World War II Asia Recipes

gin and tonic

Gin and Tonic

From The Spruce Eats

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces gin or non-alcoholic gin
  • 4 to 6 ounces tonic water, to taste
  • Lime wedge or slices, for garnish

Steps:

  1. Gather the ingredients.
  2. In a highball glass filled with ice cubes, pour 2 ounces gin, then top with 4 to 6 ounces tonic water
  3. Gently stir to combine, but not so much so that you lose carbonation.
  4. Garnish with a lime wedge or slices. Serve and enjoy.
  5. Or, you could add fruit juice, or add mango or other fresh fruits in the glass before building the drink.

NOTE: Tonic water is a carbonated soft drink with added quinine, which creates a slightly bitter taste. G&Ts were popular in Asia to aid digestion given the hot climates and spicy food. Quinine, the alkaloid derived from cinchona bark, can lead to quinine toxicity (cinchonism) in high doses. 

naan

Naan Bread

From RasaMalaysia
Author: Bee Yinn Low

Soft and puffy with beautiful brown blisters, this foolproof recipe outshines even your favorite Indian restaurant’s offerings. The best part? You don’t need a tandoor oven to make naan. 

Prep Time: 1 hr 20 mins, Cook Time: 10 mins: Total Time: 1 hr 30 min.
Yield: 4.

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/4 oz. (10g) active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup plain or Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Some oil (for greasing skillet)
  • 1.5 tablespoons melted butter or ghee 

Steps:

1. Activate Yeast. In a small bowl, add sugar, warm water, and yeast. Stir to combine well. The yeast should be activated when it becomes foamy, 10 minutes. Transfer flour to a flat surface and make a well in the middle.

2. Making Naan Dough. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, salt, and oil, and knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 mins) until the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place (e.g. beside the stove top or warm oven). The dough should double in size in about 1 hour.

3. Rolling Naan. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Roll dough to an 8” (20 cm) circle using a rolling pin.

  •  Cooking Naan. Heat up a skillet a (cast-iron preferably) over high heat and lightly grease the surface with some oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place dough on the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles, and burnt spots appear, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat until all the dough is done. Brush cooked naan with melted butter or ghee, and serve warm.

NOTE: If you use instant yeast, cut amount to 2 tsps. If dough is sticky, add 2 T more flour.

Bok choy

(Vegetarian) Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir-Fry

From The Spruce Eats 
by Jolinda Hackett

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil, or other high-heat oil
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
  • 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps (save stems for soup), or 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms plus 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms and/or trumpet mushrooms, or reconstituted dry mushrooms as in The Secret War of Julia Child.
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste (or tamari, Nama Shoyu, or another substitute to keep it gluten-free)
  • 1 head bok choy, chopped, or 2 to 3 baby bok choy, if you prefer
  • 5 to 6 scallions, or green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, optional
  • Hot sauce or red peppers, optional, to taste

Steps:

Heat oil in wok or large skillet. Add garlic and fresh ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce, bok choi, scallions, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add vegetable broth; simmer until bok choy is crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds, if desired, and remove from heat.

NOTE: This is a vegetarian dish, but you can also cook an added protein source, chunks of chicken, fish, or tofu. Stir in and re-season with soy sauce and your preferred sauces. I might add 1 lb. cooked wheat or udon noodles, as Julia and her friends enjoyed in the novel. If so, adjust seasonings.

ANZAC biscuits

ANZAC Biscuits

From The 1940s Experiment
Posted by Sheryl Knowles

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup/150 g of plain flour (I used wholewheat/meal)
  • 1 cup/220 g of sugar
  • 1 cup/90 g of desiccated coconut
  • 1 cup/100 g of rolled oats
  • 125 g of butter/margarine
  • 1 tablespoon (2 tablespoons in North America) of golden syrup or treacle
  • 2 tablespoons of boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Steps:

  1. Mix the flour, sugar, oats and coconut together
  2. Mix the syrup/treacle and butter together and warm gently until thoroughly mixed.
  3. Mix the boiling water and bicarbonate of soda together and add to the syrup/butter mixture and mix in well
  4. Add the wet mix into the dry mix and bind together
  5. Drop teaspoons of the mixture onto a lightly greased tray or parchment paper and cook for 10 minutes at 180C until golden brown all over

NOTE: This felt very personal when I discovered it, as the designers of The Secret War of Julia Child book cover referenced this wartime favorite of ANZAC, the Australia and New Zealand Army Corp. Families at home sent these cookies to the troops overseas because the ingredients didn’t spoil and therefore would still be edible when received. They are so easy to make!