Instructions: Kadoya Sesame Oil For the accent oil, I choose Kadoya Sesame Oil.

The toasting and pressing of this particular brand of sesame oil is done with such consistent card that I have never had a burnt-tasting or rancid bottle in all my years of cooking. If your market does not have Kadoya brand, taste the other candidates with a critical nose and tongue. Marukan unseasoned rice vinegar (with green label)

Heinz distilled white vinegar and Heinz apple cider vinegar are my favorite vinegars of choice for making infusions. Miysukan unseasoned rice vinegar is another good brand. These are not the least expensive, but in my experience they are the most tasty, with a broad range of flavor in addition to the acidic bite. In the realm of dry and fresh aromatics used for infusing, you must also choose with care: Dried red chili flakes should be red (indicating sweetness and fire), not brown or purple-black. They should be so pungent that you rear back when you smell them. The bag should contain no more than 25 percent seeds. Szechwan peppercorns should smell profoundly good and herbal. The bag should contain few if any black seeds. Twigs and tiny leaves are part of the bundle, along with a good-size thorn every so often (that should be picked out) Pearl River Bridge Chinese fermented black beans should be moist and pliable to the touch. They should taste good, with a nice range of flavor in the after-taste. My favorite brand is Pearl River Bridge in a round yellow box. Dont use beans that are hard and shriveled. Likewise, dont wash them before use; you want the salt they carry as a contribution to the infusion. Garlic, ginger and lemongrass should be rock-hard fresh, with no hint of mold to the eye or the nose.

Scallions should be straight-standing and perky, ideally wearing their white beards as a sign of freshness. They should feel dry or pleasantly moist from the grocers water pistol, not slimy. Orange and Lemon Zest should be washed well in warm water with an abrasive scrubber and then rinsed squeaky-clean, even if the fruit came from your back yard tree. Diamond Kosher Salt is the only kind I use unless a recipe specifies otherwise. It comes in a big red and gold box and is a feature of most good restaurant kitchens. No other brand, in my experience is so consistently mild and clean tasting.

Buy a box from a neighborhood restaurant if you cant convince your grocer to order it. (Dorothys note: I found Diamond Kosher Salt in my super markets Kosher/Jewish food section _not_ with the other salts and spices for sale.)

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