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Vincent van Gogh had a blue period with his art. Now, I am not professing to be a Vincent when it comes to creativity or culinary artistry, but I seem to be having an Asian period of late. "Period" is maybe not the accurate adjective here; "curiosity or intrigue" would maybe be better describers. Anyhow, be that as it may be.

 

Recently, I attempted Hunan style red cooked pork, homemade teriyaki sauce and even tandoori style chicken (what a taste & flavour explosion that was!). The combinations of sweet & sour, umami & bitterness, star anise & scallion infused soy sauce based broths and Hoisin sauce based meat glaze are intriguing and quite exciting in their revelations.

 

During a whimsical moment, I discovered mayonnaise, a dash of hoisin sauce, some finely grated fresh ginger and well minced, fresh garlic combine seamlessly to produce a burger sauce so exciting that it makes me want to go have a lie-down! Maybe even a cold shower to boot as well ...

 

Well, from there on the progression to potato salad became logical and almost instinctive. And my word! Who knew soft boiled eggs, potatoes, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger and Chinese Five Spice powder had such a magnificent affinity for each other?!

 

Finely chopped scallions (the white section) provide just a hint of acidity and bite, while the chopped greens infuse a darker, vegetable note that goes particularly with ginger, garlic and the tanginess of the mayonnaise. Again, who knew or would've suspected this little surprise?

 

A mildly tangy, creamy mayonnaise seems to be the best choice here. Salad cream is too bland and the minced garlic does unspeakable things to it, upsetting the serene combination of hoisin sauce and Chinese Five Spice. Too tangy, and the hoisin sauce gets overwhelmed and the star anise in the Chinese Five Spice starts to take on an off-putting, soapy character. Apparently, as with all things in life, moderation and balance seem to be the key concepts here.

 

The Asian inspired potato salad goes particularly well with pan-fried, pork loin chops and roasted BBQ chicken. With lamb and beef dishes? Not so well.

 

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ASIAN INSPIRED CREAMY POTATO SALAD

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Recipe yields: 4 – 6 Servings

Preparation time: ± 20 Minutes

       Ingredients:

Cooked potato, large, peeled & chopped	3
Hard boiled eggs, X/L, finely chopped	2
Mayonnaise, medium tangy or Salad Cream	80ml – 100ml
Full fat Greek style yoghurt	30ml
Wellington Sweet Chilli Sauce	30ml
Hoisin paste, Lee Kum Kee brand	2.5ml
Garlic, minced	2.5ml
Fresh ginger, finely grated	2.5ml
Kosher salt	± 2ml
Chinese 5-Spice powder	± 1.5ml
Black pepper, freshly ground	1.2ml
Scallions, green parts, finely chopped	30ml – 45ml

 

Method:

1. Combine the potato chunks, diced eggs and half of the chopped scallions in a suitably sized bowl.
2. Combine the mayonnaise / salad cream, yoghurt, sweet chilli sauce, hoisin paste, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and 5-Spice powder in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
3. Slowly and carefully work the mayonnaise / salad cream mixture into the potatoes and eggs. Use a wooden spoon to prevent the potato chunks and egg from becoming excessively crushed. Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt and pepper if required.
4. Transfer the salad to a sealable container or salad bowl and sprinkle the rest of the chopped scallions over.
5. Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to allow the flavours to mature.

 

   Comments:

• Use a mild Thai style sweet chilli sauce if Wellington Sweet Chilli Sauce is unavailable.
• Use a microplane grater for the ginger root under these conditions:

1. Very fresh & firm ginger root: wash and scrub the unpeeled root thoroughly with a nailbrush, dry thoroughly and grate as much as needed with the root perpendicular to the axis of the grater to avoid fibers from forming.
2. Older, softening ginger root: wash and scrub the unpeeled root thoroughly with a nailbrush, dry thoroughly and freeze at -18°C in a sealed plastic bag. When needed, grate the frozen root directly as is. The root will grate much finer than fresh, firm root. Firmly pack the cup of the measuring spoon to obtain an accurate measure. This procedure will not work with a normal box grater’s fine grate side.

 

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Chinese Five Spice Powder

Five-spice powder is a mixture of five or more spices used in virtually all branches of Chinese cuisine. Additionally, it’s also used fairly extensively in Hawaiian and Vietnamese cuisines. The five flavors of the spices (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami) reflects the five traditional Chinese cookery elements and also the Chinese philosophy of balancing the yin and yang in food. With star anise as one of the main components, a pinch of the powder goes a long way.

 

The standard main ingredients are:

• Star anise
• Cloves
• Chinese cinnamon
• Sichuan pepper
• Fennel seeds

Frequent additions – depending on region and or manufacturer – are anise seed, ginger root, nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom, licorice, Mandarin orange peel or galangal.

 

Until fairly recently five spice powder was hard to find in the general groceries chain stores. You had to search for it in the shops specializing in supplying Asian and Indian cooking ingredients and equipment. Frequently, these shops blended and ground their own in-house versions with considerably variations in flavour and taste profiles, varying from harsh and bitter to downright cloying and overpowering with star anise. Happily this has changed for the better.

 

Cape Herb and Spice’s version is one of the best I’ve come across so far. It’s locally manufactured and widely available. It has a wonderful, almost fruity, aroma of exotic savoury-sweetness redolent with fennel, ginger, mace and flowery hints of cardamom with a touch of what reminds of sandalwood. They’ve reigned in the quantities of star anise and cinnamon considerably, both of which overpower and dominate very easily. I find it a most satisfactory blend and heartily recommend their product.

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© RS Young, 2021

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