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The Guardian
16-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Why homemade stir-fry sauces are always better than bought in ones
Most stir-fry sauces are sweet, dense and cloying. Any lighter, fresher alternatives?Louis, Falmouth If Julie Lin, author of Sama Sama: Comfort Food from my Malaysian-Scottish Kitchen, were to hazard a guess, it would be that Louis is buying shop-bought sauces: 'They're always sweet and dense,' she says. 'There's a phrase we use in Malaysia, agak agak, which means to season until you know that it's good for you.' And that's only ever going to come from making it yourself, which for Lin often means her 'master wok' sauce. To make a bottle, she combines 75g white sugar, three teaspoons of MSG, and 75ml rice-wine vinegar, and whisks until the sugar dissolves. Stir in 300ml light soy sauce and 100ml dark soy sauce, followed by 50ml sesame oil. Pour that into a sterilised jar or bottle, give it a shake and keep for a month at room temperature. That's then ready to go, or customise it with, say, chilli or garlic, because one stir-fry sauce is not going to fit all. While the basic master wok number is a good shout for stir-frying noodles, rice or vegetables, however, 'if you're going for a lamb stir-fry, for example, you'll probably want to add some cumin, garlic and maybe make it more vinegary.' For Justin Tsang, author of Long Day? Cook This: Easy East Asian Recipes with a Twist, it's all about balance: 'The perfect stir-fry sauce has to be salty, sweet and umami, but it shouldn't be one more than the other; it should work in harmony.' If your sauce is bordering on too sweet or dense, anything 'a bit tart or fruity' will work wonders: 'That could be some sort of acid, such as lime juice to finish, or vinegar, or a splash of sharp Worcestershire sauce,' says Tsang, who has also been known to add HP Sauce to the mix. Alternatively, get to know your onions: 'Using the finest grater on a box grater, grate a white onion into an almost-pulp, then mix into your sauce, along with a splash of vinegar – that will cut through any sweetness and make it lighter.' Another shortcut to flavour is chicken stock. 'People don't think to add it to stir-fry sauce, but it waters it down and just makes it nice,' Tsang says. If noodles (egg, flat rice, vermicelli) are in play, he'd also whack in a load of finely grated garlic and ginger – 'use a microplane to get them really fine' – plus fish, oyster and soy sauces: 'But only enough to make you think it's not going to do anything, because it will still build layers of umami.' If the goal is something lighter and brighter, Lin would knock up a quick bihun goreng, which starts with a base of onion, chilli and garlic. 'Add whatever protein you fancy [chicken, pork, prawns, tofu], then tip in some light and dark soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and a bit of chilli oil.' In with some cooked rice noodles, then add any crunchy veg you have to hand: 'Green beans or beansprouts, but don't cook them too long that they lose their crunch, because you want some texture.' If you're feeling brave, Lin adds, shove everything to one side of the pan, pour a beaten egg into the other side and scramble.' Let everything come together and serve with sambal and maybe a fried egg. Well, two eggs are always better than one. Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Why homemade stir-fry sauces are always better than bought in ones
Most stir-fry sauces are sweet, dense and cloying. Any lighter, fresher alternatives?Louis, Falmouth If Julie Lin, author of Sama Sama: Comfort Food from my Malaysian-Scottish Kitchen, were to hazard a guess, it would be that Louis is buying shop-bought sauces: 'They're always sweet and dense,' she says. 'There's a phrase we use in Malaysia, agak agak, which means to season until you know that it's good for you.' And that's only ever going to come from making it yourself, which for Lin often means her 'master wok' sauce. To make a bottle, she combines 75g white sugar, three teaspoons of MSG, and 75ml rice-wine vinegar, and whisks until the sugar dissolves. Stir in 300ml light soy sauce and 100ml dark soy sauce, followed by 50ml sesame oil. Pour that into a sterilised jar or bottle, give it a shake and keep for a month at room temperature. That's then ready to go, or customise it with, say, chilli or garlic, because one stir-fry sauce is not going to fit all. While the basic master wok number is a good shout for stir-frying noodles, rice or vegetables, however, 'if you're going for a lamb stir-fry, for example, you'll probably want to add some cumin, garlic and maybe make it more vinegary.' For Justin Tsang, author of Long Day? Cook This: Easy East Asian Recipes with a Twist, it's all about balance: 'The perfect stir-fry sauce has to be salty, sweet and umami, but it shouldn't be one more than the other; it should work in harmony.' If your sauce is bordering on too sweet or dense, anything 'a bit tart or fruity' will work wonders: 'That could be some sort of acid, such as lime juice to finish, or vinegar, or a splash of sharp Worcestershire sauce,' says Tsang, who has also been known to add HP Sauce to the mix. Alternatively, get to know your onions: 'Using the finest grater on a box grater, grate a white onion into an almost-pulp, then mix into your sauce, along with a splash of vinegar – that will cut through any sweetness and make it lighter.' Another shortcut to flavour is chicken stock. 'People don't think to add it to stir-fry sauce, but it waters it down and just makes it nice,' Tsang says. If noodles (egg, flat rice, vermicelli) are in play, he'd also whack in a load of finely grated garlic and ginger – 'use a microplane to get them really fine' – plus fish, oyster and soy sauces: 'But only enough to make you think it's not going to do anything, because it will still build layers of umami.' If the goal is something lighter and brighter, Lin would knock up a quick bihun goreng, which starts with a base of onion, chilli and garlic. 'Add whatever protein you fancy [chicken, pork, prawns, tofu], then tip in some light and dark soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and a bit of chilli oil.' In with some cooked rice noodles, then add any crunchy veg you have to hand: 'Green beans or beansprouts, but don't cook them too long that they lose their crunch, because you want some texture.' If you're feeling brave, Lin adds, shove everything to one side of the pan, pour a beaten egg into the other side and scramble.' Let everything come together and serve with sambal and maybe a fried egg. Well, two eggs are always better than one. Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@
Gulf Today
09-06-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Find out a quick, creamy garlic udon with chilli oil – the ultimate solo supper
This rich, sesame-laced noodle bowl comes together in minutes – perfect for when you're short on time but still want something seriously satisfying This is a quick udon to satisfy that craving for a warming bowl of noodles, says cookery writer Julie Lin – 'even when I'm in a rush'. She says: 'Sesame paste can be easily found in Asian supermarkets now. It's a brilliant store cupboard ingredient, which makes vegan broths nicely rich without being overpowering. This is one of my go-to meals for when I'm eating alone, as it's such a quick recipe.' Serves: 1 Ingredients: 200g fresh udon noodles 2 tbsp Asian sesame paste 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp rice vinegar 1 tsp white sugar 2 tsp Sichuan-based chilli oil, or to your taste, plus extra to garnish 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 3cm piece of root ginger, peeled and minced 2 spring onions, finely sliced 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds Seasoning: Black vinegar, salt, light soy sauce Method: 1. Blanch the fresh udon noodles by plunging them into boiling water for 2 minutes. To stop the cooking process, submerge the noodles in icy cold water, then drain and rinse under cold running water. Set aside. 2. To make the dressing, whisk together the sesame paste, both soy sauces, the rice vinegar, sugar, chilli oil and the minced garlic and ginger in a bowl until well combined. Add a splash of water until you get a creamy consistency. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. 3. Toss the cold noodles in the dressing, ensuring that each strand is evenly coated. Taste and add whichever seasoning station ingredients you feel like. 4. Pile the noodles into a deep bowl, scatter over the spring onions, then sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of the chilli oil. Recipe from 'Sama Sama' by Julie Lin (Ebury Press). The Independent
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Combining cultures
Julie Lin is an author, recipe developer and broadcaster. She has just published her first book Sama Sama which fuses Malaysian, Chinese and Scottish influences from her heritage. In 2011, Julie Lin made a note to self on Facebook: "New mission in life," she wrote in a status update: "be Nigella Lawson." At the time, she was working in retail in Glasgow and teaching piano and violin while channelling most of her creative energies into cooking dinner parties for friends. Flash forward 13 years and while Lin may not have fulfilled her mission exactly as stated, she's been making all the right moves in that direction. First she went on MasterChef in 2014 and made it to the quarter finals. Then she quit her job and became a chef, before setting up her own street-food stall in Glasgow. She graduated to a "proper"restaurant on the city's south side in 2017, then a larger one called GaGa which is still going strong today. Now she's written a cookbook, which unites the two parts of her heritage — Malaysian and Scottish — in unexpected and delicious ways. "My mum's from Malaysia, and I go there every year," she says. Her father is Scottish and she grew up in Glasgow "with an abundance of amazing Scottish produce. So it feels like I'm from both places." Chinese sausage bucatini carbonara Carbonara will forever be one of my favourite dishes. The Chinese sausage (lap cheong) I use is an ambient food, so I always tend to have it in the cupboard. It's truly one of the finest ingredients — its smoky sweetness makes it taste like maple-cured bacon and it works perfectly with the rich egg yolks. Allowing the fat to render a little releases the oils into the dish and creates the most moreish flavour. Serves 2 200g dried bucatini (or another long pasta) 40g Chinese sausage (lap cheong), thinly sliced at an angle 1 Tbsp olive oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 3 egg yolks 50g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve 1 tsp light soy sauce ½ tsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) salt and black pepper Method Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the bucatini to the pan and cook for 8 minutes (or according to the packet instructions). Meanwhile, in a dry frying pan, gently fry the sausage over a low heat until the oils are released, allowing it to get a bit crisp. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Add the olive oil to the pan and fry the chopped garlic until fragrant but not browned. Using a fork, whisk together the egg yolks, grated parmesan, soy sauce, kecap manis and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Once cooked, drain the bucatini, reserving some of the pasta cooking water. Add the sausage back into the pan along with the drained bucatini and toss in the garlic oil. Slowly add a little of the pasta cooking water to the egg yolk mixture until glossy and combined. Pour this over the hot pasta and sausage and mix together. Serve immediately with black pepper and the extra parmesan grated on top. Chinese-style spicy garlic celery Celery divides people. I think that's because most of us are introduced to it in the form of batons dipped into hummus. But I adore celery in its cooked form, especially with soy and garlic. This is a version of a common wok-fried celery dish we eat at large banquets in Malaysia. Serves 1 2 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 3 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp white sugar 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 bunch, celery sliced on an angle 5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced 1 tsp cornflour, plus 3 Tbsp water to make a paste 1 tsp Malaysian crispy prawn chilli or crispy chilli oil salt and ground white pepper Method In a small bowl, mix together the Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce and sugar. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the celery to the hot oil and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until a little translucent. Next, add the garlic and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the rice wine, soy and sugar mixture, then add the cornflour paste and stir-fry until everything thickens slightly. Allow all of the flavours to come together, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper. Finally, add the crispy prawn chilli or crispy chilli oil and make a few last tosses. Serve immediately while piping hot. Nasi goreng with smoked mackerel Nasi goreng is probably one of the most recognisable dishes in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines. Nasi means rice and goreng means fried, so it translates simply as fried rice. Full of flavour, this dish can be adapted to use up any ingredients you have in the fridge. I adore adding mackerel to this; the smokiness makes it extra punchy. It's important to cook out the paste (rempah) here so that all of the roundness of the flavours can coat the rice. All of the day-old rice grains should absorb maximum flavour. Remember, nasi goreng is a simple dish to cook, but it's all about making sure it's not still wet at the end of the frying process. Serves 2 vegetable oil for frying 2 spring onions, chopped into 4cm chunks 150g fine green beans, trimmed 50g smoked mackerel, flaked 300g cooked and cooled jasmine rice (preferably a day old) 1 ½ tsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) 1 ½ Tbsp fish sauce, or to taste 4 eggs 150g beansprouts For the rempah 1 long shallot, peeled and roughly chopped 5 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 2 fresh long red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped 4 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, drained, deseeded 2 Tbsp dried anchovies (ikan billis) Seasoning station (optional) sambal belacan, chilli crisp oil, fish sauce, light soy sauce, lime juice, salt Method First, make the rempah. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz to a paste. Heat plenty of oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. (You need lots of oil to make the paste oily enough that it coats the rice.) Once the wok is hot, add the rempah, spring onion chunks, trimmed green beans and flaked mackerel. Fry everything for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously so that the paste doesn't catch and burn. Turn the heat down, then add the cooled rice to the wok with a few tablespoons of water. Add the kecap manis and fish sauce, stirring furiously until everything is mixed together. Create a well in the centre of the rice. Keeping the heat on medium-low, crack two of the eggs into the centre of the well and allow them to scramble. Once fully cooked through, mix the scrambled egg through the rice with the beansprouts. Heat enough oil to cover the base in a separate pan over a very high heat. Once the oil is very hot, crack the remaining two eggs into the pan. Fry until the skirts of the eggs are golden and crispy. When ready to serve, spoon the rice into two bowls and top with the crispy fried eggs. Add whichever of the ingredients you fancy from the seasoning station. — The Observer
Filipino Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Marcos on West PH Sea: Philippines will not tolerate disrespect to sovereignty
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the government's commitment to protect the country's territories and maritime zones, especially in the West Philippine Sea. Speaking at the 127th anniversary of the Philippine Navy in Subic, Zambales, Marcos stressed that the country will not allow any violation of its sovereignty. 'We stand firm. We will never tolerate any act of disrespect against our sovereignty,' the President said. He also highlighted that the Philippines will continue to assert its maritime rights in accordance with international law. 'We will continue to safeguard our maritime zones and exercise our maritime entitlements, in accordance with international law,' he said. 'Wala tayong isusuko, wala tayong papabayaan.' Marcos added that the Philippines remains engaged in peaceful and legal solutions to maritime issues, citing the country's participation in defense and security exercises like Balikatan, Sama Sama, Rim of the Pacific, and Exercise Kakadu. He also mentioned hosting talks and meetings with other countries, such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Experts' Working Group, which all aim to strengthen cooperation and ensure regional peace.
