ORIENTAL TREASURES

Oriental Treasures

            A cluttered pantry is a sure sign of eclectic shopping habits. The one at our house most certainly qualifies for that description. When the cook likes to sample and reproduce food from different cuisines, the clutter can become a treasure trove at this time of our hunkered down living patterns.

            Procrastination was responsible for postponing my yearly ‘sorting-out’ of such clutter this January. Such serendipity was to be welcomed as I found a box, hidden away in the back corner, full of oriental ingredients. These were mostly dried items collected last year in a small cramped oriental food store in Portland, when I had searched ingredients for ‘Hot and Sour soup’. All those fascinating items labeled in different languages were enough to tempt any cook for future experiments in the kitchen. Maine grown sea weed, some oriental dried mushrooms, white miso, oriental noodles and even bonito flakes can be found in natural food stores, though others like dried lily bulbs still remain exotic, but not absolutely necessary for the recipes that follow.

                        Warm miso-soba bowl with shrimp

            In a medium bowl mix: 1 grated garlic clove and a grated 2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, 3 tblsp. rice vinegar, 3 tblsp. soy sauce, 2 tbslp. white miso paste, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tblsp. toasted sesame oil and 1 tblsp. lime juice (optional). Shred 1 peeled carrot in slivers with a vegetable peeler and set aside. In a plastic bag marinate 14 large peeled and uncooked shrimp with 2 tblsp. of the sauce for 10 minutes. While shrimp are marinating, cook 6 oz. soba noodles in unsalted water for 4 minutes (or package instructions), drain (do not rinse) and toss with the sauce in the bowl. Toss noodles with the shredded carrots. Remove shrimp from marinade and toss with 2 tblsp. cornstarch.  Heat 2 tblsp. canola oil in a pan and fry the shrimp in single layer 2-3 minutes on the side. Set on paper towels to drain. Blanch 1 ½ cups snow peas in a small pot of boiling water for 2 minutes and set aside. Divide the noodles in 2 shallow bowls, top with the fried shrimp, sprinkle with 1 sliced scallion, arrange the snow peas around the edges and serve.

            Dashi is a Japanese sea stock used in many Japanese recipes. It’s simplest form is a strained broth, obtained after soaking kombu (dried seaweed) in hot water with bonito flakes. The broth also gives a silky finish to beans cooked in it. I first learned of it in 2013 from Michael Pollan’s book “Cooked” and have been a fan of it since then. My various recipes for low calorie soups made with dashi have evolved to contain a variety of ingredients. It makes wonderful vegetarian soups, but is equally delightful with shrimp or even small scallops. There are several Maine Seaweed producers located along our coast and their Wild Atlantic Kombu is perfect for dashi recipes.

                                    Dashi-ginger-wild oriental mushroom soup.

            Bring to boil 5 cups of water with 2 dried shitake, 2 large wood-ear mushrooms and ½ cup of dried lily bulbs (optional), turn off heat and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Remove lily bulbs and mushrooms. Cut the shitake in small pieces and slice the wood mushrooms in small strips. Strain liquid through a paper towel lined sieve to remove any sand in a 3 quart pot. Add 3-4 cups more water, four 6 inch pieces of Kombu and a 2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger cut in half lengthwise. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, add ¾ cup of bonito flakes and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Set-aside the ginger pieces and strain the liquid into a bowl. Wipe out the pot and return the liquid, mushrooms, lily bulbs and ginger to the pot and cook on low heat 10-15 minutes. Stir in 2 tblsp. soy sauce, 1 tblsp. mirin, 1 ½ tblsp. rice vinegar and 1/2 carrot shaved with a vegetable peeler in slivers. Stir in a handful of Pemaquid baby sugar kelp (optional). In a separate pot cook thin rice threads in water for 2 minutes and drain. Serve hot in bowls: first some noodles, then ladle soup on top and finish by sprinkling with chopped scallions.

            Treasure hunts can be such delicious fun!

Ilga Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)