One-pot wonders

Where there's smoke, there's fire, but in the olden days, one had to have a renewable fuel source, such as wood, to keep the stove going. In many countries, cooking fuel was, and in some cases still is, either scarce or expensive. Clever (and hungry) cooks devised savory fuel-efficient solutions to this problem, namely one-pot cooking.

Though most of us don't scrounge for cooking fuel these days, one-pot cooking still holds some advantages for modern cooks. One-pot recipes work when you want to eat a hot, hearty meal without having to clean every pot in the kitchen. Furthermore, many one-pot meals are not particularly 'sensitive,' meaning you don't have to stand over them to ensure they cook 'just so.'

GETTING STARTED

Your kitchen is probably well-prepared for one-pot cooking. Equipment requirements are simple. A sturdy pot (well, maybe two or three pots) and a heat source are all that are required. Crock-Pot[R] slow cookers and the like are optional but certainly work for one-pot meals.

Many of the ingredients necessary to make these creations are probably already in your pantry or refrigerator. Soy sauce, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh cilantro, green onions, soy bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and chopped mushrooms are popular flavoring ingredients, especially if you'd like your meal to have an Asian flare. If you want to have more diverse ingredients on hand, you can purchase miso paste, extra-firm tofu to cut into small cubes, Chinese and Japanese vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame and peanut oil, and a variety of soy sauces, including reduced-sodium varieties.

To serve your one-pot wonders, you'll want bowls large enough to hold at least a pint of liquid and all the goodies you've included. Hot pots are generally served with condiments, such as fresh soy sprouts, chilies, or fresh herbs, so your dishes will require room to stir.

AN ASIAN TOUR

Most Asian countries seem to have at least one approach, if not several, for making one-pot meals. For example, the widely used Clay Pot Seitan and Vegetables incorporates sauteing and stewing in one pot. Seitan pieces are marinated in soy sauce and sauteed with thin slices of sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Ingredients are sauteed until soft, mixed with a small amount of flour to thicken, and simmered in vegetable or mushroom broth until tender. The flavor of this dish improves if made a day or two ahead of time. Then, serve it with freshly steamed brown or white rice.

Coconut Vegetable Curry is one of Indonesia's answers to one-pot cooking. Onions, garlic, and fresh chilies are sauteed with miso in a large pot until soft. Coconut milk, bay leaves, and tamarind are added and allowed to simmer to combine flavors. Diced carrots, potatoes, and pumpkin or winter squash are added and simmered until soft, and then green beans and zucchini are added.

Another vegetarian one-pot dish from Indonesia combines seasonal vegetables, such as cabbage, spinach, onions, corn, potatoes, and squash, with vegetable broth and is flavored with tamarind, cinnamon, bay leaf, garlic, and ginger. This is allowed to simmer until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors combined.

Tom Kha Gai is a heavenly one-pot dish from Thailand. Coconut milk and ginger are brought to a boil and then allowed to simmer until slightly reduced. Vegetable broth, tofu cubes, red chili, soy sauce, and a touch of sweetener are added, and the mixture is allowed to stew until everything is hot. Fresh cilantro is used as a garnish.

Green Curry follows the general directions for Tom Kha Gai but adds green beans and excludes the green chili and sweetener. Lime juice and green curry paste, which is available commercially, act as flavoring for this powerful curry. Another variation is Red Vegetable Curry. Coconut milk and red curry paste are simmered together; when slightly reduced, diced potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, red bell peppers, and baby corn are added and allowed to simmer until tender. Additional seasonings are green peppercorns and lime juice.

Pumpkin Stew, from Laos, requires some slightly exotic ingredients. Fresh turmeric, which resembles miniature ginger and gives a slightly bitter flavor and bright orange color to dishes; green papaya, a sour cousin of the usual orange papaya; and galangal, a cousin to ginger, are all used.

This stew is an oven-cooked dish, unusual for a one-pot meal. Uncooked rice is spread in the bottom of a heavy pot and allowed to toast in a hot oven. The toasted rice is ground and mixed with a small amount of oil, or you could take a short cut and use Cream of Rice cereal. The rice mixture is combined with turmeric, galangal, garlic, and onions. Seitan pieces are coated with the rice mixture, and stock, pumpkin, and green papaya are added. The pot is returned to the oven and allowed to simmer until everything is tender.

Sukiyaki is the traditional Japanese beef and vegetable hot pot. Served to the table in a miniature cauldron, this hearty dish is a four-course meal in one dish. For a meatless version, simmer thin slices of vegan 'fish' or 'chicken' with onions, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and tofu. Add a sauce made of Japanese soy sauce, vegetable broth, sake (Japanese rice wine), and sugar to the broth for flavor.