Gateway to Asia The right tools and specialty ingredients

[Food Network Fan]

Gateway to Asia

The right tools and specialty ingredients can open up a bounty of exotic flavors

By Lisa Futterman |Special to the Chicago Tribune

September 10, 2008

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next

Third in a series of occasional articles about useful cooking tools and ingredients


Asian cuisines offer myriad exotic flavors and techniques that are accessible to the home cook. Ethnic enthusiasts have always combed the aisles of Asian stores for great equipment values and exciting ingredients, but the stacks of woks and strange jars and bottles can be a bit daunting to the uninitiated.


Dan Nguyen, chef/owner of Viet Bistro in Rogers Park, said that the toughest thing for home cooks who want to cook Asian food authentically is the tame heat on most stoves.


Traditionally, woks are set over an open flame, and in restaurants, directly into the gas burner. At home, said Nguyen, "the burners restrict the cooking and you don't see results. Plus, open flames are too scary." MORE HERE

[ping]

If anybody tries cooking with that sambal oelek chili sauce then be careful. It's really hot.

[Food Network Fan]

I like the jasmine rice.

[Bentley Green]

Originally Posted by Food Network Fan

I like the jasmine rice.

I like that too! Also Basamic rice. I love that nutty aroma and taste that it has! It really rocks!

[Pluff Mudder]

Got my wok out tonight and made shrimp fried rice.

[Bentley Green]

Save some for me! Haha!!

[cyberdoc]

We just had an international market open up near where we live, and I am in love. I was able to get honest to God real tamarin in the pods.

[Bentley Green]

All this talk about Asian cooking is making me want to make a stir-fry or some Chinese fried rice. Haha!!