The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [4]
Canned
BAMBOO SHOOTS. The most familiar shoots come sliced and canned, but they can also be purchased whole or halved, plucked from buckets of water in the produce department at Asian grocery stores. To rid canned bamboo shoots of their tinny flavor, boil them in a saucepan of water for 1 minute, then drain and rinse well. If you don’t have the time for this step, at the very least rinse them very well before using. (The bucket-stored shoots are processed as well, but they taste better than canned and need little preparation other than slicing.) Refrigerate any leftover bamboo shoots, covered with water in a covered container, changing the water every day or so; they will keep for up to 2 weeks. I recommend the Ma Ling and Companion brands.
COCONUT MILK. You can find canned unsweetened coconut milk in your supermarket or in Asian and Latin markets. Do not confuse it with sweetened cream of coconut, which usually goes by a brand name and is used for sweet cocktails, not cooking. And don’t mistake it for the clear juice of a cracked coconut. Shake the can well before opening it, and refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to a week.
LOTUS PASTE. The canned sweetened paste made from lotus seeds has a chestnutlike flavor and is used in desserts. Red bean paste, made from red adzuki beans, not soybeans, is similar.
PRESERVED VEGETABLE. When you see “Chinese preserved vegetable” listed in a recipe, it usually means preserved mustard greens dusted with chili. you can purchase them in cans or from refrigerated open containers at a Chinese market. Rinse them before cooking, as they can be sandy (the spiciness runs through the vegetable, so don’t worry about rinsing off the flavor). Refrigerated in an airtight container, they keep indefinitely.
STRAW MUSHROOMS. These little mushrooms are only available canned and do not have much flavor, but they have a nice silky texture. Drain and rinse them well with cold water before using.
Preserved, Processed,
and Dried Ingredients
AGAR-AGAR. Asian cooks use agar-agar, a clear substance extracted from seaweed, in the same way that Western cooks use gelatin. It is the thickening agent in almond “bean curd,” the popular Chinese dessert. Like gelatin, agar-agar must be carefully dissolved in liquid to do its work, although unlike gelatin, it does not need to be chilled to set. Also called kanten, it often comes in strips that look like crinkled transparent tape, but the flaked version is easiest to measure and use. Look for it in health food stores.
BAMBOO SHOOTS, DRIED. Slender dried bamboo shoots are sold packaged in plastic bags. They must be soaked in hot water until softened, and then drained before using.
BEAN CURD (OR TOFU). The soybean product, made of coagulated soy milk, comes in silken, soft, medium, and firm consistencies and is sold, packaged in plastic containers, in markets everywhere. Choose the consistency called for in the recipe.
BLACK MUSHROOMS, CHINESE DRIED. The price range for these dried shiitake mushrooms is quite wide—the bigger, plumper ones with cracked tops have the meatiest flavor and the firmest texture, and command the highest price. To reconstitute dried mushrooms, soak them in very hot water to cover until softened, about 30 minutes. To speed the process, place the mushrooms and water in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds; then let them stand for 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze the excess water from the mushrooms, trim and discard the woody stems, and slice the caps as needed. If you wish, reserve the soaking