Gateway to culinary Asia: The right tools and specialty ingredients can open up a bounty of exotic flavors

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Asian cuisines offer myriad exotic flavors and techniques that are accessible to the home cook. Ethnic enthusiasts have always combed the aisles of Asian stores for great equipment values and exciting ingredients, but the stacks of woks and strange jars and bottles can be a bit daunting to the uninitiated.

Dan Nguyen, chef/owner of Viet Bistro in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, said that the toughest thing for home cooks who want to cook Asian food authentically is the tame heat on most stoves.

Traditionally, woks are set over an open flame, and in restaurants, directly into the gas burner. At home, said Nguyen, "the burners restrict the cooking and you don't see results. Plus, open flames are too scary."

Access to top-quality authentic ingredients, however, is not a problem. Nguyen's go-to condiments, Vietnamese fish sauce and the spicy Indonesian chili sauce called sambal oelek, are available in Asian groceries and in many supermarkets.

Bruce Cost, Asian concept partner at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants (his projects include Wow Bao and Big Bowl), said that a heavy spun-steel 16-inch wok will help transfer heat effectively and add great versatility to a home cook's repertoire.

"You can use a wok for all kinds of things _ you can deep-fry, steam a whole fish, and cook a lot of vegetables," but don't skimp on size or material.

"Remember," Cost said, "you can always cook a small amount of garlic in a large wok, but you can't cook a whole bunch of spinach in a tiny one."

Cost also is "fussy about cooking oils because they flavor what you cook." Cost recommended, for example, seeking out an extra-virgin peanut oil for sauces, cooking and dressings, as opposed to a flavorless store brand. "It tastes like peanuts!"

Here we offer a list of essential items to fill the Asian cupboard and where to find them, in an attempt to demystify the cooking of China, Japan, Thailand, Korea and Vietnam. Pick up some simple staples; they keep well and don't cost much, and are the keys to creating Asian flavors at home.

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Bamboo steamer basket (Two baskets with lid, $9 at China Food Corp.) Set these clever baskets over boiling water in a wok or any large pot and steam anything from vegetables and frozen dumplings to all types of seafood and chicken. They also make attractive and practical serving vessels.

Cleaver ($8.79-$12 at Broadway Supermarket) Many professional cooks use their cleaver for just about everything. A medium weight, high carbon steel version (the really heavy ones are for butchering) is easy to keep sharp and will chop a lifetime of vegetables.

16-inch wok ($13.50 at Broadway Supermarket) Look for a spun steel wok and avoid a non-stick surface. Once the wok is seasoned, its stick-free surface will be easy to maintain. To season a new spun-steel wok, scour and rinse to remove the factory protective coating, then rub with oil and heat on the stove top until smoking. Allow to cool, then wipe out extra oil with a paper towel. Cost's tip: Always dry the wok over a heated burner so it doesn't rust.

Wok tools ($5.75-$10 at Broadway Supermarket) Pick up a shovel for stir-frying, and a small mesh strainer for fishing dumplings and such out of the pan. Cooking chopsticks are longer than those used at table, and can be fun to use, although they require a bit more dexterity than cooking tongs.

Sushi tools (bamboo mats, $1; plastic rice paddle, $2 at China Food Corp.) To foray into economical home maki-making, all you need is a rice cooker, a paddle and a bamboo rolling mat. Wrap your mat in plastic wrap to avoid messy cleanup and start rolling.

Rice cooker (Zojirushi 10 cup, $95 at Chinatown Market) A rice cooker allows the chef to plug it in and forget it_all types of rice will come out perfect and the rice stays warm for hours. It also frees up a burner for other dishes. Buy a large one with a tightly sealing lid, and experiment with using it to steam vegetables too.

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TOP 10 BASIC ASIAN PANTRY STAPLES

Soy sauce: All soy sauces are not brewed alike: Japanese style shoyu sauces (like Kikkoman and Yamasa) are too delicate to be used in Chinese cooking, for example. Stock your pantry with a heartier Chinese light soy like Pearl River Bridge ($3 for 1.8 liters at Broadway Supermarket) and use Japanese soy to serve with sushi and seafood.

Fish sauce: Made from fermented anchovy-like fish, this condiment adds a salty, savory element to many Southeast Asian dishes from Thai curries to Vietnamese stir-fries. Nguyen recommends the high-quality Three Crabs brand ($3 for 24 ounces at China Food Corp.), especially for finishing dishes, or for the ubiquitous Vietnamese nuoc cham, an important dipping sauce for spring rolls and grilled foods.

Rice wine vinegar ($2.19 for 12 ounces at Chinatown Market): This mild vinegar is traditionally used to season sushi rice, and can also provide a delicate acidity to many pan-Asian dishes, pickles and salads.

Fermented black beans: These preserved soybeans ($1 per 1 pound bag at Chinatown Market) are used to season traditional recipes that originated throughout China. If you choose to soak them to soften the beans before cooking, be sure to add the soaking liquid to the dish to capture the flavor.

Dried mushrooms: Mushrooms like shiitakes ($4.49 for 7 ounces at Broadway Supermarket), oysters and tree ears keep their earthy flavor for years when dried. To bring them back to life, soak in warm rice wine for a few minutes before adding to Chinese, Korean or Japanese soups and stews.

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Noodles and wrappers: Bundles of dried noodles made from wheat flour (and sometimes with eggs, 90 cents for 375 grams at Chinatown Market), rice flour, and even mung bean flour (bean threads $1 for 9.5 ounces at Broadway Supermarket) are an inexpensive way to add an Asian twist to cooking. Rice noodles (also known as rice stick or rice vermicelli, $1.69 per pound at Chinatown Market) are generally soaked rather than boiled before use, as are the rice flour disks (banh trang $2.75 for 20 ounces at Broadway Supermarket) used to wrap Southeast Asian fresh spring rolls.

Rice: A staple that appears on most Asian tables, rice is available in dozens of types that vary widely in texture, aroma/flavor, starch content and grain size. Be sure to purchase a rice that fits the ethnicity of the recipe. Sushi or short-grain rice ($4.49 for 5 pounds at China Food Corp.) has the proper starch content for nigiri and maki, while aromatic jasmine rice ($6 for 5 pounds at China Food Corp.) perfumes the air as it cooks and complements the sweeter flavors favored in some regions of Thailand.

Chili sauces: A popular condiment (in Japan and Vietnam) and sauce ingredient (in China and Korea), each version offers a different level of heat. Diners stir sweetly hot sriracha ($2.59 for 17 ounces at Chinatown Market) into Vietnamese pho at table, while Korean cooks add staple chili paste Gochu Jang ($3 for 500 grams at China Food Corp.) to brighten meat marinades and cooking sauces.

Nori: This dramatically dark green pressed seaweed "paper" ($1.59 for 10 sheets at Chinatown Market) is essential for sushi rolling but also serves as a seasoning ingredient or garnish in many other Japanese and Korean soups and stews. Always purchase "roasted" or "toasted" yaki nori for fuller flavor.

Coconut milk: Canned unsweetened coconut milk, extracted from freshly grated coconut, adds richness to curries and marinades throughout Southeast Asia ($2 for a 13.5-ounce can at Asian markets and many supermarkets). Be sure to avoid the "lite" variety (it has water added) and don't substitute the sweet stuff used to make pina coladas.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

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The tools and ingredients listed in this story were purchased from these three Chicago markets:

Broadway Supermarket, 4879 N. Broadway, 773-334-3838

Chinatown Market, 2121 S Archer Ave., 312-881-0068

Chicago Food Corp. (Joong Boo Market), 3333 N Kimball Ave., 773-478-5566

Many of these items also can be found at these suburban Chicago markets:

Super H-Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive (Waukegan Rd. and Oakton St.), Niles, 847-581-1212, and 1295 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville, Ill., 630-778-9800. Carries an encyclopedic selection of pan-Asian condiments and non-perishables.

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Mitsuwa Marketplace, 100 E. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, 847-956-6699, mitsuwa.com. The place to go for Japanese ingredients also carries many other Asian food products and cookware.

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© 2008, Chicago Tribune.