West meets East

Ah, the chow of the Orient. Or, as it is called by the politically correct, Asian food. I’ve always loved it, though I’ve been terrified to cook it. I mean, who the hell knows really how to deal with lemongrass and ginger, right?

I’m not talking about God-awful General Tso’s chicken, which is sometimes passable but usually downright greasy. I’m talking about amazing Chinese noodles, hearty dumplings, and highly seasoned pad thai. I’m talking about grabbing takoyaki (fried wheat-octopus balls), which fellow Chef Arthur introduced me to in the East Village. I’m talking about using ample amounts of fish sauce, which is my new best friend. I’m talking about sushi-grade fish, baby.

Well, now thanks to some exposure to these culinary delights at school, I’m no longer terrified to dabble in Asian cuisine. In fact, most Asian food is fairly simple. It usually involves cooking with oil or ghee (over-clarified butter that has turned slightly brown and smells nutty), as well as curry pastes made from freshly toasted and ground seeds. Vegetables are thinly sliced for fast wok cooking, and proteins are red cooked (quickly cooked to “brown” the outside, then reserved, then added back in once everything else in the wok has cooked). Result: some of the most flavorful food ever. It’s no secret that fusion cuisine began with melding Asian and other regional cooking flavors.

My loins fortified by this new knowledge, two weeks ago I cooked up a flavorful Thai shrimp-and-snow-pea stir fry for wifey (it looks like Doc Holliday’s vomit, but it tasted awesome, due to the ample coconut milk and freshly made red curry paste). I also whipped up a few days later a nice chicken with plum sauce, which is about as easy as you can get. Here are the pics and the recipe:

Plum sauce

5 red plums, roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces
½ small white onion, medium dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ piece of ginger, minced
1 tsp toasted coriander seeds, ground (you can simply smash them since they will get strained later)
1 dried chili, seeded and minced
½ piece of lemongrass, smashed and minced
½ cup Mirin (dry sherry works as well)
3 T brown sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

Toss all the ingredients, except the plums, into a small sauce pot and bring to boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the plums and simmer for about another 30 to 45 minutes, until the liquid is deep red and the plums are very soft. Separately, mix the cornstarch with about an ounce of cold water. Add it gradually to the pot and stir to thicken the sauce.

Pass the sauce through a chinois or fine mesh strainer (or you can use women’s pantyhose, you weirdos). Drizzle over whatever you want; I sauteed some chicken breast and steamed bok choy, and garnished with a little orange zest, but fish would go great with it as well.