There’s a lot I have yet to learn about cooking, but thankfully I’m still curious. I recently found myself in Mr Bells, purveyor of exotic ingredients, in the English Market in Cork, and swept the shelves.
In my purchases, there were some I had used before, such as the treacly and dark Lee Kum Kee brand of hoi sin sauce. It is packed with so much more flavour than some of the more commonly known brands. The others are weak and forgettable in comparison. This is top tier — the supermodel of hoi sin sauces. Asia Market on Drury Street in Dublin is your go-to place to find it if you are in the capital.
I had used the Indonesian soy sauce kecap manis once or twice before and I was cross with myself that I had gone through 50 years of my life without its sticky, delicious sweetness. Now, I always keep some at home, for every eventuality.
I have two Murphys to thank for my gochujang enlightenment: Jess from Kai restaurant and Wade from 1826 Adare. They both swear by it. Again I was a frustrated latecomer to that fiery Korean pepper party. Jess did a pop-up brunch in the Tannery a few years ago and used it in a marinade with some buttermilk for a chicken schnitzel. I saw Wade use it on TV, again with chicken, this time southern fried.
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One of Denis Cotter’s books introduced me to sambal oelek. I can’t quite remember the exact dish as I was captivated by his writing. It’s often the case that people you admire lead you down a path you mightn’t have trodden before. In my early days, there was only French food in my cooking world. I often ate amazing Asian food, but I would never have dared to try cooking it myself. I was in a Francophile rut.
Now, however, I enjoy playing with my haul from Mr Bells. I’m not sure that any of these dishes are tremendously authentic, but they are tasty and surely that’s the point. It’s good to be a little fearless when it comes to food.
Recipe: Baked salmon and sweet potato wraps with kecap manis
Recipe: Broken noodles with sticky aubergine and sambal oelek
