Must have ingredients for Asian cooking

[bob1852]

I dont care much for the curry powders unless i make them from scratch. Spice Island Red powder is ok but it is pretty hot and expensive. If you want to try making some from scratch look here. http://www.spice-mixes.com/curry-powder.html

Thanks for that site.

I'm not completely happy with my Singapore noodles recipe, and I know it's the curry powder. Time to make my own!

 

[Horseflesh]

Would you be willing to post what you have so far for Singapore noodles? It's a recent favorite at my neighborhood Chinese joint.

I am a super serious nerdy cook, but I have barely begun to study Chinese cuisine.

 

[bob1852]

Would you be willing to post what you have so far for Singapore noodles? It's a recent favorite at my neighborhood Chinese joint.

I am a super serious nerdy cook, but I have barely begun to study Chinese cuisine.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/singapore-curry-noodles-stir-fry-recipe.html

The crew at seriouseats seems to be my first stop these days when trying to make something I'm unfamiliar with.

 

[bob1852]

Speaking of, this is a great technique for stir fried meats...

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/chinese-velveting-101-introduction-water-velveting.html

 

[Miraculix]

Speaking of, this is a great technique for stir fried meats...

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/chinese-velveting-101-introduction-water-velveting.html

Gonna try this! Thanks!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/singapore-curry-noodles-stir-fry-recipe.html

The crew at seriouseats seems to be my first stop these days when trying to make something I'm unfamiliar with.

Thanks for the link! I've been looking for a decent Singapore Noodles recipe for a long time & there are several different versions, this looks very close to what I've been trying to reproduce from a particular restaurant's version. I will definitely be making this soon!
Regards, GF.

 

[user 211287]

Singapore noodles are a Chinese dish actually. Its Mei Fun with curry powder more or less. Real Singapore curry and laksa noodles are more like a soup. Even those styles have their roots in Chinese merchants.

The curry flavor is far more intense than the Chinese variety and often have coconut milk in them. Flavor is more similar to Thai curry.

 

[Kharnynb]

-Sichuan pepper, I use it a lot just as flavour in meat dishes, even have started to add just a bit to brisket and pulled pork

-sodium glutamate, no matter what some health-freaks say, it isn't all that dangerous when used in small amounts, and is just plain needed for certain dishes.

 

[user 211287]

5 Spice powder

Ive tried many and they all had too much cinnamon and/or star anise for me. Most ive seen didn't even have sichuan peppercorns. They used black instead. Make your own, its simple.

At one time imports of sichuan peppercorns were banned in the USA. You can get them now but they are a little pricey. They are a MUST have for things like dan dan noodles and many sichuan dishes. Really good in pickled veggie brines too. I add them to sweet pickled radish and nappa.

 

[jrgtr42]

Whereabouts are you located? That looks / sounds like a place not far from me, in Quincy Massachusetts.

I love Sichuan peppercorns, but SWMBO hates them, so I can only use them when I cook for myself; if she's out with her friends or something. Though I usually also have to cook for the little guy, so I can't make things too spicy.
Thai basil is a big one for us. We had a recipe for Pad Thai that was decent, but nothing special, until we got a bunch of that and put a few leaves in. NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!!! Now I grow it alongside sweet basil, (that goes on my homemade pizzas and sauces) cilantro / coriander and dill, and mint. All of those other than the sweet basil go into the Asian dishes we cook, (not all at once, depends on the dish.)

 

[user 211287]

Im near Saint Louis Mo.

There is Thai basil, holy basil and Siam Queen (mainly). All are commonly used in Thailand. I grow Siam Queen and lime basil. Siam is a tad stronger than common Thai basil but otherwise its about the same. It can be swapped for regular Thai basil but not for holy basil. Holy basil is quite a bit different.

Lime/Lemon basil really smells like citrus. Its interesting in some dishes that use lime and basil.

 

[Kharnynb]

A Thai friend taught me that for quick stir fry, you can batch fry pork strips on a deep fryer, just slightly covered in salt and flour.
Then freeze them in portions and add to the wok for the last minute or two for reheating.

 

[jrgtr42]

Im near Saint Louis Mo.

There is Thai basil, holy basil and Siam Queen (mainly). All are commonly used in Thailand. I grow Siam Queen and lime basil. Siam is a tad stronger than common Thai basil but otherwise its about the same. It can be swapped for regular Thai basil but not for holy basil. Holy basil is quite a bit different.

Lime/Lemon basil really smells like citrus. Its interesting in some dishes that use lime and basil.

I have the standard Thai basil growing. I may look into getting some Siam Queen for next spring - but the homegrown seems to be a bit more potent than the stuff I can find retail (there's a good sort of farmers market I go to that has it regularly)
I've seen a lot of different basils popping up lately, cinnamon, lemon-lime, spicy and so on. Don't know really how interested I'd be in them - but some might be interesting in homebrew beer...

 

[user 211287]

Thai, Thai sweet, Siam Queen, Licorice ect ect are all pretty interchangeable. Holy basil has almost none of the anise flavor. It works fine in Thai curries. It wont work in something like spicy basil chicken if you want it to taste right.

Lime or lemon basil has some of the anise flavor but a strong cent of citrus. I got the Bonnie or Burpee lime and loved it for some stuff. The dried bolts were great added to seasoned vinegar. It was also excellent as a garnish on a bowl of laksa noodles.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

The crew at seriouseats seems to be my first stop these days when trying to make something I'm unfamiliar with.

Yep. My standard answer when I'm trying something new and my girlfriend asks "do you know how to cook that?" is "No, but SeriousEats does."

It's my first stop as well.

-Sichuan pepper, I use it a lot just as flavour in meat dishes, even have started to add just a bit to brisket and pulled pork

I love Sichuan peppercorns, but SWMBO hates them, so I can only use them when I cook for myself

Yeah, I *LOVE* sichuan peppercorn, but sometimes I have to watch it when cooking for my girlfriend or the kids... I have a tendency to "overdo it" on the spice (whether heat or sichuan).

 

[Horseflesh]

Serious Eats and especially Kenji's articles are great, and my first stop too. My other favorite cooking site is ChefSteps, but they do more of the nerdy "modernist" techniques.

 

[user 211287]

I managed to save one of my herbs that is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Its called Laksa, Vietnamese coriander and Rau Ram just to name a few. Flavor is very similar to cilantro but less soapy to me. Its wonderful in chicken or seafood curries or just plain old chicken soup.

The thing that is killer about laksa is its SUPER easy to grow and clone. Every time you take a stem from the plant just put the cut end in some water. Roots form in under a week. Laksa wont bolt like cilantro either. At least not in a sub tropical climate. During the summer you will have a endless supply from just 2 10" planters. The ONLY thing you must do is NOT let the soil dry out. You cant over water it. Ive tried

After just a few days in water really nice roots form.

 

[aces-n-eights]

Great thread... thanks!

 

[Horseflesh]

Since this thread started I have loaded up a couple of shopping carts with the recommended items and they are FANTASTIC.

The Mae Ploy curries especially are incredible, with my favorites being I think panang, green, and yellow. But at like $2.50 each tub there is no reason not to try all of them. The Mae Ploy coconut cream is also tops. You can save $0.50 with a cheaper brand, but don't. One of the Mae Ploy curries lacks the shrimp paste, which makes it vegan, so if I need to bust out an impressive vegan meal at the last minute, can do!

The Kadoya sesame oil is outstanding, so much better than any supermarket bottle I have used so far.

The La Mian Singapore curry noodles are also damn good, amazing they come out of a packet.

I'm going to be making gifts of some of these items this holiday season. If a person likes Thai curry the Mae Ploy products are life-changing.

During my Asian cuisine craze I also got to know Szechuan peppercorns. If you like Szechuan food, you have to get some of these and look up a recipe for chong qing chicken/shrimp.

 

[user 125772]

X2 on the carbon steel Wok , actually you're better off with two of 'em.

Don't forget the peanuts for the Kung Pao Chicken !

 

[user 211287]

Since this thread started I have loaded up a couple of shopping carts with the recommended items and they are FANTASTIC.

The Mae Ploy curries especially are incredible, with my favorites being I think panang, green, and yellow. But at like $2.50 each tub there is no reason not to try all of them. The Mae Ploy coconut cream is also tops. You can save $0.50 with a cheaper brand, but don't. One of the Mae Ploy curries lacks the shrimp paste, which makes it vegan, so if I need to bust out an impressive vegan meal at the last minute, can do!

The Kadoya sesame oil is outstanding, so much better than any supermarket bottle I have used so far.

The La Mian Singapore curry noodles are also damn good, amazing they come out of a packet.

I'm going to be making gifts of some of these items this holiday season. If a person likes Thai curry the Mae Ploy products are life-changing.

During my Asian cuisine craze I also got to know Szechuan peppercorns. If you like Szechuan food, you have to get some of these and look up a recipe for chong qing chicken/shrimp.

Really glad you like them. I love the Mae Ploy pastes and coconut milk. The Prima Taste La Mian is by FAR the absolute best "ramen" ive ever tried. I gave my aunt some for Christmas last year and she was floored how good it was. The noodles are spot on perfect and the curry flavor/heat level is insane for an instant.

Mykuali has a really good white curry noodle too but i cant find them locally anymore. Its a tad hotter than the Prima Taste but the noodles are not quite as good...Way cheaper if you can find them.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NKN7CQE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
https://www.theramenrater.com/2014/04/21/top-ten-2014-re-review-mykuali-penang-white-curry-noodle/

If you have not tried it yet add some fried tofu puffs to the noodles also. In Singapore its called Tau Pok and a pretty common item at Asian markets. Texture is much different than regular tofu. They are almost like little cubes of french toast.

 

[Horseflesh]

That MyKuali noodle is in my Amazon cart now, thanks!

 

[user 211287]

Those are excellent for cheaper ramen. The curry flavor is really good. None of the other cheaper ones come close.

None of my markets have them anymore. They replaced them with Ah Lai brand which i dont think are that great. These are ok but nothing to rave about.
https://www.theramenrater.com/2014/03/20/1342-ah-lai-white-curry-noodle/

 

[Ke_Liren]

Nice thread! Don't know anything about Singaporean noodles, but wanted to chime in with bean pastes of all sorts. My favorite is the Sichuanese spicy bean paste 辣豆瓣酱 La douban jiang - a must have if you're going to try to make some Sichuanese standards like Mapo Tofu (Mother's pockmarked tofu). The best ones will be from a place called Pixian 郫县 which should be on the label; otherwise just try to find the one with the fewest ingredients possible! I put a little in my stir fries all the time and fly through it. It's very salty so I would use it with a low sodium soy sauce and no added salt the first time. Not the same thing, but you'll probably want some fermented black beans 豆豉 douchi while you're at it. In terms of other bean pastes, miso comes in an insane amount of varieties. My favorite is a dark red miso - I use it in soups for some added body.

I also go through an entire jar of homemade chili oil on a bi-weekly basis. It's more of an "after cooking" ingredient, but it really brings everything to life. There are countless variations. Noodles, fried rice, mapo tofu; it all gets a nice spoonful of it. Pretty much required for most Sichuanese dishes, and makes most other dishes taste better! It's much better than the store bought stuff.

Sichuanese peppercorns have been mentioned, but also check out the green ones if available - they may be seasonal depending on how large of an Asian community is near you, but the internet should have them available. Other mandatory spices for any Chinese cooking: bay leaf, star anise, fennel, cloves, Chinese cinnamon (it's different), dried citrus peels (I just stick orange peels or pomelo skin on my windowsill to dry out).

I'd also second sesame oil - I think it's often "that missing ingredient" in a lot of Chinese dishes. Dark soy sauce for color. Shaoxing wine (not the salted one, the unsalted one) for deglazing a wok. Scallions are literally given away for free here when you buy groceries, and that's for a reason: chopped fresh scallions on top of a heavier dish to cut through the flavors. I also use dried seaweed and dried mushrooms a lot to make soup stocks, or to add flavor. Dried and pickled food makes up a big portion of the flavor in a lot of stir fries, too, but may be harder to find and use up if you're not using them often.

 

[Kharnynb]

I love indonesian sambal as a "hot sauce" instead of the more common ones used in the USA(dutch, so lot of indonesian people living in NL)

sambal goreng(fried) and sambal oelek(sweeter/"raw") are must haves for me.

 

[user 211287]

Homemade sichuan hot oil made with peanut oil and a little dark sesame oil after it cools a little. This blows away the junk in the stores made with soy bean oil.
https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/chinese-chili-oil/

 

[Horseflesh]

I made this too! It's very good. That site has some great info.

@Ke_Liren -- can you share your chili oil recipe?

I've now tried all the MyKuali ramen flavors, and they're all very good... Though the white curry is the best. Hard to pay $4 per La Mian pack now though the noodles themselves are a lot better.

 

[user 211287]

If you get into sichuan cuisine you will also want this or some of the other "preserved" veggies. I normally get zha cai which is the mustard tuber but for some dishes you need ya cai. Little 100gr packs at my market are about 40 cents. Its dried mustard stems that have been seasoned and salted. (pickled).

Really a must have for dan dan noodles.

 

[bob1852]

Homemade sichuan hot oil made with peanut oil and a little dark sesame oil after it cools a little. This blows away the junk in the stores made with soy bean oil.
https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/chinese-chili-oil/

Thanks for that website! Some really nice looking recipes. Must try that red oil wonton soup!

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

For more traditional Japanese dishes you have to have Kombu and Katsuobushi (dried bonito flake), you use them to not only make Dashi but you'll find they're in just about every umame japanese dish, bases for sauces, etc... Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese 7 Spice) is also awesome in non-asian dishes and great instead of regular salt and pepper on a steak.

Gotta say for soups and other dishes having a nice homemade stock like a straight up beef stock, chicken stock, seafood stock (dashi works) is amazing to have on hand too.

Good noodles are nice to have but sometimes just pre-boiling some ramen without the flavor packet works. Fresh garlic is a must, corn starch is used quite often, mushrooms are a must too.