An Impulse Purchase
An Abiding Pleasure
The simplest way to feel at ease with unfamiliar ingredients is to get in the habit of cooking with them.
By: Nigella Lawson*
A good supper simply made is one true pleasure of the home cook. Most days, this means nothing more than rummaging around the refrigerator or store shelves for a few felicitous ingredients that can be put together quickly. But even when a little more effort is required -- a trip to a specialty store, say -- it's important to feel that the quiet choreography of the kitchen isn't turning into an all-out singing, dancing, stress-inducing show.
The simplest way to feel at ease with unfamiliar ingredients is to get in the habit of cooking with them. Perhaps this is just my excuse for cooking the same meal again and again until it finds its way into my repertory. I like repetition, and if something tastes good, I see no reason why not to eat it often.
In the past few weeks I have made this (loosely speaking) Asian fish dinner three times. It started with the purchase of some Japanese green-tea noodles, bought with no actual recipe in mind but because they looked so beautiful. The dish has turned into a stalwart of my summer table: fresh cod fillets served crisp and hot alongside a cool jade tangle of these noodles tossed with cucumber, vinegar, chilies, sesame and soy. It gains color and crunch with the addition of chopped raw peanuts. Don't despair. If you can't find green-tea noodles, regular soba noodles are just as good. The dish will just look less sensational.
How this came together says a lot about how people cook at home: You have the ingredient, and then you find a reason, a way, to cook it. I had recently made a cucumber relish to eat with Thai fish patties and knew from the first texture-rich, flavorful mouthful that the mix of cucumber and chili could go from being a side dish to being the main event without much fixing.
And so the relish became green-tea noodle and cucumber salad: cool, salty, aromatically astringent and crying out for the simple accompaniment of hot fried fish. The cod is coated in a batter that echoes a tempura, but with none of the terrifying amounts of hot oil or sleight of hand -- tempura without tears. It is both substantial and light. You need a certain heft to match the strongly flavored soused noodle salad, but the taste has to remain in the delicate register. Besides, if the cod is fresh enough, its sweet, juicy white flesh needs only to be highlighted.
So whisk some egg whites with lemon zest. The whites froth up to ethereal lightness, infused with the flavor and intense yellow of the citrus zest. Dip the fish in this to coat it, just enough so that when you then dip it into seasoned rice flour, the flour adheres. You do not want a chunky covering here, but rather a light dusting that forms a paper-thin golden coating in the cooking.
Hot fish, cold noodles -- together, simple perfection. Just one small counsel: to keep the fish from becoming soggy from the salad's juices, allow yourself the Asian delicacy of one small bowl for each person, to cup and contain the noodles, while the fish stays crisply unsullied on its plate.
GREEN-TEA NOODLE AND
CUCUMBER SALAD
Time: 20 minutes, plus about 20 minutes' chilling
15 to 16 ounces green-tea noodles (green buckwheat noodles) or soba noodles
1 large cucumber, trimmed, peeled and quartered lengthwise
2 to 3 red Thai chilies (or other small hot peppers), seeded and shredded
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup raw peanuts (with skins), chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce.
1. Cook noodles according to package instructions, until just tender; they should retain a bit of bite. Drain, rinse well with cold water and drain again.
2. Discard seeds from cucumber, and slice quarters crosswise as thin as possible. Place in a large bowl. Add chilies, and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar and 2 tablespoons water. Place over low heat until sugar dissolves, and add to cucumber mixture. Add peanuts and cilantro, and mix well. Add noodles, and toss to mix.
4. Sprinkle the noodle mixture with sesame oil and soy sauce, and toss gently until all the ingredients have been evenly distributed. Refrigerate salad until it is chilled, about 20 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings.
GOLDEN COD
Time: 25 minutes
1 cup brown rice flour (available in health food stores and specialty food markets)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
Vegetable or corn oil for frying
66-ounce skinless, boneless cod fillets.
1. Place rice flour in a wide, flat dish, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place egg whites in a large bowl, and whisk until foamy; add lemon zest, and whisk again.
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1/4 inch of oil. When oil is hot, dip cod fillets into egg-white mixture. Press fillets into flour to coat them lightly and evenly on all sides, and place in skillet.
3. Cook fillets until crisp and golden brown on bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn, and continue cooking until golden on outside and opaque in center. Remove with a slotted spatula, and place on a platter covered with paper towels. Transfer immediately to plates while crisp and hot.
Yield: 6 servings.
Nigella Lawson is the author, most recently, of “Feast: Food That Celebrates Life” and the host of “Nigella Bites,” on the Style Network and E! Entertainment Television.
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