17. Frozen
Freezing is a way to conserve fresh products and fresh processed food with short shelf life. A solution for products which are not available in Europe and need to be sourced from other parts of the world. Also, frozen food usually needs far less additives than otherwise conserved food, so it can be a solution for health conscious customers. On the other part freezing is a comparably expensive way to store. Transportation over water and land is always more expensive than ambient food, and the same applies to storage in warehouse and shops. You will notice that freezer space in most shops is limited, so it is your challenge to sell the right fast moving assortment to your customer to use the limited freezer space in the best way.
The solution for fresh food with short shelf life
SPRING ROLL SHEETS
Spring Roll Sheets are thin, but still firm dough-sheets/wrappers made from Wheat Flour, water and a bit of Oil and Salt. You use Spring Roll Sheets to make your own Spring Rolls with your own stuffing, like Meat, Fish Tofu and fresh veggies. The Sheets are usually rectangle, and come in different sizes for different sizes of Spring Rolls.
WONTON SHEETS
You can use Wonton Sheets, Gyoza Sheets and Hargow Crystal Skin to make your own Dumplings. They come in different sizes, different qualities (e.g. thick for Soup Wontons, thin for fried Wontons) and are therefore suited for different Wontons and Dumplings.
Wonton and Gyoza sheets are much alike, both made from about three quarters of Wheat Flour, and suited for steamed and/or fried Dumplings.
Gyoza refers to the Japanese type of dumpling. These are dumplings with meat or vegetable filling, the counterpart of the Chinese 'Jiaozi'.
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Main ingredient for Hargow Crystal Skin is more than 70% Starch, which gives a different kind of consistence to the dough, stretchy, chewy, delicate and a bit translucent. It is intended to make Hargow, the famous Cantonese Dim Sum. Hargow Crystal Skin is for steaming.
Peking Duck Wrappers are used to stuff with Peking-duck meat, and if you like some thinly sliced vegetables/herbs and accompanied by a sauce, e.g. sweet thick soy sauce dip. They are (almost) ready to use, only need to be heated up (2-3 minutes steaming or 30 seconds microwave).
SPRING ROLLS
Spring rolls are wraps made from Spring Roll pasty. After heating (fry/deepfry/oven) they are ready to eat. The stuffing usually consists of Vegetables, Meat or Fish or Shrimp and e.g. Rice Vermicelli. As there are restrictions for importing meat from Asia most of the Spring Rolls are stuffed with Vegetables, and/or Shrimp, Tofu, Seaweed etc.
Other than the savoury Spring Rolls, Golden Saba Spring Rolls have a sweet stuffing. The Philippine company is specialized frozen native saba-bananes from the Phillipines, which they also process together with other fruit into delicious Spring roll stuffings.
PARATHA & BREAD
Spring Home Parathas are basically Flatbread. It is the Malaysian variant of the crispy Indian Flatbread. Compared to the more traditional Indian Chapatti the parathas contain more fat (margarine, oil), which makes them crispy and delicious. It comes as ‘raw’ dough-pancake, you heat it in a very hot pan on both sides until golden brown. In Malaysia Parathas are eaten with breakfast, but they go very well with Vegetables, Cheese, Dal dishes, Curries or Stews.
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Youtiaou Bread Sticks are deepfried, so it is basically deep fried bread, usually eaten for breakfast.
BUNS
Buns are white Chinese style bread, made from Wheat Flour. The Buns are a bit sweet, but still combine great with savory food. The dough is steamed instead of baked in the oven. That’s why the result is so white and soft. You may serve them with Chinese dishes and dips. At H&S we sell different varieties like 'Gua Bao', 'Hua Juan' and 'Mantou'.
BAPAO
Bapao is Indonesian steamed bread, with Chinese origins, made from very finely grounded white Wheat Flour and a stuffing of Meat, Fish, Vegetables, sometimes even sweet. De structure is very fluffy and it is very similar to the Chinese Bao’s (steamed buns). As a matter of fact Bapao’s were were first prepared by a Chinese minority in Indonesia. During the colonial era, this delicious dish became known in the Netherlands and Bapao has been a favorite appetizer or snack ever since. Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce or Sambal Oelek.
FISH SNACKS
Chiu Chow brand Fish Snacks are from Thailand and named after Chiu Chow, a regional Chinese cuisine inspired by Cantonese food. The most popular products are their Fish Balls. Fish Balls are usually eaten in everyday Noodle Soups or fried or grilled as a snack.
Main ingredient for all Chiu Chow Fish Snacks is minced Fish Meat. The higher the percentage of Fish, the better quality. Chiu Chow Fish Balls contain, varying per sort, about 50-70% Fish Meat. The Fish undergoes prolonged mixing (with some water, Salt, Sugar, Starch, spices among others) and kneading process until a smooth texture is attained. This technique/process changes the protein structure in the Fish, which produces a food with firm "bouncy" texture, that is needed for the Fish Balls/Fish Cakes/Fish Cubes. Added starch, flour or protein can also help to reach the desired texture.
The Fish Snacks come in different sizes (e.g. S, M, L), shapes (e.g. ball, rugby, cube, bar) and flavours (standard is most popular, but also Shrimp, Cuttlefish, Seaweed, Tofu are available). The other distinction is if the Fish snack is fried or not. The difference is in the production process. While the fried Fish Snacks are (deep)fried before freezing the other ones are cooked before freezing.
Before consuming the Fish Snacks need to be heated up, e.g. by boiling them in your Soup or Curry (especially Fish Balls) or by (deep) frying them for a couple of minutes. You may enjoy them as snack (with dipping sauce if you like) or part of your main course.
DUMPLINGS
Jiaozi are Chinese Dumplings with a thicker skin compared to Wontons. They are popular fried and accompanied by a dipping sauce (e.g. Soy-Vinegar, Chilli Sauce, Plum Sauce), but also suitable for steaming or in soup. Filling varies by type and by choice of the chef, you may think of meat (e.g. Chicken, Pork, Beef), Tofu, Shrimps, Vegetables such as Cabbage, Spring Onions, Mushrooms, Carrots etc.
Gyoza is the Japanese ‘Jiaozi’, usually with a thinner skin, also suited for frying and steaming.
H&S offers Gyoza of the Japanese brand Ajinomoto, produced in Europe.
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Mandu is the Korean ‘Jiaozi’ and are also suited for frying and steaming. Next to meat/shrimp/vegetable stuffing mandu also comes with Kimchi (famous Korean dish, fermented ans spiced cabbage) stuffing. H&S offers Mandu Dumplings from Bibigo, Korea’s biggest food brand. The products are produced in Germany, under the supervision of the Korean mother company, and are therefore available with delicious meat stuffings.
Wonton, by the way, usually refers to Soup Dumplings. They come from the Chinese cuisine and are traditionally eaten in soup.
DIM SUM
Dim Sum is generally considered Cantonese, but there are many varieties. Traditionally Dim Sum was served with Tea, and usually served in a small steamer or on a small plate. It may have its origin at the tea houses along the Silk Road, tea was served to the tired travelers, along with a small bite, Dim Sum. In modern society, Dim Sum can be served day-round, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as appetizer or snack. However, habits and traditions vary from region or per restaurant.
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There is a great variety of Dim Sum, but the most well-known might be the fried or steamed Dumplings. They come in different shapes, and sizes and are usually filled with savory fillings, you might think of meat (e.g. Chicken, Pork, Beef), Tofu, Shrimps, Vegetables (such as Cabbage, Spring Onions, Mushrooms, Carrots).
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For an overview you may check this Dutch article
ICE
There are restrictions for importing Milk and dairy products from Asia. Asian style Ice Cream on a dairy base is therefore often produced in Europe. The products from Asia are usually dairy free and can therefore be a good solution for customers with a dairy intolerance.
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Madame Wong Ice Bars come from Thailand on a Coconut Milk base with real Asian flavours – Green Beans, Pandan & Cocos, Durian, Red Bean, Black Bean etc.
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Buono’s Mochi Ice is lens-shaped ice cream on a Coconut base in a hull of glutinous Rice Dough. It comes from Thailand, with typical Asian flavours as Black Sesame, Coconut, Green Tea, Mango. However at H&S also more common flavours like Vanilla and Strawberry are available.
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