This time of year, spending hours over a hot stove is about as appealing as layering on a knit sweater. Luckily, with so much fresh produce at my fingertips at the farmers market each week, I enjoy tons of fresh salads, quick pickles and fresh fruit from breakfast to dinner. But sometimes, a raw kale salad doused in lemon, good oil and a little cheese just won’t cut it. I crave something warm, salty and packed with flavor – something that will satisfy without weighing me down.
When I opened Naomi Duguid’s gorgeous book, Burma: Rivers of Flavor, I found a bevy of dishes that do just that. Eggplant stewed in a tomato and anchovy curry. Okra dancing in a piping hot pan with chiles and shallots. Chopped cabbage doused in peanut oil, chiles and bright-orange turmeric. All of these recipes are quick and easy, making them great for fast summertime fare. They do, however, call for some unique ingredients (dried anchovies, green cayenne chiles, galangal), which certainly make the dishes a bit more difficult to source than the average weeknight meal. But it’s the last thing they have in common that should put these recipes at the top of your must-make list: umami. Whether it’s fish sauce or oyster sauce, that indescribable savory flavor is front and center in these dishes, especially Duguid’s recipe for Smoky Napa Stir-Fry.
The recipe couldn’t be simpler: Let spices toast in some hot oil before adding a couple dried chiles and a shallot. When everything is softening, toss in some freshly chopped greens and, just as they begin to wilt, stir in a little oyster sauce and let it bubble away. I wish the instructions were slightly more detailed (Minced ginger means different things to different people, for instance.), but it’s hard to argue when there are a mere five minutes of active cooking time.
The final dish was fantastic, warm and salty with a subtle heat. But it was the umami that really got me. The oyster sauce combined with the salty greens and smoky peanut oil created a savoriness that wouldn’t let me put my fork down. The fact that it took 10 minutes to make? Well, that gives you plenty of time to go to the pool.
Smoky Napa Stir-Fry
4 Servings
Another light take on green vegetables. The oyster sauce, available in Asian grocery stores and well-stocked groceries, gives a smoky undernote to the dish. Try to find fresh, young Napa cabbage for extra crispness. About ¾ lb. Napa cabbage
½ cup hot water
1 scant Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
1/8 tsp. turmeric
2 dried red chiles
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tsp. ginger, minced
¼ tsp. salt, or to taste
• Cut the cabbage crosswise into ¼-inch strips, then slice them crosswise to make bite-sized pieces (You should have 4 loosely packed cups.). Place in a bowl of cold water to wash thoroughly, then lift out, drain and set aside.
• Pour the hot water into a small bowl, add the oyster sauce and stir well. Set aside.
• Place a medium or large wok or large deep skillet over high heat. Add the oil, then lower the heat to medium-high and stir in the turmeric. Add the chiles, shallot and ginger and stir-fry about 30 seconds, until the shallot starts to soften.
• Raise the heat to high, add the chopped cabbage and salt, and stir-fry, tossing and pressing the greens against the hot sides of the pan. When they have wilted and softened, about 2 to 3 minutes, add the oyster sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, turn and stir for another 15 seconds or so to distribute flavors and finish cooking the greens, then turn out into a wide shallow bowl.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.
What’s your secret to infusing umami into your cooking? Tell us in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Burma by Naomi Duguid. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column. And now, we’d like to congratulate Frances, whose comment on last week’s By the Book has won her a copy of Canal House Cooks Every Day. Frances, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew.
This article appears in June 2013.