Gai Lan is related to Bok Choy, but is grown more for its stalks and florets than for its leaves. It looks somewhat like Broccoli, but its leaves are broader, the stems are longer, and the floret heads are smaller. It has dull grey green waxy leaves. It also has a flavour similar to Broccoli,…
Asian Food
Himo
A sushi term meaning the “sash” or fringe around the meat of the clam, which consists of the “mantle” and a ligament.
Humphead Wrasse
Humphead wrasse is an expensive fish, with good flavour and texture. It can sell for up to £100 per pound / 450 g (2005 prices.) Several agencies now list it as a threatened fish. It is omnivorous and lives around reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Humphead wrasse can live up to 30 years…
Jicama
Jicama © Denzil Green Jicama is a root vegetable. The flesh inside is crunchy, white and a bit sweet. The tuber is shaped a bit like a turnip or a beet. It can weigh from 8 oz to 6 pounds (250g to 2.7 kg.) The tuber has a short root attached to it. There are…
Lemon Grass
Lemon Grass © Denzil Green Lemon Grass is an herb that can grow up to 5 feet high (1 ½ metres.) It is a perennial in warm climates. It may overwinter indoors if you let it go dormant, but it doesn’t always make it. It has a bulbous base and long, tough leaves. It almost…
Lychee Fruit
Lychee Fruit © Denzil Green Lychee fruit trees will not reproduce true to seed. They must be propagated by grafting. They grow slowly to a maximum height of about 40 feet (12 metres.) Evergreen, their leathery leaves start off red and turn bright green when the trees are older. The trees blossom with yellowish green…
Makrut Lime Leaves
Makrut leaves are used as you would a bay leaf. They impart both a citrus flavour and aroma. They are used a great deal in Thai green curries.
Manila Clams
Found in the Pacific North West, as well as in South-East Asia, these clams have long, flat shells. They don’t bury themselves very deeply in the sand. They are mostly farmed these days owing to the demand for them, which started in the 1970s in North America and has increased since. Cooking Tips Needs cooking….
Miso
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…
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a fine, white powder that is a type of salt. It’s not an artificial chemical; it actually occurs naturally in beets, kelp, mushrooms, tomatoes, wheat and soy beans. It used to be extracted in small quantities from seaweed. Now, it is made commercially on a large scale from wheat or from…
Mung Bean Flour
Mung Bean Flour is a finely ground, powdery white starch made from Mung Beans. When wet, it may show pink or green hues. In Asia, it is used to make Bean Thread Noodles (aka Cellophane Noodles, Glass Noodles), as well as Bean Starch Sheets. In India, used for breads and desserts. To make Mung Bean…
Mung Bean Sprouts
The large Bean Sprouts generally available in supermarket are sprouts from Mung Beans. They are whitish with a yellow tinge, crisp and nutty tasting. They are good both raw and in stir fries. These are the ones you will usually see in egg rolls and stir fries. The Chinese will also grow sprouts from soy…
Mung Beans
Mung Beans © Denzil Green The Mung Bean plant is an annual plant that grows upright, as opposed to climbing as do many other bean plants. The bean pods grow near the top of the plant. The pods are ready to harvest in 75 to 90 days after planting the seed; each pod will contain…
Nameko Mushrooms
Nameko Mushrooms © Denzil Green Nameko is the second most popular mushroom in Japan after Shiitake. In the wild, it grows on the trunks of dead beech trees. It is also cultivated. Nameko Mushrooms have round caps that will be from ¾ of an inch to 2 inches wide (2 to 5 cm.) Their colour…
Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster Mushrooms © Denzil Green Oyster Mushrooms grow in Europe and North America in the autumn high up on branches on dead trees. They are also cultivated on tree logs, sawdust or straw compost, though cultivated ones will lack the faint liquoricey smell that wild ones can have. There are actually many different varieties of…
Qurut
Qurut is a central Asian form of dried cheese. It is reconstituted before use.
Red Ark Shell Clams
Red Ark Shell Clams are a specialty in Japanese cooking, prized as a sushi or sashimi ingredient. They are called “Akagai” in Japanese. Though there are many types of Ark (or “peponita”) clams found throughout the world (at least 200), Akagai in Japanese refers to the type which has not only a red-coloured shell, but…
Rice Flours
Rice Flour © Denzil Green Rice flour is a flour made from pulverized brown or white rice. White or brown rice flour give pretty much the same results. Rice flour ground in Asia tends to be finer, though, and less gritty than rice flour milled in North America. When used in baking, the product will…
Rice Starch
Rice Starch is starch extracted from Rice Flour. Of all the starches available to the cook, Rice Starch has the smallest granules. Even though as a thickener Rice Starch is inferior to cornstarch, the food industry is using it more as fewer people are allergic to it. Not the same as Rice Flour. Substitutes Another…
Sesame Salt
To make Sesame Salt, 1 part fine salt is added to 4 parts ground sesame seeds. It looks and feels a bit like crumbs, and has a nutty, savoury taste. It is used in Korean cooking. Outside of Korean cooking, you can use it as a seasoning, or to coat meat or vegetables in. Cooking…
Shanghai Bok Choy
Shanghai Bok Choy is often confused with Baby Bok Choy. It looks similar to Baby Bok Choy in size and leave colour, though the leaves are a bit lighter and the stalks are a pale green. It is just a little less sweet than Baby Bok Choy. It is often harvested young; if let grow,…
Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms © Denzil GreenShiitake Mushrooms are one of the two most popular mushrooms in the world, the other being Agaricus Mushrooms (white button mushrooms.) Physical description The stalk of a shiitake mushroom can be 4 to 5 inches tall (10 to 12 cm.) The cap can be 2 to 4 inches wide (5 to…
Shimeji Mushrooms
Shimeji is a generic name for about 20 species of mushrooms. In Japan, where Shimeji Mushrooms are very popular, “Hon-shimeji” is regarded as the true one. In the wild, Shimeji Mushrooms grow in clusters high up in trees, often on Beech trees. They have thick stalks about 2 to 3 inches tall (5 to 7.5cm.)…
Soy Flour
Soy Flour © Denzil Green Soy Flour is made from dried, ground soy beans. It is very high in protein. It’s more of a complementary flour to add nutrition. It’s often used a few tablespoons at a time to boost protein in a loaf of bread. It also makes the crust on a loaf of…