Good_Things_Magazine_AprilMay_2017

WIN A TSINGTAO-INSPIRED COOKERY CLASS

Fancy winning a cooking class for two at the School of Wok in Covent Garden? You’ll learn to

make a host of recipes that go perfectly with a cold Tsingtao beer. If you win, you’ll also receive a

case of Tsingtao. To enter, visit goodthingsmagazine.com/Tsingtao before 31 May 2017.

T&Cs Prize includes a 3-hour cookery class and a 24 x 330ml case of Tsingtao beer. Entrants must be over 18 and ID may be required.

SICHUAN

PEPPERCORNS

This citrusy-flavoured

husk of a berry derived

from the prickly ash

bush in northwest

China leaves a

numbing feeling on

the tip of the tongue.

It is one of the main

forms of heat in

Sichuan cooking and is

a feature in many five-

spice blends.

THE SWAP

Replace each teaspoon

with a crushed mixture

of a teaspoon of

juniper berries

and a teaspoon of

chilli flakes.

CHINESE

PRESERVED

BLACK BEANS

Providing a strong,

assertive flavour,

Chinese black beans

are actually salted,

dried soybeans as

opposed to pulses.

The salt is extremely

prominent, as is the

deeply savoury flavour.

THE SWAP

None. This ingredient

is worth seeking out,

as the beans' distinct

flavour is one that's

quite hard to replicate.

BLACK RICE

VINEGAR

Made from fermented

glutinous rice husks

(which are black by

nature), this vinegar

has a unique, deep

flavour that’s sweet,

sour and savoury.

THE SWAP

Mix 1 tablespoon of

light soy sauce with

2 tablespoons of thin

balsamic vinegar and

a tablespoon of sugar.

DRIED

MANDARIN PEEL

Adding dried mandarin

peel to stocks, sauces

or rubs lends a unique,

complex, bittersweet

flavour to a dish.

THE SWAP

Peel a tangerine or

mandarin and heat

in a dry pan for 10-15

minutes to bring out

the essence of citrus

peel, then use as

directed in your recipe.

STAPLES

& SWAPS

In my first book, Chinese Unchopped, I talked through some of the key ingredients

found in a Chinese pantry. These not only elevate whatever you’re cooking, but can

also be easily swapped for more common ingredients with similar flavour profiles.

P

eople oen assume

that when it comes

to cooking Asian

cuisines, it’s all

about the fresh

ingredients. Can’t find that

specialist ingredient fresh?

Then it must mean the dish can’t

be cooked. But that’s simply

not the case. Over my years of

teaching at School of Wok, I’ve

come to discover that keeping

a few base ingredients in the

freezer and pantry can make all

the difference to what you can

achieve in the kitchen.

It’s amazing what you can do

with frozen herbs or chopped

up spices and a well-stocked

storecupboard. In fact, I’d go

as far as to say that it’s the

pantry that really provides that

unmistakable punch of flavour in

an Asian kitchen, no maƒer what

fresh food's around or how bare

the refrigerator may be.

Chinese cuisine relies on

wonderful balances of sweet,

sour, spicy, salty and savoury.

Beyond the usual ginger,

garlic and spring onion, key

storecupboard items include

unrefined brown sugars, Sichuan

peppercorns, dried

red chillies, pickled cabbage,

and tofu. Then there’s ‘sacred

soy beans’; fermented and made

into pastes, soy sauces, and

brined and dried as the famous

preserved ‘black’ bean.

All these alchemical

ingredients can transform

something that would be nothing

more than an ordinary midweek

dish into something that goes

above and beyond scratching

that Saturday night itch for a

cheeky takeaway.

Orient

EXPRESS

Love Chinese cuisine? Jeremy Pang explains how to stock your

storecupboard so that a tasty meal is never far away

School_of_Wok_PromoCATHY ZP.indd 82 03/04/2017 21:08