Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 2, 1994 TAG: 9402040001
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
But that doesn't happen any more. Since I discovered the Oriental Market (3324-C Williamson Rd. N.W., 362-1979 or 265-0366) and the Asian Pacific Food Market (5221 Williamson Rd. N.W., 563-0986 or 362-4193), my gastronomic nostalgia has no limits. Both stores stock bonanzas of authentic ingredients, and just about everything comes in small, medium and huge sizes. Surprisingly, prices are well below what I had been paying elsewhere. Much to my amazement, these stores even have the preferred brands mentioned in my books.
Armed with lists of ingredients from recipes I wanted to make, I shopped both stores and filled more than several hand baskets with fresh and prepared items. For about $60, my pantry boasts a congestion of Asian sauces in 24-ounce bottles, packs of noodles, sacks of rice and an assortment of canned and dehydrated unsweetened coconut milk. My refrigerator houses knobby squashes, an alligator-skinned bitter melon, slender, curvy eggplants, leafy Chinese broccoli, baby bok choy, and a durian, a fruit that looks as if an armadillo made love to a depth charge. My spice cabinet bulges with fenugreek leaves, rainbows of curry powders and fiery chili pastes, crispy fried shallots, 3-ounce boxes of white and black sesame seeds, bags of dried black mushrooms and tiny lily buds.
I am as happy as a lark. On a whim, I create spectacular Singaporean meals from the ``Cooking of Singapore: Great Dishes from Asia's Culinary Crossroads,'' by Chris Yeo and Joyce Jue (Harlow & Ratner. Hardcover, $24.95.). Singapore, a tiny island-state, incorporates the culinary influences of the many traders and settlers from China, Malaya, Indonesia and India who relocated there in the early 1800s. Singapore's native cooking, the Nonya Cuisine, developed out of the marriages between Chinese traders and Malay women. The Nonya cook and Nonya cuisine mean it is the food prepared in the home by the women, the nonyas.
Rempah, an aromatic spice mixture, forms the foundation for many Nonya curries, sauces and marinades. Composed of a blend of seasonings - fresh lemongrass, candlenuts or skinned almonds, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, shallots, sometimes dried shrimp paste, and galangal - that are initially pulverized together then slowly fried over slow heat with oil and chili paste for about 10 minutes. Galangal, a rhizome related to ginger, and an item I thought would be difficult to find, was part of my cache from Asian Pacific Food Market.
Three unusual and extraordinary Nonya dishes include rice noodles and chicken breast in spicy coconut gravy, grilled fish in banana leaf packets and barbecued cornish hens. My favorite, though, aromatic braised chicken in turmeric, weds the seasonings of India with the culinary techniques of Malaysia. Flavor from tamarind water gives this dish a unique, citrusy tang. To make this, I purchased a block of tamarind pulp and followed the book's directions for transforming it into a liquid.
Exotic first courses for dinner parties - or an entree for three - originate from the easy recipes in ``Asian Appetizers'' by Joyce Jue (Harlow & Ratner. Paperback, Smyth-stiched, $16.95.). Pork rib tea soup, ideal for this frigid time of the year, derives from simmering chopped pork back ribs in a liquid heightened with layers of seasonings - garlic, cinnamon, star anise, white peppercorns and dark soy sauce. Garnishes of crisp fried shallot flakes and thinly sliced red chilis add verve. Almost like a Thai bouillabaisse, seafood and noodles in a clay pot (yes, these are available locally) can be prepared quickly. Thread noodles, crab, shrimp and squid swim in a fragrant broth.
Light and crisp lemon chicken medallions with a spiked gin sauce are delicious. A tantalizing petite treat from Thailand called galloping horses, combines savory, sweet and spicy flavors: atop a fresh piece of pineapple sits seasoned chopped pork adorned with peanut, mint and slivers of red chili.
The uncomplicated recipes from Martin Yan's ``The Well-Seasoned Wok'' (Harlow & Ratner. Paperback, $15.) inspire some great everyday, healthful dishes. Creative and distinctive, mushroom-filled salmon ``sandwiches'' takes serving-sized pieces of fresh salmon fillet split into two layers and stuffed with a filling of julienned black and enoki mushrooms, carrot, celery and cilantro. Cooked in a skillet and simmered in a sheer sauce of chicken broth and Shao Hsing wine seasoned with shallots and lemongrass, it's fabulously easy and outstanding.
Vegetables attain star billing in Yan's book, and I've tried several, including the colorful, tasty Chinese vegetable bouquet, an unusual broccoli and cauliflower stir-fry. Buddha's spaghetti, made with spaghetti squash, five bean salad with artichokes and snappy stir-fry, a zesty combination of the author's favorite veggies.
I chose these three books because the recipes range from all over Asia. They're an adventure in eating. An easy-to-follow format makes these ideal for everyone. The authors' voices guide with strength, clarity and enthusiasm. Each gives informative views of the various cultures, the history and geography, how different styles of cooking evolved, an extensive glossary of ingredients, tools and definitions plus clear, practical explanations of ``how to do it,'' the application of specific culinary techniques.
The books are beautiful, too. In each, Keith Ovregaard's gorgeous photos of how the finished dishes look provided me with more reasons to include these in my library and also to give them as gifts. All in all, these cookbooks are three of the best for Asian cooking and reading. There's joy in knowing the ingredients are a short drive away.
by CNB