The Ancestral Table: Traditional Recipes for a Paleo Lifestyle Read Online Free Page A

and Healthy for Life, by Chris Kresser

Less-Common Pantry Ingredients
    RICE WINES
The recipes in this book use three types of rice wine: mirin, a sweet rice wine; saké, a Japanese rice wine; and Chinese cooking wine, which is sometimes called Chinese sherry or Shaoxing wine. Look for high-quality wines that are free of corn syrup; since they are generally used sparingly, they will last a long time.
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    WHEAT-FREE TAMARI
Tamari is the original soy sauce introduced to Japan from China, and it is made without wheat. While most forms of soy are best avoided, I think that fermented forms of soy (tamari, miso, natto, and tempeh) are okay; of those four, only tamari is represented in this book. Tamari is the liquid that is left over when making miso. It has a much bolder and sharper taste than many other soy sauces, so I often cut its sharp taste with honey, as you’ll see in the recipes.
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    FISH SAUCE
Much like anchovy paste, fish sauce is an easy way to add umami flavors and is used in many Asian dishes. Fish sauce is usually made from fermented anchovies. Don’t let the initial fishiness of the sauce fool you—adding it to a dish often creates a very un-fish-like flavor. Look for varieties without added sugar, like Red Boat Fish Sauce.
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    SHRIMP PASTE
Shrimp paste, made from fermented shrimp, is a common flavor enhancer in Southeast Asia. It is similar to fish sauce but often more pungent. I prefer the terasi version, which is sold in blocks, but it is sometimes hard to find. Shrimp sauce, a Chinese invention, is a saltier version of shrimp paste and is more easily found. Adjust salt levels in your recipes accordingly.
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    CHINESE GREENS
There are four major kinds of Chinese greens found in this book:
Bok choy – Both bulbous and leafy, bok choy is the most popular of the Chinese greens. It can have a white or green stem. Immature cabbages are often sold as baby bok choy.
Choy sum – A slender version of bok choy with thick, cylindrical stems; it is sometimes called flowering Chinese cabbage (pictured in my Chinese Greens recipe, see here ).
Kai-lan – Also known as Chinese broccoli, kai-lan also has thick stems. It looks like choy sum, has a flavor similar to broccoli, and has small, edible flower heads (pictured in my Chicken Pad See Ew recipe, see here ).
Won bok – Also known as Chinese or napa cabbage, won bok is a large, dense cabbage not unlike head cabbage. It is most commonly used in Kimchi ( see here ) or sliced and added to Nabemono ( see here ) or Fried Rice ( see here ).
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    FLOURS AND STARCHES
I use a wide variety of flours and starches to replace wheat flour and cornstarch. Rice flour (not to be confused with sweet rice flour, also known as mochiko) is my go-to flour for thickening; coconut flour can also be used, but it has a grittier texture. Almond flour and coarse-ground almond meal work well in small amounts, especially as a binder. Arrowroot and potato starches are suitable replacements for cornstarch. Tapioca starch acts as a starch but can become stretchy; this property is desirable in some contexts, like in my pizza crust recipe ( see here ).
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    SWEETENERS
My favorite sweeteners are pure honey and maple syrup, but others should be noted. Coconut palm sugar is made from the sap of coconut palm flower buds and is often sold in granulated form. It is the closest substitute for real sugar out there, and it is used sparingly in some dishes in this book. Palm sugar, often confused with coconut palm sugar, is made from the sap of the Arenga pinnata (sugar palm) and is used to sweeten Southeast Asian dishes.
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    SPICES
It is worth your time to invest in a robust spice rack; having and knowing a wide variety of spices will greatly expand your breadth of cooking. Some less-common spices found in this book include cardamom pods, dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and seeds, Kashmiri red chili powder, mace, Korean red chili powder (gochugaru), turmeric, and white pepper.
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    SALTS
Sea