Here you'll find advice on how to cook authentic Asian meals, hints and tips on the best way to prepare Asian food, plus some handy suggestions on what meals you can create with Sharwood's products.
Cooking authentic Indian meals
Tandoori
The tandoor is a high-temperature clay oven that originated in the rugged area once known as India's North West Frontier. Marinated meats cooked quickly sealing in their succulent flavours, while the oven was also used to bake tasty naan breads.
You can re-create sensational restaurant-style tandoori dishes using a hot grill or a barbecue.
Marinating
A marinade is simply a mixture in which raw meats or other ingredients are placed for a certain amount of time, tenderising them and infusing with extra flavour before cooking.
Indian Tandoori-style cooking owes it fabulous flavours and seductive aromas to meats marinated in a magical combination of warm spices and cool yoghurt
Cooking authentic Chinese meals
Stir Frying
The idea behind stir-frying is that food (as fresh as possible) is first cut into small, equally sized pieces and then cooked very quickly in a little oil, constantly tumbling the ingredients. Nutrients are sealed in, vegetables stay crunchy and colours stay bright and vibrant.
It's amazingly easy when you get the hang of it. With the help of our stir-fry sauces you'll soon be creating stunningly different meals in minutes! You can include any combination of vegetables, with or without meat. Aim for vibrant combinations of colour, texture and flavours.
Woks are widely available, but if necessary you can substitute with a large frying pan or saucepan. Instant control of the heat is essential for stir-frying, so a gas ring is preferable over an electric one.
How to stir-fry
1. Have all your ingredients freshly cut and ready
2. Heat your wok or pan. When very hot add a small amount of oil, sesame is best.
3. If cooking with meat, add this first. Fry quickly, keeping it constantly moving.
4. Add your vegetables one at a time. The ones that need the longest cooking, such as carrots, go in first.
5. Keep tumbling the ingredients with a long handled metal wok spoon, wooden spoon or spatula until they're cooked, but still crunchy and colourful.
6. Pour over your favourite Sharwood's stir-fry sauce to glaze the stir-fry and make the authentic flavours come to life. Serve immediately, with Sharwood’s Egg Noodles.
Steaming
This is a traditional way to cook foods gently, preserving their delicate textures, flavours and nutrients. Vegetables, fish, seafood, meat and dumplings can all be steamed.
Four ways to steam
1. Traditionally the Chinese use bamboo steamers stacked one on top of the other. The food is placed in order of tenderness, the slowest to cook at the bottom of the stack, closest to the steam source. The stack is then placed on a pan or wok of boiling water.
2. Food is arranged on a plate or in a bowl then placed on a rack inside a steamer or in a wok.
3. The bowl of ingredients is partially immersed in the water that is being heated. The food is cooked by the combination of boiling water and the steam it produces.
4. Electric steamers are widely available, and can also be used.
Steamed foods are often served with lively sauces for dipping, like Sharwood’s Thai Chilli Dipping Sauce
Marinating
A marinade is simply a mixture in which raw meats, fish or other ingredients are placed for a certain amount of time, tenderising and infusing them with extra flavour before cooking.
The Chinese often use a classic, wonderfully aromatic marinade of soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic and cornflour to tenderise tough meats or to protect delicate foods during stir-frying.
For a Chinese style marinade that just bursts with flavour, try Sharwood's Hoi Sin sauce.
Cooking authentic Thai meals
Fresh Ingredients
In order to achieve the best from your Thai cooking, be sure to start with fresh ingredients. Dried and packaged lemongrass, for instance, is hardly worth comparing to fresh lemongrass. Frozen herbs and spices are nearly as potent as fresh, and you’ll have the convenience of having them on hand in your freezer at home for future use.
Have the Right Equipment
Thai cooking requires a minimum of cooking tools and utensils. The wok is the primary cooking tool to stir-fry ingredients. A pestle & mortar is also commonly used for pounding and grinding spices and herbs. A rice cooker is an invaluable appliance to have when cooking up a Thai meal, making rice preparation quick and easy. However, a simple stainless steel pot with a lid will work just as well.
Find a Balance of Salty, Sour, Spicy, and Sweet
In Thai cooking, taste-testing is a complete necessity. Following a Thai recipe is a good start, but because tastes vary from person to person, you will need to find your own balance of seasonings with each dish you make.
Some tips to help you achieve that balance include:
To tone down a dish that is too spicy, add coconut milk or yoghurt. A little sugar may also diminish some of the fire.
To tone down a dish that is too salty, add lime juice or lemon juice.
For a dish that is not salty enough, add fish sauce instead of salt - or soy sauce if you are vegetarian. In this way you will get more flavour as well as the saltiness you’re seeking.
To sweeten Thai dishes, you can use white or brown sugar, although ideally palm sugar should be used.
To increase the sour notes of your dish, add a little lime juice or tamarind water.
To increase the spiciness add more fresh (or dried) chillies, cayenne pepper, chilli powder, or a teaspoon of Thai chilli sauce
Stir-frying tips
Before stir-frying ensure you have prepared all the ingredients. Thai cooking is all about preparation. You will find that once the necessary ingredients are sliced, ground, and ready to go, the actual cooking time required is minimal. Most Thai stir-fries are cooked at a high heat and for only a few minutes, which is what makes them particularly fresh, delicious, and nutritious. When stir frying, start with a well-oiled wok. Spread the oil around your wok, including up the sides. Add ingredients when the wok is hot so that not too much oil will be absorbed by the food. If the wok gets too dry, add a little water, or cooking wine instead of more oil- this is a healthier option and works just as well.
Stir-frying rice
To achieve restaurant-quality stir-fried rice, the rice should be fairly dry and hard to the touch. To achieve this type of rice in a shorter time, place a pot of cooked rice in the refrigerator with the lid off. When you're ready to fry the rice, pour a tablespoon or two of oil into the rice and work it through with your fingers, gently separating the grains. This will make the rice nice and fluffy once it's fried - plus this way it won't clump or stick together.
Stir-frying vegetables
Do not overcook stir fried vegetables - you know when they are done when the colours are enhanced (bright green for broccoli) and still retain most of their essential nutrients.