then add the chicken stock and rice wine and simmer until tender.
4 Serve the pea shoots on a plate, with the mushrooms on one side.
Stir-fried Snow Peas with Mushrooms and Scallops
3 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup (125 ml) chicken stock
¼ cup (60 ml) oil
14 oz (400 g) fresh scallops, washed, drained and dried
1 tablespoon rice wine or sake
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shredded fresh ginger
2 spring onions, cut in lengths
8 oz (250 g) snow peas, trimmed
3 oz (100 g) fresh button mushrooms
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
White pepper, to taste
1 Mix cornstarch and chicken stock in a small bowl and set aside. Put 1½ tablespoons of oil in a wok. When very hot, add the scallops and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Add the wine and salt, stir, then quickly remove the scallops from the wok with a spatula. Keep aside in a bowl.
2 Add the remaining oil to the wok and heat. When very hot, add the ginger and spring onions and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the snow peas and mushrooms, and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, soy sauce and pepper.
3 Return the scallops to the wok, adding any juices collected in the bowl. Stir to mix well. Give the stock mixture a stir to amalgamate the cornstarch, then add to the wok. Stir for 30 seconds or until the sauce thickens and clears, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.
Note: You can use fresh prawns instead of scallops for this recipe. Peel the prawns and discard the heads. Slice the underside of each prawn lengthwise until 3/4 -way though and spread out with the palm of the hand or the flat of a knife to butterfly the prawn, then stir-fry the prawns for 2 minutes.
Southern Indian Dosai
1 cup (100 g) long-grain rice, soaked in water for 6 hours, then drained
1½ cups (375 ml) water
¼ cup (40 g) white lentils (husked black gram), soaked in water for 6 hours, then drained
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (60 ml) oil
Fresh coconut chutney (optional)
1 Put the rice in a food processor or blender and process at high speed until it resembles coarse sand. Keep the processor running and slowly pour in 1/3 cup of the water. Process to a smooth paste, then transfer to a large bowl.
2 Put the lentils in the blender or food processor and process at high speed until fine. Keep the processor running and slowly pour in 1/3 cup of the water. Blend until light and frothy. Add the lentils and salt to the rice paste, stirring to mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 4-6 hours or overnight, until small bubbles appear. Pour in the remaining water and stir, making a light batter.
3 Pour 1 teaspoon of the oil in a non-stick frying pan or pan with a heavy base. Heat, then swirl oil to coat. When the oil is hot, pour ¼ cup batter into the center of the pan. Immediately spread the batter out, using the back of a ladle, in a circular motion to cover the pan thinly. Cook over high heat until golden brown, for 1-2 minutes. Turn, cook the other side, for 1 minute. Repeat until batter is used up. Serve with the fresh coconut chutney.
Long Beans with Fermented Bean Curd
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons plain or chili-flavored fermented bean curd, mashed
1 lb (500 g) long beans, sliced into 1½-in (4-cm) lengths
1 tablespoon rice wine or sake
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (125 ml) water
1 Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the bean curd and stir-fry until fragrant, or for 15 seconds, then put in the long beans. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
2 Add the rice wine, sugar and salt and continue stir-frying until the beans are tender, adding a little water from time to time to stop the beans from sticking.
Note: Jars of fermented bean curd, either plain (white) or with chili (red), are sold in supermarkets and used as a salty, pungent seasoning. The bean curd is sometimes labeled "preserved bean curd."
CABBAQES & leafy greens
All cabbages are members of the Brassica family. They are easily hybridized and as agriculturists produce new cultivars, nature also lends a hand with spontaneous hybrids appearing. This makes identifying cabbages a challenge, and scientists have to resort to chromosonal analysis to figure out just what has been going on in the cabbage patch. Their research suggests that the common round, pale green cabbage familiar in the West—and also grown in Asia—could perhaps be described as the "mother of all cabbages, "for it is from this plant (known around the Mediterranean over 4,000 years ago) that the other cultivars developed.
Cabbages vary in nutritional value depending on the species, although most are rich in carotene and are a valuable source of calcium, vitamins A and C as well as minerals. They contain, like other cruciferous vegetables, anti-cancer properties and help in boosting the immune system.
Amaranth or Chinese Spinach, also referred to as xian cai (Mandarin) or bayam (Malay), is a leafy green vegetable tasting fairly similar to true or English spinach, and it can be used as a substitute in any recipe requiring English spinach. Its botanical name, Amaranthus gangeticus, suggests an Indian origin. Widely available in both tropical and subtropical countries, amaranth grows easily in hot climates. Although grown for its leaves in Asia, amaranth is planted for its seeds in South America, where they are eaten as a grain. Although its flavor is not as sweet as true spinach, amaranth has the advantage of being less delicate and perishable when handled and stored.
Appearance & Flavor Botanists have recorded up to 50 different species of amaranth. The plant has soft leaves growing at the end of long stems. The color of the leaf can vary considerably, with the most common varieties being either pale or dark green. Some varieties are streaked with purplish red, while others have completely red leaves—these varieties are often known as red amaranth. It is sometimes possible to find bunches of short-stemmed amaranth, measuring 5-6 in (12-15 cm) long from root ends to the leaf tips. The leaves may be rounded or narrow and pointed, but all types of amaranth have the same pleasant taste, which is slightly less intense than the flavor of true or English spinach. Choosing & Storing Amaranth is generally sold in bunches with the roots still intact. Avoid any which look limp. Rinse briefly, drain thoroughly, then wrap in newspaper with the roots still intact. The amaranth can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. Preparing To prepare, pluck off the tender tips and leaves, and discard the hard portion of the central stems and the roots. Rinse the leaves thoroughly several times, then drain. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Amaranth is rich in protein as well as vitamins A, B and C and, perhaps surprisingly, has twice the amount of iron as true spinach. Culinary Uses Amaranth leaves are very versatile and can be cooked in just about any style. In Asia, they are stir-fried, simmered, added to soups or blanched briefly and used in salads. Amaranth also makes a good substitute for the common spinach in Western and Middle Eastern recipes. Although the vegetable is not suitable for raw salads, amaranth is tasty cooked together with lentils or—in Middle Eastern style—with burgul (cracked steamed wheat).
Asian