Healthy Asian Food

IT'S FUN TO GO OUT TO EAT ASIAN FOOD, BUT IT'S nice to stay home and prepare your own Asian meals, too. You don't even have to restock your kitchen. If you've got a deep-sided pot, a sharp knife and cutting board, tofu, chilies, rice, and a few other ingredients, you can create authentic Asian dishes. In addition to tasting great, Asian cuisine can be very healthy. Studies have shown that the traditional Chinese and Thai diet is lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than Western menus. The average traditional Chinese or Thai diet has 20 percent or fewer calories from fat. If you'd like to take a look at the Asian Food Guide Pyramid, you can visit and click on "Traditional Diet Pyramids." Although not vegetarian, there are many alternate foods offered to replace meat, fish, poultry, and dairy. To create Asian dishes in your own home, you should have the following ingredients in your kitchen: garlic, ginger, dried mushrooms (especially shiitake and oyster), green tea, and soy foods, such as soymilk, tofu, and soybeans. Fresh garlic cloves are preferable, but if that's not an option, stock some dried granulated garlic. Fresh gingerroot can keep for months in the refrigerator. If this isn't available, purchase some pickled ginger to keep in the refrigerator or dried ginger to keep on the shelf. Dried mushrooms should be available at your local market. If not, check Asian markets or natural foods stores. They can last for many months if stored in a cool, dry place. Green tea, the same kind you'd use for drinking, may come loose or in tea bags. Chances are you've got some soy products in your kitchen. If you don't use soy regularly, aseptically-packaged soymilk and tofu can be kept unrefrigerated for longer than a year if you don't open them. Soy sauce is a convenient seasoning. If you are watching your salt intake, try the low- or reduced-salt soy sauces on the market. (These may still be too high in sodium for some people who are on low-sodium diets.) There are other ingredients that can enhance your homemade Asian dishes. Date sugar adds sweetness to entrees and desserts; sesame oil and sesame seeds add authentic flavor. Soybean sprouts and water chestnuts add crunch. Fresh, frozen, or dried seaweed, such as the common nori variety, add color and flavor, and fresh or dried chilies add "heat." by Nancy Berkoff --