Ingredients

Photo by Paul Originally from China, 5 spice is a blend of Szechwan pepper, Star anise, Fennel, Cloves and Cinnamon in equal amounts. Most frequently used as a barbeque seasoning or a marinade for meat, Chinese five spice creates a well-known and authentic flavor all of its own. It can also be used as a […]

Photo by tokyofoodcast Miso is a thick paste made by combining soybeans and barley or wheat or rice (or a mixture of these grains) with a yeast mold (koji) that has been cultivated from a soybean, barley or rice base. The mixture is then aged from three months to three years. Consider the potential number […]

Palm Sugar Photo by stu_spivack  Palm sugar is often used in Indian cooking as well as Thai cooking. The dark-brown colored and crumbly sugar is also called gur or jaggery, is made from the sap of the sugar palm, or it can also be made from the palmyra palm. The tree trunk tree is tapped to drain the […]

Photo by Ruth and Dave  In Laos and Indonesia, Galangal is called “Blue Ginger”, in Thailand it is called “ka” or “kha” in , and Malaysia it is known as “lengkaus“. This root is a member of the ginger family and looks like ginger, but ginger may not be substituted for it. Both Persian and Southeast Asian […]

Photo by tacowitte  Tamarind, the sweet and sour fruit of the tamarind tree, is native to Asia and northern Africa and is also grown in the Caribbean. Like lemon, tamarind brings an acidic zing to food. Tamarind, along with a host of other flavors, gives Worcestershire sauce its je ne sais quoi. Sometimes, tamarind seeds are […]

Photo by ewige  No, believe it or not, coconut milk — an indispensable ingredient in most Southeast Asian cooking — is not the liquid inside a coconut. It is made by soaking the grated flesh of a coconut in hot water or scalded milk, then straining the combination. Coconut milk is classified as thick, thin, or […]

Photo by Jun Seita What is a Noodle? Just what is a “real” noodle? A noodle is often defined as the result of flour mixed with eggs. But, there are many noodle-esque noodles made without one or both of those ingredients — like noodles made from agar-agar (dried seaweed) or from strips of bean curd; […]

Introduction to Oysters There was a time when oysters flourished, when they were enjoyed in staggering quantities by rich and poor alike, but these days, the oyster is a luxury. It must be kept safe from pollution, parasites, and marine predators in order to preserve it for human consumption — the pinnacle of which is […]

The Greek legend goes like this: a gorgeous mortal named Crocos fell hard for the nymph Smilax. Smilax rebuffed Crocos’ overtures and – poof! – Crocos became a lovely purple flower, Crocus sativus. Saffron is the dried stigmas of these flowers. Prized from Italy to China for its pungent flavor and rich color, the painstaking process […]

Photo by khawkins04 Seaweed at Work Leaving no resource untapped, many put seaweed to work in food in all sorts of ways. Here are a few types of and uses for the weeds from the sea. In General Wakame is a brownish-green, frizzled-looking seaweed with a delicate saline flavor which is used throughout Asia. It […]