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The Asian
Pantry
Mystified by lemongrass? Confounded by kaffir lime leaves?
Our contributing editor shows how to use them in his simple,
spectacular dishes.
Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten - Food & Wine, May
2001
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"Once
you've cooked with lemongrass and ginger, there's no going
back," says chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. "It
would be like cooking without salt, or pepper." Vongerichten,
the Mozart of fusion cooking (he's actually Alsatian,
not Austrian), left France in 1980 to open restaurants
in Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. When he moved to
New York City six years later with fresh Asian spices
like galangal and tamarind, he changed haute cuisine forever.
To see how his mind works, consider the evolution of one
of his recipes: Vongerichten tried studding a fillet of
John Dory with fresh bay leaves, a variation on a European
technique called larding. He then decided to substitute
kaffir lime leaves for the bay leaves, and to wrap them
around scallops. The experiment was a success: The scallops
became infused with a citrusy flavor. Dry spices are an
integral part of the Western cooking repertoire; with
Vongerichten's recipes, fresh spices will become an integral
part of yours. -
Jane Sigal
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ASIAN
SPICE GUIDE
GALANGAL.
The rhizome of a plant in the ginger family, galangal
has translucent, golden skin and a sharp, peppery flavor.
GINGER.
This knobby, golden beige, smooth rhizome adds a clean,
aromatic taste and spicy bite to foods when it's sliced,
minced or grated.
KAFFIR
LIME LEAVES. Often used in much the same way as bay
leaves - added whole to dishes and then discarded -
these glossy dark green leaves have a distinct lemon-lime
flavor.
LEMONGRASS.
This tropical grass has an inimitable lemon flavor,
which is released when its tender inner bulb is crushed
or chopped.
TAMARIND.
The sour pulp and seeds of this large pod are pressed
into soft block that must be soaked and strained before
using from the container.
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