Slow-cooked dishes, no frying, making good flavors with care
Stewing is a cooking method in which ingredients are slowly simmered in added broth, and the process need not involve pan-frying or deep-frying; it is a favorite of veterinarian Kuo Hsu-ying of the Heartfelt Butcher shop. Dr. Kuo stresses that when making stewed dishes, you should season as much as possible with salt, pepper and natural herbs instead of complicated processed ingredients, and simply savor the sweetness that vegetables and meat develop after long cooking; the essence of the dish lies in the sauce, and whether it is mixed into rice or noodles, it is an absolute delight. Especially for people with poor teeth or poor digestion, eating ingredients stewed until soft and tender places no excessive burden on the body at all.
In both Chinese and Western cooking, stewing techniques are widely used; for example, the steamed fish, simmered chicken soup and curry common in Taiwan, China are all broadly similar to the concept of stewing. Dr. Kuo says that dishes of this kind, after long simmering and paired with water, stock or curry powder, can fully bring out the nutritional value of the food. But taking Western cooking as an example, if commercially sold risotto is cooked with fresh cream or bouillon cubes, using such processed and reprocessed seasonings may mask the true original flavor of the food, running counter to the original idea of eating healthily.
Finally, Dr. Kuo also reveals a little trick for stewed dishes: use fruit in the cooking. This is because the natural enzymes in fruit can help soften the meat and add fragrance to the dish. Take "Moroccan spiced apple stewed duck legs" as an example: first marinate bone-in duck legs, diced apple and a little olive oil overnight; the next day, pan-sear the bone-in duck legs until colored, use the remaining oil to saute the onion, then add free-range chicken stock, the bone-in duck legs, the marinated apple puree and pepper and other seasonings, bring to a boil, and finally simmer over low heat for another half an hour before serving. This dish has a soft, tender texture, and the duck legs carry a faint apple fragrance; although it uses simple, easy-to-obtain ingredients, it fully expresses the spirit of stewed cooking.