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.)
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmkah001.zip

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