggested in my pantry too!

[MissFire]

I would also add Hoi Sin sauce and Plum sauce, perfect compliment to duck dishes,
and coconut milk, for curries.

[Mobile Chicane]

Pferdestarke said:

Mobile Chicane said:

kecap manis

I have a 't' in mine. Oops!

Wadeski - that puts my list to shame and I have most of what you suggested in my pantry too!

Just looked at the bottle and it's 'ketjap manis' - doh! Either way it's Indonesian soy sauce. No idea how to pronounce it though.

[sleep envy]

Mobile Chicane said:

Pferdestarke said:

Mobile Chicane said:

kecap manis

I have a 't' in mine. Oops!

Wadeski - that puts my list to shame and I have most of what you suggested in my pantry too!

Just looked at the bottle and it's 'ketjap manis' - doh! Either way it's Indonesian soy sauce. No idea how to pronounce it though.

Indonesian soy sauce

hth

[Melman Giraffe]

Galangal
Lemon Grass
Thai Basil
Corriander

[paultownsend]

off to the orietal supermarket tomorrow. cheers guys

[Mobile Chicane]

paultownsend said:

off to the orietal supermarket tomorrow. cheers guys

Get to one of those.

While you're at it, pick up Asian brands of tom yam soup base and green curry paste. Much nicer than the 'Bart' versions sold in Waitrose and a quarter of the price.

Also canned coconut milk, lychees, packet 'instant' noodles, and rice in bulk.

Oh my. I feel a trip to Wing Yip coming on... The freezer section alone is worth the trip for its marvels: pig's uterus, anyone?

[Chuffer]

Mobile Chicane said:

While you're at it, pick up Asian brands of tom yam soup base

My favourite, a glug of fish sauce here, a squeeze of lime juice there... yum... got to be the simplest and tastiest soup out there.

Has anyone used it for anything other that soup?

Hungry now and the local closed at 1am

[Mobile Chicane]

Chuffer said:

Mobile Chicane said:

While you're at it, pick up Asian brands of tom yam soup base

My favourite, a glug of fish sauce here, a squeeze of lime juice there... yum... got to be the simplest and tastiest soup out there.

Has anyone used it for anything other that soup?

Hungry now and the local closed at 1am

Many years ago now, my housemate rubbed tom yam paste on a chicken then roasted it and left it in the fridge to eat the next day.

I got in from a club starving at 4am and having found it - ate the whole thing.

:theshameofit:

Edited by Mobile Chicane on Saturday 23 October 01:51

[paultownsend]

and 24 bottle of tsing tao beer!

two small q's

when cooking the belly pork, i know its 25 minuts at max temp, then down to 150 for 3 hours or so. but should i have the oven (assisted) fan on or off?

also, chillis, garlic and ginger. do you keep these in the fridge or in the cool larder?

Paul

[Wadeski]

chillies and ginger in the fridge, garlic outside works best i find...