CONTENTS Acknowledgments • vii Introduction • 1
JAPAN 5
KOREA 39
CHINA 75
INDIA 115
SOUTHE SOUT HEAST AST ASIA 149
Glossary • 181
Shiso is remarkable. remark able. The green variety has the th e most alluring allurin g shape. And the red turns everything it touches t ouches the most lovely purply hue. The flavor is remarkable; while many compare it to mint, thyme, or basil, I think it stands all on its own. This simple preparation makes the most of this herb, he rb, which can be challenging to find fin d fresh (though it’s easy to grow). This recipe also yields two wonderful kitchen staples: shiso vinegar and pickled shiso leaves. The vinegar is excellent on fresh vegetables, particularly particularly cucumbers. The pickled leaf is an unusual aromatic that plays nicely with chicken, in salads, on sandwiches, or with rice.
PIC ICKLED KLED SHISO LE AVES AN A N D S HI HIS S O V I N EG EGA AR • T I M E : A B O U T 2 W E E K S • M A K E S A B O U T 11/2 OUNCES P I C K L E D S H I S O L E A V E S A N D 11/2 C U P S S H I S O V I N E G A R •
2 ounces fresh red or green shiso leaves
11 ⁄ 2 cups unseasoned rice vinegar
Pack the shiso leaves into a clean, odor-free jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour the vinegar over the shiso and push down on the leaves to make sure they are completely submerged in the liquid. Store in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, gently shaking the t he jar every coupl couple e of days. After 2 weeks, drain the vinegar v inegar and store it in a pouring bottle on the shelf; the flavor will be at its best for about 2 months. Lay the leaves out on a sheet of wax paper, cover with another sheet of wax paper, and store in an airt a irtight ight container. These These will wil l keep, refrigerated, for at least a month.
BANCHAN
Daikon is an unsung vegetable hero, hero, capable of transforming itself into the craziest shapes and textures. What I love about this t his pickle is that the t he comically large white radish, once dried, is almost unrecognizable; it takes on a sweet flavor and a fruit leather/jerky texture. It’s totally different than Cubed Radish Kimchi (page 49) or Sweet Shredded Daikon and Carrot (page 71). I hate to play favorites, but this is one I keep around more often than not.
DRIED DAIKON (MU MALENGI) • T I M E : A B O U T 3 1/2 H O U R S • M A K E S A B O U T 11/4 C U P S •
11 ⁄ 2 pounds daikon radish
1 tablespoon black sesame oil
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon Korean chile flakes
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
5 teaspoon sugar
Wash the daikon and trim the ends, but don’t peel it. Slice the daikon into long ¼-inch-thick ¼-inch-thick pieces—for now, the length and the width w idth aren’t important, as you'll cut them again later. Lay them flat in a shallow baking dish or pan. Sprinkle with the salt and toss to coat evenly. Let the radish sit for 15 minutes mi nutes to sweat out some of its moisture. Lightly rub the oven racks with vegetable oil (or if you prefer, rub two large wire cooling racks with oil). Preheat the oven to 200°F and position both oven racks in the middle. Rinse the radish under running water and let it drain. Dry it in a sin-
I am no stranger to spicy food, but I once ate one on e of these that was so hot I had to lie down. Why? Because I was being macho and I didn’t remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers. I have also, of course, eaten many that were just the right degree of spiciness. No matter what happens with the heat, you will deeply enjoy the sweett (dates), pungent (onion), swee (onio n), and bracing (vinegar/ginger) aspects of these perfectly peppery pickle bites. Oh, and if Indian paneer cheese is not available, you can make do with another very mild, low-salt milk cheese like queso fresco, haloumi, or a firm quark.
PANEER-STUFFED PIC ICKLED KLED CHILES • TIME: 6 DAYS • MAKES 8 TO 10 STUFFE D PEPPERS •
4 or 5 jalapeño chiles 4 or 5 Fresno chiles 1 ⁄ 3 cup
finely choppe d yellow onion (about 1 ⁄ 2 small yellow onion) 1 ⁄ 3 cup
minced cilantro
3 ounces paneer, finely diced 5 dates, pitted and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon 3 ⁄ 4 cup
ground fenugreek
distilled white vinegar 11 ⁄ 4 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar 3 thin slices fresh ginger 1 large clove garlic, smashed
Bring a small saucepan of water water to a boil. Use scissor sci ssorss or kitchen kitc hen shears shear s to cut the stems off the peppers, leaving the peppers intact. When the water is at a rapid boil, slip in the pepper s and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft enough to be malleable. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. While the peppers cool, combine the onion, cilantro, paneer, dates,
Copyright © 2014 by Karen Solomon Photographs copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Marti né All rights reserved. Published in the t he United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Publish ing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York. www.crownpublishing.com www.tenspeed.com Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC. Library Librar y of Congress Cataloging in Publication data is on file with the publisher ISBN: 978-1-60774-476-4 eISBN: 978-1 978-1-60774-60774-477477-1 1 Design by Katy Brown Food styling by Karen Shinto Prop styling by Christine Chri stine Wolheim Printed in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition
