INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

INFUSION RECOMMENDATIONS
|   Kadoya Sesame Oil For the accent oil, I choose Kadoya Sesame Oil. The
toasting and pressing of this particular brand of sesame oil is done with
such consistent card that I have never had a burnt-tasting or rancid bottle
in all my years of cooking. If your market does not have Kadoya brand,
taste the other candidates with a critical nose and tongue. | Marukan
unseasoned rice vinegar (with green label) | Heinz distilled white vinegar
and Heinz apple cider vinegar are my favorite vinegars of choice for making
infusions. |   Miysukan unseasoned rice vinegar is another good brand.
These are not the least expensive, but in my experience they are the most
tasty, with a broad range of flavor in addition to the acidic bite. In the
realm of dry and fresh aromatics used for infusing, you must also choose
with care: | Dried red chili flakes should be red (indicating sweetness and
fire), not brown or purple-black. They should be so pungent that you rear
back when you smell them. The bag should contain no more than 25 percent
seeds. |  Szechwan peppercorns should smell profoundly good and herbal. The
bag should contain few if any black seeds. Twigs and tiny leaves are part
of the bundle, along with a good-size thorn every so often (that should be
picked out) | Pearl River Bridge Chinese fermented black beans should be
moist and pliable to the touch. They should taste good, with a nice range
of flavor in the after-taste. My favorite brand is Pearl River Bridge in a
round yellow box.  Don't use beans that are hard and shriveled. Likewise,
don't wash them before use; you want the salt they carry as a contribution
to the infusion. | Garlic, ginger and lemongrass should be rock-hard fresh,
with no hint of mold to the eye or the nose. | Scallions should be
straight-standing and perky, ideally wearing their white beards as a sign
of freshness. They should feel dry or pleasantly moist from the grocer's
water pistol, not slimy. |  Orange and Lemon Zest should be washed well in
warm water with an abrasive scrubber and then rinsed squeaky-clean, even if
the fruit came from your back yard tree. | Diamond Kosher Salt is the only
kind I use unless a recipe specifies otherwise. It comes in a big red and
gold box and is a feature of most good restaurant kitchens. No other brand,
in my experience is so consistently mild and clean tasting. Buy a box from
a neighborhood restaurant if you can't convince your grocer to order it.
(Dorothy's note: I found Diamond Kosher Salt in my super market's
Kosher/Jewish food section _not_ with the other salts and spices for sale.)
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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