At Home with Chinese Cuisine (32 page)
Read At Home with Chinese Cuisine Online
Authors: T P Hong
When we moved into our house twenty years ago, the first gardening project was to prepare an asparagus bed. It was because I love this vegetable and it was not easily available in supermarkets at that time. It has faithfully supplied us the green shoots of the spring from mid-April to early June for the last two decades. We made the effort of picking the young shoots just before cooking so that we can have them at their freshest. The freshness is in the taste of umami that the supermarket version cannot match. Asparagus are rich in vitamins A, B6, C, D, E and K, minerals (e.g. calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc), dietary fibre, folic acid, protein and antioxidants. We benefit from their nutritional value being fuller when they are at their freshest.
I grew up with white asparagus. I remember distinctively bunches of ivory white thick round spears for sale in the traditional market. They could be very tender and sweet. But some of them could taste bitter. Their outer skin is more fibrous than the green and purple ones. We therefore need to peel a thicker layer of the outer skin off. The peeled outer skin can be washed clean and put in a pot to simmer slowly with water. The resultant liquid is chilled as a drink. It is said to have a cooling effect to ease the summer heat inside our body.
As white asparagus are an early summer vegetable, a nice way of eating them is to serve them chilled. Steam them until soft, leave them to chill in the fridge and serve them with mayonnaise. Or we can prepare a very refreshing summer drink by putting the raw asparagus with carrots and celery stalks through the juicer and serve the juice with a spoonful of honey.
According to our experience, asparagus spears can turn woody very quickly. After being harvested, refrigeration does not prevent them from continuing to grow. The cut end of the spears turns woody with time. The woody part can be fibrous and unpleasant to eat. Traditionally, people follow the snap method to separate the fleshy part from the woody area. The snap method is to hold the asparagus in our hands and bend the spear for it to snap at a natural break point. With freshly harvested asparagus, I find this method not ideal and have a different approach to suggest.
With almost twenty years of preparing freshly harvested asparagus, I found that there is only a very small section of the spear that is woody and needs to be snapped off if we peel (with an asparagus peeler) off the skin about half way from the middle of the spear toward the cut-end to remove the fibrous outer skin first, followed by the snap method. The break point is much closer to the cut-end. For the fresh asparagus harvested from the garden just before cooking, do not snap but just trim off about 1 cm of the cut-end.
We tend to have a bumper crop in warm and moist springs. For us, pan-frying and stir-frying are the two best cooking methods to bring out the best flavour in fresh asparagus, especially the taste of umami. The asparagus are cut to a similar thickness and length. The peeled portion of the spear is as tender as the tip. I therefore can put all the pieces into the pan at the same time. When cooking with hot oil, use salt sparingly because they are sensitive to it.
Pan-fried Asparagus
The cooking time stated in the recipe is for preparing freshly harvested asparagus. Less fresh ones will take longer to cook. The freshness, thickness of the spear, and the individual preference for the flavour will all affect the cooking time.
250 g green asparagus cooking oil salt hot water (optional) | To prepare asparagus for cooking, please see “Asparagus” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Cut the asparagus into 4 cm segments with the same thickness. For the asparagus to have a nutty aroma with a bite: Heat a frying pan or a sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt evenly in the pan. When the pan is hot, arrange the spears neatly to form a single layer and leave them to pan-fry for about 1 minute. Turn them a couple of times to cook evenly. Put the lid on and cook for further 40 seconds to one minute. Open the lid and turn them several times. Plate them immediately. If you want your asparagus to be soft, after laying the spears evenly in the pan and pan-fry for 1 minute, sprinkle 2 t of hot water into the pan and put the lid on. They are normally done within two minutes. Open the lid and turn them several times. Plate them immediately. They can be served hot, warm or cold. Asparagus always remind me of the Loire Valley in France when it comes to wine-matching. Apart from Sancerre, Chinon goes well with this dish as well. |
Pan-fried Asparagus with Prawns
If you like seafood, try asparagus with fresh prawns or scallops. They are all protein packed. High-heat cooking helps to release the amino acids and brings out the umami taste in them that we have an innate fondness for.
250 g fresh prawns, shelled 100-150 g green asparagus 115 ml cooking oil For the marinade: 1-2 t water 1/3 medium-sized egg white salt and pepper 1 T cornflour | To prepare shelled prawns for cooking, please see “Shelled prawns” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. To marinade the prawns, please see “Marinade (how to)” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. To prepare asparagus for cooking, please see “Asparagus” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Cut them into 4cm segments. Bring the prawns out of the fridge to return to room temperature before cooking. To season the wok before cooking, please see “Wok” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Put the wok back to the heat source and adjust it to a medium-low heat. Add 100 ml of the cooking oil and heat the oil to 100°C. Add the prawns and count to 5 before stirring. Stir gently from time to time until the prawns start to turn pale. Drain the prawns in a colander with a bowl underneath. Heat a frying pan or a sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt evenly in the pan. When the pan is hot, arrange the asparagus neatly to form a single layer and leave them to pan-fry for about 1 minute. Turn them a couple of times to cook evenly. Put the lid on and cook for further 1 minute. Open the lid and turn them several times. Turn the heat up to a medium level. Add the prawns and stir to mix for about 30 seconds. Plate on a warm dish to serve. |
Asparagus Stir-fried with Lily Bulb
This is a delicate seasonal vegetable dish. The combination of green and white colours gives a clean, light and cheerful visual presentation. For the similar effect, green asparagus stir-fried with Chinese yam is also a classic combination.
For health, green asparagus has a cool food property while the lily bulb has a neutral food property. With a hint of bitterness in both vegetables, it is a combination suitable for the spring and the summer when they are at their best.
The lily bulb is said to moisten the lungs and to combat chronic coughing. These therapeutic effects make Pear Steamed with Lily Bulb a popular soup/dessert dish in the spring and in the autumn when we are susceptible to day-time temperature changes and catch cold easily.
Not all lily bulbs are edible. Lilium brownii and Lilium lancifolium (tiger lily) are two examples of the species with edible bulbs. They are available in vacuum packs from Chinese grocery stores. Choose those with white and plump scales that are firm to touch. The fleshy scales are delicate. They bruise easily. Their firm and yet slightly starchy texture goes well with asparagus. They have to be cooked quickly with high heat to retain their texture. Dried individual lily bulb scales are available in packs from Chinese or Oriental grocery stores and Chinese herbal medicine shops. They can be used for this dish but the fresh ones have a much better taste.
250 g green asparagus 1 fresh lily bulb 20 ml cooking oil salt | Detach the scales from the bulb and rinse them gently. Blanch them in gently boiling water for about 15-20 seconds (until they turn slightly opaque). To prepare asparagus for cooking, please see “Asparagus” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Cut them into 4 cm segments. Heat the wok over a medium heat. When the wok is hot, add 20ml of the cooking oil and a small pinch of salt, followed by the asparagus. Stir for 1 minute. Add 1T of water into the wok and put the lid on. Cook for 1 minute and remove the lid. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the lily scales. Stir-fry for about 10-15 seconds. Plate to serve immediately. |
Asparagus Stir-fried with Scallops
100-150 g green asparagus 6-8 medium-sized fresh scallops 1 spring onion white, finely diced 3 g ginger, finely diced 1 t rice wine salt and pepper 80 ml cooking oil 1 t sesame seed oil (optional) For the marinade: salt and pepper ¼ medium-sized egg white 2 t cornflour | Pat dry the scallops and slice against the grain into 3 round disks. Leave them in a bowl. To marinade the scallops, please see Marinade (how to) in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. To prepare asparagus for cooking, please see “Asparagus” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Cut them into 4 cm segments. Bring the scallops out of the fridge to return to room temperature before cooking. To season the wok before cooking, please see Wok in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Put the wok back to the heat source, adjust it to a medium heat, add about 60ml of the cooking oil, followed by the scallops. Stir gently until when they start to turn pale on the surface (about 20 seconds). Remove and drain in a colander with a bowl underneath. Heat the wok over a medium heat. When the wok is hot, add 20 ml of the cooking oil and |
Stir-fried Shredded Eels, Vegetarian Style
炒素鱔絲
Reconstituted shiitake mushrooms are the main ingredient of this dish. They are widely used in China for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Dried shiitake mushrooms have a distinctive flavour of their own when compared with the fresh ones, especially with regard to their aroma and the umami taste. They are appreciated for their nutritional value as well: they are rich in vitamins D and B, dietary fibre, and minerals such as iron. They are also high in protein and low in calories. In recent years, the discovery of their cancer-fighting compound and their ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels have made them even more popular among the elder population.
This dish is a subtle example of what blending tastes is about. The sauce mixture and the herbs used give the dish the flavour of a stir-fried dish of rice field eels (the real thing). When cut with a pair of kitchen scissors following the circular shape of the mushroom into thin strips, they resemble the rice field eel in shape and colour.
The recipe presented here is the lighter and tenderer version of a stir-fry dish from the south. With the same ingredients, they can be prepared differently. In Beijing, shredded mushrooms could be marinated and blanched in warm oil until slightly golden to give a gentle crunch. They can also be deep-fried in batter first and then slide-slipped or braised in a sauce thickened slightly with cornflour.
Fresh shiitake mushrooms cannot be used as a substitute because they have a very different flavour, and they do not take up the flavour of other ingredients around them as readily.
200g reconstituted shiitake mushrooms (about 40g of dried ones) 100 g fresh bamboo shoots 3–4 spring onions; separate the white from the green 15 g ginger 20 ml cooking oil 10 g cornflour and 10 ml water 125 ml soaking liquid For the sauce: 1 T rice wine 5 g granulated sugar salt and pepper 1 T dark soy sauce (optional) | To reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms and steam them for softer texture, please see “Dried shiitake mushrooms” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Rinse them and squeeze them dry. Filter the bowl of soaking liquid for cooking later. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the mushrooms, following their circular shape into thin strips no wider than 0.5 cm. Cut the strips into 6 cm segments. Shred the bamboo shoots to the size slightly smaller than the mushrooms. Shred the spring onion whites and ginger finely. Chop the spring onion greens finely. Prepare a pan of boiling water over a medium heat. When the water is boiling, add the bamboo shoots and allow the water to boil gently for 5 minutes or so. Drain them in a colander. Heat the soaking liquid of the shiitake mushrooms until warm. Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and taste to see whether the balance between salt, sugar, and soy sauce (if used) is to your liking. Prepare a wok over a medium heat. When the wok is hot, add 20 ml of the cooking oil and wait until the oil is hot. Put the ginger into the wok and stir until its aroma is released without picking up colour. Put the mushrooms in and stir continuously until the surface of the mushrooms has dried out a little; it will take at least a couple of minutes. Then add the sauce mixture and stir until there is no excess liquid left in the bottom of the wok. Add the bamboo shoots and spring onion whites and stir for about 30 seconds. Pour the warm soaking liquid into the wok and continue to cook until 1/3 of the liquid is left. Taste to adjust the seasoning. Drizzle the cornflour and water mixture in circular motion. Stir and allow it to bubble away until the sauce coats the mushrooms and the bamboo shoots nicely. Strew the spring onion greens or chopped coriander on top. Plate on a warm dish. |