Asian cooking

You can produce truly authentic Asian dishes at home in no time at all. Many recipes can be prepared in advance and cooked in less than 10 minutes, perfect for today's busy lifestyles, and that is why Asian cooking is a hit with Western home cooks exploring other cuisines. Many dishes that take longer to cook can be prepared quickly, relying on a marinade to carry the flavor. Not only are Asian recipes quick and easy to prepare; most of them are based on very fresh, healthy ingredients as well.

Whichever cuisine you try, Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Korean, you are sure to be won over by the simplicity of its methods and its aromatic flavors.

Utensils for Asian cooking

You won’t need any special equipment to cook Asian food at home. However, the following items will simplify preparation and cooking, making it more enjoyable.

Wok

This is an extremely versatile utensil that can be used for stir-frying, steaming, simmering or deep-frying. A wok is a round-bottomed, high-sided pan that distributes heat quickly and evenly around the base and sides, allowing food to cook quickly while retaining its moisture. When you stir-fry, the food continuously falls back to the bottom of the wok, and the high sides give you plenty of room to toss it.

When buying a wok, choose one that is large, sturdy and deep-sided, preferably made of carbon steel. Thin stainless steel and aluminum woks tend to scorch food. All woks, except nonstick versions, need to be seasoned before use. Consider getting two, as it is convenient to stir-fry your rice in one while cooking your meat in the other. Woks also come in several sizes, and you might find a smaller one useful for a side of vegetables or a dinner for one. Woks are not usually expensive, and you will use them for other kinds of cooking too.

An alternative to a wok is a stir-fry pan or chef’s pan, a hybrid of a wok and a frying pan. It is a little easier to use than a wok because it has a long handle on one side and a flat bottom.

Electric woks heat up very quickly and can also be used for a variety of cooking methods. They are also ideal for cooking at the table, a tradition Koreans and Japanese are very fond of. For those two reasons, an electric wok is a reasonable purchase if you are going to cook Asian food often.

Asian cooks use long chopsticks to turn food in the wok, but a pair of cooking forks or a spatula will do.

To achieve perfect results when cooking in the wok, the following tips are essential:

• Prepare all ingredients beforehand so they are ready to add to the wok.
• When preparing ingredients, cut the vegetables and meat in a similar way, either matchstick-like strips, diagonal slices, or dice; this way, the food will cook evenly and quickly and the finished dish will be more appealing to the eye.
• When cooking, keep turning the food to ensure all the ingredients cook evenly and to prevent sticking.
• Never overcook stir-fried dishes, as the meat will become tough and chewy and the vegetables limp and soggy; the art is to be quick and serve immediately.

Cooking chopsticks

Cooking chopsticks, also known as "saibashi" in Japanese, are long, versatile utensils designed specifically for use in the kitchen. Unlike regular eating chopsticks, they are much longer (typically 10 to 16 inches), making them ideal for cooking tasks that require precision and control. Their length provides a safe distance from hot oil, steam, or boiling water while still allowing for delicate handling.

Traditionally made from wood or bamboo, today’s cooking chopsticks might also feature silicone or metal tips for added functionality and heat resistance. These lightweight tools are not limited to Asian cuisines; they can be used for delicate tasks like flipping tempura, mixing batter, or even plating dishes with finesse.

Rice cooker

Electric rice cookers make cooking rice easy and free up the stove; a convenient addition, but not really necessary unless you plan to eat rice almost daily. They are found in most kitchens across East and Southeast Asia, where rice is eaten at almost every meal. There are also microwave rice cookers.

Knives

There is a fair amount of slicing, scoring and chopping in Asian cooking, and good-quality, very sharp knives are a must.

Bamboo mat

This is essential to roll Japanese sushi. With a bamboo mat, the process is a breeze.

Bamboo steamer

The Asian bamboo steamer consists of one or more slatted, stackable trays, for various layers of food, and a lid. It is usually set inside a wok, but it can be used with any other pan of the right size.