Asian cuisine has been rising in popularity in the UK for several years now. This is partly because there are greater opportunities to cook and eat traditional world foods than ever before, with many ingredients becoming available in supermarkets and restaurants encouraging British people to try new cuisines. Most recently Sri Lankan cuisine has been soaring to popularity in Western society, notably in London through trend eateries such as Hoppers which is frequented by old and young.
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Increased travel for both business and leisure has also expanded people’s awareness of Asian cuisine, leading to more people wanting to replicate dishes in their own kitchens. We embrace the textures and flavours of the new food while on holiday, often coming away with new favourites but feeling unable to reproduce these ourselves when we are back on home soil.
Food from Asia also appeals to those looking to become more health conscious, thanks to the properties of many of the common ingredients and traditional cooking methods such as steaming. Core ingredients such as ginger, turmeric, lime, and chillies each have their own unique physical benefit such as aiding digestion and soothing bloating and boosting blood circulation.
In addition to seeking out specialist shops where you can purchase authentic fruits, vegetables, and spices, ensuring you have the right tools is essential to making authentic Asian cuisine at home. This includes the major players such as pans and bamboo steamers but also considers the smaller utensils such as spoons made from the coconut palm. Get started on a mouth-watering culinary journey around Asia from the comfort of home with these five essential utensils. These can be picked up on your travels or found at your local homeware stores.
The rice cooker is a staple part of Asian cuisine
Using a rice cooker ensures that you have perfect rice every time! Asian households don’t tend to use pans for rice, preferring to use electric rice cookers, which consistently produce fluffy rice that isn’t too wet or dry. Using a rice cooker also means that your rice stays warm until you’re ready to serve it, without the risk of burning or the texture going soggy. Your rice cooker can double as a slow cooker, meaning it can also be used to cook traditional Western dishes as well such as warming winter stews and casseroles.
To get that burnt taste we crave, you need a Wok
A good-quality wok is a must-have for cooking Asian food. Cast iron woks are ideal for stir-frying everything from vegetables to seafood and meat and are also a great utensil for deep-frying dumplings. Woks are better than frying pans in this regard because they get hotter more quickly which allows you to fully cook the ingredients without the texture breaking down. This is why using a well-oiled wok over high heat ensures that your meat or vegetables are cooked through but maintains the desired crunchiness of the vegetables and the softness of the beef, pork, poultry or seafood.
There are a lot of spices that need a pestle and mortar
Having a pestle and mortar in your kitchen means you can grind whole spices rather than using pre-powdered products. This means that you can ensure freshness and a deeper flavour in your dishes. A pestle and mortar are also essential for making traditional curry accompaniments such as Sri Lankan sambols and creating spicy pastes that can be used to flavour soups or infuse sauces.
Clay pots are very popular in Asian cuisine
Many traditional Asian curries are made in clay pots over fires. If you have a gas cooker, you can use a clay pot to cook soups, stews and curries or to keep them warm, and ready to serve. Clay pots work by using trapped steam to slow cook the contents, keeping them gently simmering. If you invest in a clay pot for cooking, familiarise yourself with how to take care of it – clay pots that are unglazed will need to be soaked prior to use in order to aid the steaming process.
Steamers help with many dishes
Bamboo steamers are a traditional Chinese kitchen tool that is used for dumplings, pastries and desserts that are steamed rather than baked. The bamboo steamer traps and circulates heat to cook its contents while the woven holes in the bamboo let steam escape so your food doesn’t become wet. Bamboo steamers can be stacked, allowing you to steam several ingredients or dishes at once. You can also use a metal stand to place dishes above boiling water and steam the ingredients.
So there you have it – five simple kitchen utensils that will revolutionise your cooking and allow you to experience the taste of your most beloved Asian dishes without leaving the comfort of your home.
