Adjika is a condiment from the western part of the country of Georgia. It is a thick, hot red paste used in cooking. It’s added to soups, borschts and sauces, stirred into cooked beans, and used as a barbeque sauce on meats. It’s made from tomatoes, hot red peppers, salt, oil and garlic. Flavouring includes…
Bloater Paste is a fish spread made from salted, smoked herrings called “bloaters”, which are smoked whole with the insides still in them. A bloater has a more gamey flavour than cleaned herrings. It is sold in small jars. Once opened, refrigerate and use within 3 days. Bloater Paste is usually spread on toast, though…
Cenovis is a dark brown commercial seasoning mix with a strong smell and a salty taste. Like Marmite or Vegemite, it is a yeast extract, made from brewer’s yeast, “plant extracts”, and sea salt. It has a slightly clearer, and slightly smoother taste than Marmite, but as for Marmite or Vegemite, people either love it…
Charoset is a sweet, dark-coloured fruit paste in Jewish cuisine. There are many different recipes for it. Some versions are finely-minced; some are puréed; some are boiled down to a thick syrup and then have ingredients such as nuts added. Ashkenazi – apples, honey (or sugar), cinnamon, kosher wine, nuts (such as walnuts.) Not puréed,…
The version of hummos that we are most familiar with is made from cooked, ground chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini (sesame seeds ground into a paste.) The ingredients are made into a thick, pasty purée that can be used as a dip for pita bread and fresh vegetables or as a spread for sandwiches….
Miso Paste is a savoury, fermented bean paste made in Japan. It can be used as a condiment, or an ingredient in cooking. It is made from a starter culture which will include steamed rice or barley, and then mixed with cooked beans (typically soybeans) and salt. The beans ferment, and the taste produced is…
A paste is cooking is a very finely pulverized or ground moist food preparation. It can be made from a single item, such as fruit, some meat pastes and some nut purées are. Or, it can be a mixture of ingredients, such as a curry paste. Marzipan and tahini are pastes. Meat pastes are also…
Pipián Paste is a rich, thick, reddish-brown mole sauce made in Mexico used for pork, poultry, seafood and vegetables. It is made from dried chile peppers such as pasilla and ancho (or mulato), cloves, garlic, oil, toasted pumpkin seeds, roasted peanuts (some recipes just call for peanut butter now), toasted sesame seeds, A green variety,…
Red Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans, salt and either rice or barley. It may also have seasonings added such as pepper, ginger, etc. It has a richer, saltier taste than “White Miso” as it is allowed to ferment longer than white — typically, about three weeks longer. Generally, people agree that red…
This is a bean paste made from red adzuki beans that are boiled, drained, then puréed. It’s called “sweet”, not because sugar has been stirred in, but unlike some other bean pastes such as Miso, it’s not fermented to make it sour. The “sweet” here means not tangy. That being said, some versions actually do…
Tauco are salted soy beans, either yellow or black, fermented and made into a paste. In the first stage of fermentation, the bean skins get covered with a mould. In Indonesia, the beans are sold tinned whole, not made into a paste yet. In Indonesia, the paste is mostly made from yellow soy beans, and…
Umeboshi Paste is a Japanese red paste made from puréed Umeboshi (pickled apricots.) It can be bought in tubes or bottles. To make your own, just mash Umeboshi. Cooking Tips When using Umeboshi Paste, bear in mind that it is very salty so hold back on other salt. Language Notes Often called in English “Umeboshi…
Wasabi is a small perennial green plant that grows in the wild along streams. It is a member of the watercress family. It will grow about 18 inches (45 cm) tall. It is harvested for its root, which is green inside, after at least two years of growth. It is also cultivated, usually in water….
Wasabi Powder is, in theory, a hot-tasting powder made from the dried, ground roots of Wasabi plants. In practice, however, the pure powders made from actual Wasabi roots are quite expensive, so almost all brands are “fake” Wasabi Powder, actually containing powdered horseradish rather than real wasabi roots, with pale green colouring to imitate the…
White Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans, salt and either rice or barley. It also comes with other seasonings added such as pepper, ginger, etc. It is not actually white; it is more yellow or beige, and smooth and creamy. It has a mild, savoury taste. It is perhaps the easiest miso for…
