For some reason, Asian food is a real attraction, is that also true for you? I fell in love with it years ago and every time I discover something new from the Asian gastronomic culture, I enjoy and get excited like a little girl.
Tempeh Culture has already told you about some of the crops that never fail in Tia Lou’s vegetable garden, even though they are Asian varieties and we are in the south of Spain. Eggplants, snow peas, and spicy peas are undoubtedly the ones we have liked the most.
It could be that exotic touch, the attraction for other cultures or the secret of so many peasant women. The truth is that there are many benefits in many of the forms and condiments that Asians use in their kitchens.
Here are a few of them for you to incorporate when you feel like traveling to the Asian continent from your home. Try an Asian touch in your recipes and salads. I warn you that I do it almost every day.
Use all the spices (and seeds) that you can find within your reach. They are responsible for transporting us to a world full of magic. Smells, nuances and very different touches depending on how you use them or combine them.
Turmeric, ginger, lemmongrass, peppers, curry, cardamom and so many others that I could not stop. Both fresh and dried they will give a special touch to all your dishes. And not only spices, but also seeds will completely change your most traditional preparations. Mustard seeds and sesame seeds are without a doubt the ones I prefer.
The best trick I can give you is that to get all the essence out of them, toast them a little bit in a frying pan before using them. You will see how you will be hooked.
The spicy touch (fresh, dried or fermented). Not all of us are very used to spicy touches, but little by little and by cultivating them we have managed to incorporate them at home. It is almost addictive and more than healthy. In Asian cuisine they are used both fresh and dry and in the fermented products they prepare. The kimchi is one of the most fashionable and is wonderful for salads.
It cooks vegetables well (sautéed, steamed and soups). The preparations are very simple. They work the product like no one else. Although there is everything, vegetables are usually steamed or sautéed. Always with short times and rapid fire. This way they keep all their texture and properties. Another great way is in soups. Who hasn’t had a good ramen?
The heat of the broth helps the vegetables to cook on the fly. Mushrooms, greens or any combination of vegetables we have at home. Now with the cold weather there is no night that I do not make a ramen well loaded with shiitakes and spinach.
Top it off with aromatic herbs: The freshness of aromatic herbs is essential to find the balance of the recipes. It helps to refresh and combines perfectly with the different nuances of both spices and spices. They also help us to make our dishes even more beautiful.
Soybeans, vegetable oils and sauces are undoubtedly the best known, as there are many commercial versions. Soy is the Asian seal wherever you go, as well as rice vinegar or umeoboshi, which has saltier touches. However, I encourage you not to overuse them.
A good combination of spices, spicy and aromatic are more than enough to bring flavors of Asia. Abusing soy, which has a lot of salt, or overdoing it with sesame oil will not help at all. It is better to prepare sauces at home, as commercial sauces are usually very sugary.
Moderation is undoubtedly the basis for your recipe to be a success and for you to find the balance in the dish that you like the most, with slight and not so slight memories of Asian countries.