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Aburage |
Japanese-style fried bean curd.
unlike the Chinese type (dow foo pok) which comes in cubes, aburage is
prepared in thin sheets, square or rectangular, and is sold frozen. It can
be kept frozen for months. |
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Agar-agar |
A setting agent obtained from
seaweed. Widely used in Asia, for it sets without refrigeration. Available
in powder form from chemists or in packets from Chinese grocers or health
food stores. It is also sold in strands. Gelatine can be substituted, but
texture will be different and the amount used varies. |
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Ajowan |
Of the same family as parsley
and cummin, the seeds look like parsley or celery seeds, but have the
flavor of thyme. It is used in Indian cooking, particularly in lentil
dishes that provide the protein in vegetarian diets, both as a flavoring
and as a carminative. It is one of the seeds used to flavor the
crisp-fried snacks made from lentil flour. |
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All
Spice |
Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of Pimenta
dioica, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. After drying, the berries
are small, dark brown balls just a little larger than peppercorns. |
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Amchur |
Dried green mango, usually
available in powder form. Used as an acid flavoring ingredient in Indian
cooking. |
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Annatto Seeds |
Also known as achuete, these small red-brown
seeds are used in Filipino cooking for their strong color. They come from
a small flowering tree native to Central and South America which was
introduced into the Philippines by Spanish traders. Annatto seeds are also
used by the Chinese to color barbecued pork. Substitute paprika and
turmeric in given amounts. |
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Anise Seed |
Anise Seed is a graybrown oval seed from
Pimpinella anisum, a plant in the parsley family. It is related to
caraway, dill, cumin, and fennel. |
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Aromatic
Ginger |
see
galangal |
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Arrowroot |
Used for thickening sauces and not for
flavoring. Should be used at the very end of cooking, since unlike other
thikerners such as cornstarch, it will break down after about 10 minutes. |
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Asafoetida |
A hard resinous gum, grayish white in color
when fresh. Will darken with age to yellow, red and eventually brown. It
is normally sold in blocks or pieces as a gum and more frequently as a
fine yellow powder. Sometimes sold in crystalline or granulated form. It
has a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur but will dissipates with
cooking. On its own, it is extremely unpleasant like concentrated rotten
garlic. However when cooked, it adds an onion-like flavor to the dish. |
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Atta |
Fine wholemeal flour used in
making Indian flat breads. Substitute fine wholemeal sold in health food
stores. Can bought from stores specializing in Asian foods. |
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