HOW TO...USE STICKY RICE, PRESERVED BLACK BEANS & POMELO (CHINESE GRAPEFRUIT)

The new Chinese Year of the Monkey (starting 8 Feb 2016) is a good time to try some unfamiliar but tasty Asian ingredients

POMELO (Chinese Grapefruit)

Pomelo/Bolo/Chinese Grapefruit

The delicious, flavour-bursting pomelo fruit (also known as 'bolo') is one of the first ever citrus fruits and is affectionately known as the grandfather of grapefruits.

Thick Skin

They originated in South Asia but the pomelos we see in Britain are mostly from China.  They're very visible in Chinatowns right now - giant pear-shaped fruits in red mesh bags tumbling over one another. They usually weigh about 1-2 kilos but much of that comes from the rind, which is an inch/2 cm thick. In South Asia, pomelos can reach 10 kilos.   



The flesh has a melon-like sweetness despite being dryer than grapefruit and oranges.  The relatively large capsules of pomelo flesh burst wonderfully in the mouth.  

Most London restaurants team the less fragile pomelo with seafood, particularly prawns and scallops.  But pomelo is perfect as a snack straight out of the fridge, drizzled with syrup or, for the sugar-phobic, flavoured 0-fat yoghurt. 

Pomelos have great health-giving qualities.  0-fat, low-calorie and with a fat-busting enzyme, they also have lots of heart-friendly fibre and potassium. [See Pomelo Fruit Salad for instructions on use]

WARNING: Pomelos, like grapefruit, can cause serious health complications for those on blood thinning or similar medication. Please check with your doctor before trying pomelo. 



SALTED BLACK BEANS

Salted Preserved Black Beans, rinsed and stored in sherry

Salted black beans have a sharply spicy, pungent soya-like flavour that is popular in Cantonese cooking.  They are made from salting and fermenting small black soybeans (not Latin American black beans) which add an earthy bittersweetness to Asian dishes.  

Food-loving adults will probably like the flavour of black beans but some adventurous children adore their taste, especially if they are mashed with butter and stuffed under the skin of a chicken or turkey before roasting.  Those with blood pressure issues should tread carefully.

The beans are too salty to be used straight from the packet. 67goingon50 uses a technique suggested by the younger face of Chinese cookery, Ching he Huang*.  (Ken Hom OBE represents the oldies.) Ching recommends rinsing the beans well in water then storing them in sherry in a container with a tight-fitting lid. 

When ready to cook, finely chop the beans or mash them to a paste.  67 uses  the soaking liquid, as well as beans, from the jar and tops up the jar with more alcohol.  Most black beans are already flavoured with garlic but adding fresh chillis and ginger enhances their flavour.

The beans keep well - up to a year - although in 1972 apparently viable salted black beans were found in a Han Dynasty tomb from 165 BC!

Most packages of black beans are family sized; if your household is small, share a packet with friends. [See Beef, Peppers & Black Bean Sauce with Ho Fun Noodles]


GLUTINOUS RICE

Glutinous Rice on the left; Standard White Rice, right

Glutinous rice actually contains no glutin but gets its name from the 'sticky' quality of the rice.  It was bred to have a different texture and slightly sweeter taste.  It's clear from the grains how it differs from normal rice.  

Unlike normal rice, glutinous rice needs soaking overnight or for at least 3 hours.  It is also more expensive but not ridiculously so.  It keeps well in an air tight container.    

For glutinous rice afficiandos, it is the texture that appeals -- less soft and apparently less boring than steamed rice. In some Thai restaurants the diner is offered a choice between sticky and normal white rice.  

In classical Chinese cuisine, glutinous rice is used for special occasions.  Special dishes include the Imperial Eight Precious Jewel Pudding or Chicken stuffed with glutinous rice.  [See Porkupines wrapped in glutinous rice, an Asia-Pacific canape] 



*Ching He Huang is starting a new series shortly on Food Network, exploring contemporary cuisine in Asia

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