Paradox Blog

A friend asked if I have any recipes that appeal to the sense of smell rather than the usual sense of taste. I couldn't think of any but I started paying attention to the odor or aroma of food ever since. Fruits each have their distinguished aroma. My father once told me that he was given a Washington "red delicious" apple when he was very young. Washington apples were a luxury in China where he grew up. He treasured it so that he wouldn't eat it but kept it on his desk and enjoyed the fragrance of it filling his room for days while it ripened until it dried up and was no longer suited for eating.

I knew the meaning of aroma but I had never really used it in a sentence until one day I was introduced to the word by a nice old lady who worked in the same building where I used to work. I was making myself a cup of Darjeeling tea in the break room when she came in for the same. She asked if I liked Darjeeling. I replied yes I like the "smell" of it. She corrected me in a mild and gentle tone that aroma is a better word for it. Aroma it is from then on. But for some food sometimes the distinguished odor of it may not qualify as aroma to the unconverted. "Fried smelly tofu" comes to mind. "Fried smelly tofu" is a delicatessen we used to have out of the food peddlers on the streets of Taipei. It's pieces of fermented tofu fried and served with pickled cabbage and hot chili sauce. The story goes, once a "smelly tofu" lover tried to fry his own at home. His unsuspected roommate came home to this strong odor and declared there was a dead cat in the house.

Herbs most have a strong aroma, like basil, rosemary, sage and cilantro. To me, celery, Chinese celery and watercress have a special aroma too. Olive oil and sesame oil are more fragrant than other oils. Wasabe, the Japanese horseradish paste, stimulates not the taste buds but the sinuses. Garlic has its special aroma. If you keep a dish with raw garlic in it in the refrigerator overnight, you probably would not call the odor in your fridge aromatic. The followings are experiments of cooking with aroma as its primary concern.

Wilted Watercress

12 oz watercress
2 garlic cloves
1 tblsp cooking wine
salt and pepper
1 tblsp cooking oil

Wash watercress and cut into 2" sections. Remove garlic peel and mince into bits. Heat oil and stir in garlic, add watercress, cooking wine, cover and simmer for 30 seconds. When watercress starts to wilt, add salt and pepper stir well. serve warm. Makes two 1/2 cup servings.

Braise Chicken and Basil in Sesame Oil

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup cooking wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sesame oil
4 cup chicken drumsticks (or half a chicken cut up into pieces)
1 oz ginger, sliced

Heat sesame oil, first braise ginger slices, then brown chicken pieces. Add wine, soy sauce, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add basil leaves, simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve warm. Make four 1 cup servings.

Pressed Tofu and Chinese Celery Stir-fry

8 oz pressed tofu, cut into bite size strips
12 oz Chinese celery
1 tblsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 tblsp cooking oil

Clean Chinese celery, remove leaves and use only the stem part. Cut celery into 2" sections. Heat oil, wilt celery in oil for 30 seconds. Add tofu strips, soy sauce and simmer for 1 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. Makes four 1/2 cup servings.

Cilantro Beef Sauté

12 oz cilantro, cut into 2" sections
6 oz beef, cut into strips
1 tblsp cooking wine
1 tblsp corn starch
salt and pepper
2 tblsp cooking oil

Marinate beef strips with cooking oil and corn starch for 10 minutes. Heat oil, stir in beef strips, stir for 15 seconds. Add cilantro, stir for another 15 seconds. Add salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 1 minute. Serve warm. Makes two 1/2 cup servings.