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Asian
Food Glossary
| Sake
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Sake is a clear liquid and has about 15% alcohol. It is made from rice and water. Water is very important to make good sake. Sake breweries in Japan are located near some of the best spring water in the world. After the rice is washed, soaked, steamed and cooled, fermentation starts by adding koji rice.
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| Sashimi |
Raw Fish.
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| Senbei |
Japanese Rice Cracker. Very popular as snacks across Japan and now the United States. Light, crisp and usually flavored with Nori and a host of other flavors this snack is quickly gaining popularity as the snack of choice for many people.
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| Sea Cucumber |
The sea cucumber is a gelatinous creature that is shaped like a cucumber. It has no flavor but similar to tofu it soaks up the flavor of the surrounding spices and meats. In Chinese cooking it is used in soups, stir-fries, and certain braised dishes. Dried sea cucumber looks and feels almost exactly like a piece of cement, although is not as heavy. It also must be soaked for several hours before cooking.
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| Sesame Oil |
This amber colored, aromatic oil, made from pressed and toasted sesame seeds, is a popular ingredient in Chinese cooking. Not for use as a cooking oil, the flavor is too intense and it burns quite easily. Instead, sesame oil is normally added as a flavoring agent in the final stages of cooking. We recommend the Kadoya brand from Japan.
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| Shoyu |
Soy Sauce.
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| Snow Peas |
Snow peas cooked with a bit of ginger and garlic are a frequent addition to stir-fry dishes. Their sweet flavor also goes well with seasoned (often salted) meat or poultry. Other names include edible-podded peas, and Chinese sugar peas.
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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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| Snow Pea Shoot |
The tips of the vines and the top set of leaves of the pea plant are an Oriental delicacy. They can be served raw in salads, quickly cooked in stir-fries, or blanched and used in soups.
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| Soba |
Buckwheat noodle. It is dark gray in color.
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| Somen |
Thin, white wheat noodle.
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| Soy Sauce |
Soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans, wheat flour, water and salt. The two main types of soy sauce are light and dark. As the name implies, light soy sauce is lighter in color and sweeter than dark soy sauce. In Chinese cooking, it is used more often than dark soy. Always use light soy in a recipe unless dark is specifically called for. Aged for a longer period of time, dark soy sauce is thicker and blacker in color. It is also less salty than light soy. It is used in certain recipes to add color, and as a dipping sauce. We recommend Pearl River Bridge brand soy sauce.
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| Tapioca |
Made from the starch of the cassava root, tapioca comes in several forms, including granules and flour, as well as the pellets that are called Pearl Tapioca. Tapioca starch is often used to make dumpling dough, or as a thickening agent.
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| Tempura |
Deep-fried vegetables and seafood.
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| Togarashi |
Hot Japanese chile.
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| Tofu |
Also called bean curd. Tofu is made from soy beans, in a process that is very similar to making cheese. Commonly called "meat without bones" it is extremely high in protein. Although quite bland in taste, it absorbs the flavors of the food it is cooked with and is used in a number of dishes, from soups and sauces to stir-fries. (The firmer tofus are recommended for stir-fries and grilling, while the regular tofus work well in soups and silken tofu is great for blended dishes like pudding). There is also fermented bean curd (preserved in rice wine), bean curd skins (taken from the film or skin that forms on top when the bean curd is being prepared) and pressed, seasoned bean curd - simmered in water with a number of spices.
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| Udon |
A thick white wheat noodle.
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| Umeboshi |
Pickled Japanese plums. They are extremely sour.
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Top Ten!
