Asian Cuisine

Exploring new horizons

Make it taste so delightful it seems not to be of this Earth.

Chefs say that Asian cuisine is about mastering a perfect balance between the sweet, sour, bitter and salt.

A 28.00€ supermarket shopping experiment for entering Asian cuisine.

In a city like Hong Kong the home kitchens are small niches, and street food is often cheaper than buying the ingredients in the supermarkets, opposite in Europe.

For a starter like me, I recommend taking a lot of all of these premade accessories like mango chutney etc. for a test drive by using them as dippings for chips/snacks to get familiar with taste, flavor, aromatics or whatever the chefs call them these days.

Chopsticks

It may be difficult to eat with chopsticks instead of a knife and fork. A beginner's trick is to put a rubber band about an inch from the top, and from there get used to how and where to place your fingers.

Cookware

Wok pan vs. Wok pot

Hvad er forskellen på en wokpande og en wokgryde?

First choice: A wok pan, not a wok pot for high temperatures.

Second choice: Not a non-stick or ceramic pan for high temperatures.

Third choice: No gas stove, no wok pans at all!

Fourth choice: For an electrical stove, preferably an iron cast wok pan

Fifth choice: Iron cast is too heavy to do the shaking of the pan.

Sixth choice: A wok has been around since the 90's

Seventh choice: If you don't have a wok pan, use a stainless-steel sauté pan with a heavy bottom.

A stainless-steel sauté pan with a lid can also be used as a wok pot for slow cooked long-term simmering.

A stainless-steel sauté pan has a larger surface, so you don't have to fry all of the ingredients in numerous batches.

Dr. Alban - Hard to Choose (Official Audio)

Thai Food

Pak choy, Pak choi or Bok choy (a sort of cabbage)

Coconut oil for frying garlic, chicken or salmon, etc.

Coconut milk to make a creamy sauce

Peanut butter or even peanuts as toppings.

Coconut oil (not coconut milk) melts surprisingly fast and doubles in amount of expected.

Cutting Boards

1. Top - Wooden or bamboo

2. Left - Plastic with a juice groove

3. Right - Titanium alloy with SAE 304 steel (alloy of iron, carbon, chromium and nickel).

Chicken is an excellent introduction to Asian cuisine,

but it also introduces the risk of salmonella.

1. Wooden or bamboo cutting boards is a risk

2. Plastic cutting boards is also a risk besides the risk of micro plastic in the food and being an environmental hazard too

3. Titanium cutting boards is the latest shriek

To utilize any cutting board with a juicy groove, tilt it diagonally so the juice can drop off nice and fashionable.

The wooden or bamboo cutting boards might still come in handy for a photogenic shot.

Scandinavian ways of cooking chicken salmonella free for oven use

1. Denmark - 220°C/428°F - 60 min.

2. Sweden - 175°C/347°F - 70 min.

Chicken

Chicken breast fillet vs. chicken drumstick fillet

Chicken breast fillets and drumstick fillets offer distinct qualities. Breast fillets are known for being lean, mild-flavored, and relatively low in fat, making them a popular choice for health-conscious individuals. Drumstick fillets, on the other hand, boast a richer, more intense flavor and a higher fat content, which contributes to their juicier, more tender texture.

Both baking soda and cornstarch are used when velveting chicken, but they serve different purposes. Baking soda tenderizes the chicken by breaking down proteins, while cornstarch creates a coating that helps retain moisture and create a slightly crisp texture during cooking. Some recipes use both, with baking soda for tenderizing and cornstarch for coating.

Baking Soda:

Tenderizing:

Baking soda raises the pH of the chicken, which helps to break down muscle proteins, resulting in a more tender texture.
Rinsing:

After using baking soda, it's crucial to rinse the chicken thoroughly to remove any residual taste or bitterness.
Application:

It's generally used as a marinade, often with a short marinating time (e.g., 15-20 minutes).

Cornstarch:

Coating:

Cornstarch creates a thin, protective layer around the chicken, which helps to lock in moisture and prevent it from drying out during cooking.
Texture:

It also helps to create a slightly crispier exterior when cooked, especially in stir-fries.
Application:

It can be used in the marinade (along with other ingredients) or as a final coating before cooking.

Combination:

Some recipes use both, first tenderizing with baking soda, then coating with cornstarch before stir-frying.
This method is particularly useful for achieving a restaurant-quality, tender, and slightly crispy texture in stir-fried chicken.

Other Ingredients:

Other common ingredients in velveting marinades include salt, sugar, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and oil.
These ingredients contribute to flavor and help to further enhance the texture and moisture retention.

Indian/Pakistani Cuisine

Tandoori: A spice mixture often used to marinate meat, especially chicken.

Masala: A spice mixture to make a chicken tikka masala.

Singapore/Indonesia/Malaysia

If you want to describe Singapore cuisine with three words: Give me more!

For 40 days and 40 nights in religious terms means for an unspecified amount of time beyond a month.
In Singapore/Indonesia/Malaysia cuisine some food contains cyanide like nuts, so they boil it and bury it in the earth for 40 days to leach it. Nutmegs and some berries are also rich on cyanide! (Blåsyre in Danish).

Singapore/Indonesia/Malaysia cuisine looks just right for me entering Asian cuisine.

There are limits to what I think of Thai cuisine to begin with.

Interesting for this international cuisine is that white rice might have become soaked in a stock making it look like brown rice. Soy sauce might have been caramelized making it thicker called black sauce.

You can also expect coconut rice.

You can also expect rice and mackerel to be served as the national breakfast menu.

Cambodia/Taiwan Cuisine

This region has been in a conflict for a century about temples.

Food for thought unites us all.

Entry level

Chicken over rice

Pork over rice

Palestine/Jordan Cuisine

Can also be done under the same roof.