LITMIR.BIZ

      Coconut cream and coconut milk are widely used in Asian desserts. While freshly pressed coconut milk has more flavour, coconut cream and milk are now available in cans and carton packets that are quick and convenient to use. Consistencies vary from brand to brand, so use your judgment and dilute with water as needed. Thick coconut milk is obtained from coconut cream by diluting by half with water; and thin coconut milk is half again as diluted as thick milk. If preferred, you can make your own from fresh coconuts. For fresh coconut cream, add ½ cup water to the grated flesh of 1 coconut, knead it a few times, then strain it with your fist or using a muslin cloth or cheesecloth. This yields about ½ cup of coconut cream. Thick coconut milk is obtained by adding 1 cup of water to the grated coconut flesh, which will yield about 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Thin coconut milk is obtained by adding another cup of water to the already pressed coconut flesh and squeezing it a second time; this will yield 1 cup of thin coconut milk.

      Grated coconut is obtained by grating fresh coconut flesh. Freshly grated coconut can be purchased in many Asian markets. Packets or cans of dried or desiccated coconut, both sweetened and unsweetened, are widely available in supermarkets. To make your own, you first need to open the coconut by tapping firmly on the centre with the blunt end of a cleaver until a crack appears. Drain the juice and continue tapping until the coconut cracks into two. Place the coconut halves in a moderate oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the flesh shrinks away from the shell. Remove the flesh and use a vegetable peeler to shave off the brown outer skin, then grate it in a blender or food processor. This will yield about 4 cups of grated coconut. To toast the grated coconut, spread it on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for about 5 minutes until golden brown.

      Dried bean curd skin is a thin, cream-coloured sheet made from soybean milk solids. It comes in flat sheets and is sold in plastic packets in the dry goods sections of food stores. Dried bean curd skin packed in plastic bags will keep for up to a year when stored in a cool, dry place.

      Durian has attracted a cult-like following. It is called the King of Fruits by aficionados in Southeast Asia, but Westerners usually don't care much for its sweet oniony flavour. Once cut open, the durian gives off a strong odour. Look for it in Asian markets.

      Gelatine is an odourless, tasteless and colourless thickening agent that forms a jelly when dissolved in hot water and then cooled. Unlike agar-agar, it is made from boiled animal bones and tendons. Used in jellied desserts, salads and cold soups, gelatine is commonly sold in small packets of fine, white powder, although it is also sold in sheets or granules. Both flavoured and unflavoured gelatine are available.

      Gingko nuts are oval and cream-coloured, with hard shells that must be cracked open with a nutcracker. The inner meats have a nutty, slightly bitter flavour and must be soaked in boiling water to loosen their skins. There is also a germ within the gingko nut which needs to be removed as it is bitter. This can be done by either splitting the nut into half and removing it, or by gently pushing it out using a toothpick. Shelled nuts may be purchased frozen or refrigerated in vacuum-sealed packs in Chinese grocery stores. Canned gingko nuts are also available but have far less flavour—add them at the final stages of cooking.

      Glutinous rice or sticky rice is a variety of short grain rice that is more starchy than normal rice when cooked. Two types of glutinous rice are commonly used in cakes and desserts: the white grain (beraspulut) and the black grain (pulut hitam). Glutinous white rice is readily available from Asian food stores, while glutinous black grain rice is sold at speciality stores.

      Glutinous rice flour is made from white glutinous rice grains that are ground into a powder. It is stickier than normal rice flour and is generally used in dumplings, buns and pastries.

Скачать книгу