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Asian
Food Glossary
| Abalone
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A
deep sea shell fish that is popular ingredient in Chinese and Japanese
dishes. In China it is featured in Cantonese cooking. It is available
fresh, dried, or canned. In dried form it must be soaked for several
days before using. Abalone has been tremendously over-fished hence the
extremely high price. A can of six pieces can reach prices of over one hundred
dollars.
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| Abura-age |
Deep-fried
bean curd (tofu). It is used for inari-zushi.
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| Agar-Agar |
Gelatin
derived from seaweed
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| Anise |
It
is a small, annual plant that is a member of the parsley family. The
leaves and seed have a distinctive, sweet licorice flavor. The anise
seed perfumes and flavors a variety of confections, savory dishes and
drinks. Anise seed is used in Southeast Asia.
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| Aubergine |
The
North American word for aubergine is eggplant. While there are many
varieties grown in Asian, the term Chinese eggplant refers to the narrow,
purple variety that can be streaked with white (it looks somewhat like
a purple zucchini). One of the most popular Chinese Eggplant recipes
is Chinese Eggplant with garlic sauce. One of the best places to get
this dish is Chef Changs in Brookline, MA.
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| Baby
Bok Choy |
Also
called Seal Bok Choy, the name is refers to its comparatively small size.
The reason for buying the Baby Bok Choy as opposed to its big brother
is for its tenderness. A lighter green version of Baby Bok Choy, known as Shanghai Bok Choy, has
more of a bitter taste. Both are extremely popular and are grown across the
US and South America as well as in China.
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| Bamboo
Shoots |
The shoots of the bamboo plant, native to Asia, are a popular item in
Chinese cooking. There are two types of bamboo shoots,
spring and winter. Spring bamboo shoots are larger and tougher
than winter shoots. In general, canned bamboo shoots are easier to obtain
than fresh shoots. After opening the can, it is best to rinse them in hot
water. For the most part in your cooking choose the winter bamboo shoots
unless the recipe explicitly calls for spring.
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| Barbeque
Sauce |
Chinese
barbecue sauce is very different from western barbecue sauces, which
are often tomato or mustard-based. While there are variations, Chinese
barbecue sauces often contain hoisin sauce, vinegar, sesame oil or paste,
and perhaps bean sauce.
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| Bean
Curd |
Also
know as tofu. See Tofu.
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| Bento |
A boxed meal. Often one of the selections that you will find on a Japanese
restaurant menu is the Bento Box.
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| Bird's
Nest |
Bird's
Nest - Authentic bird's nest soup is made using the nests of the swiftlet,
a tiny bird found throughout southeast Asia. Instead of twigs and straw,
the swiftlet makes its nest from strands of gummy saliva, which harden
when exposed to air. Once the nests are harvested, they are cleaned
and sold to restaurants, where they are served simmered in chicken broth.
Authentic bird's nest soup is quite popular throughout Asia, perhaps
because it has the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. It is also quite
costly; many western restaurants serve a less expensive version consisting
of soup with noodles shaped to resemble a bird's nest.
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| Bitter
Melon or Foo Gwa |
This
is a very strange looking gourd, shaped something like a cucumber with
a rough, pockmarked skin. The flavor is unusual as well - like cilantro,
it's an acquired taste. Fortunately, blanching it before cooking will
help reduce its bitter taste. (You can also degorge them as you would
with eggplant). In addition, you'll often find bitter melon paired with
strong flavors such as black beans, which counteracts the bitterness.
In one well-known Chinese recipe bitter melon is stuffed with pork,
garlic and mashed black beans, and steamed.
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| Black
Fungus |
Also
known as Cloud ear, Tree Ears and Jelly Mushrooms,
it has been featured in Chinese cooking since
the sixth century A.D. Like tofu, cloud ear has no flavor on its own,
but absorbs the flavor in which it is cooked. The delicate, crinkly
fungus is also valued for its crunchy texture. Cloud ear is often added
to hot and sour soup and stir-fry dishes. Cloud ears are sold mainly
in dried form, in plastic bags. If stored in an airtight container,
they should keep for up to a year. Before using, soak the fungus in
warm water for at least fifteen minutes. It will puff up to several
times its normal size. Then, rinse the fungus and trim the stem where
it was attached to the wood of the tree (cloud ears grow on trees such
as the mango and kapok). Once the cloud ears have been cut up into an
appropriate shape and size, add them to a dish near the end of stir-frying,
so that they do not lose their crunchy texture.
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| Blanch |
Blanching
is a process whereby the food is briefly plunged in boiling water for
a moment, then immediately transferred to ice water to stop the cooking
process. It is a technique commonly used with Chinese vegetables prior
to stir-frying. The goal is to bring out the color and flavor of the
vegetable without overcooking.
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| Bok
Choy |
A type of cabbage, of which the most common variety is the distinctive
white stemmed, dark green leaf vegetable, readily available
in most supermarkets. There is also Shanghai or baby bok choy, a smaller
version of the same vegetable. Besides being used in soups and stir-fries,
you'll also find it in braised dishes. Rinse thoroughly before using.
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