|
Definition of Cooking Ingredients
By Pig on a Spit - Apr 30, 2008 |
 
|
A definition or glossary of ingredients you may not have heard of that are used in some of our pork recipes.
Appam or hoppers - A type of food in Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner.
Basmati Rice - A variety of long grain rice famous for its fragrance and delicate flavor. Its name means "the fragrant one" in Hindi, but it can also mean the "soft rice".
Bok choy or Chinese cabbage - A leaf vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine and is related to the Western cabbage.
Cardamom or cardamon - A herb within the ginger family, they take the form of a small seedpod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds.
Chapati or Roti - A traditional Indian bread, normally eaten with curries or cooked vegetables. It is a medium sized, rather thin, unleavened cooked dough product, like a bread.
Chipotles - Dried and smoked jalapeño peppers which are a very popular ingredient of Mexican hot sauces. Mexican style sauces are also produced internationally e.g. Huffman's Hot Sauce & Kaitaia fire from New Zealand.
Cilantro - The leaf of the young coriander plant, a herb related to the parsley family, similar to anise. Before it is used Cilantro should be crushed either by hand or with a mortar and pestle. Cilantro is a perfect addition to many Indian, Mexican, Caribbean and Asian style dishes.
Dim sum - The name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea.
Eggplant - Used as a vegetable in cooking, it is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to India and Sri Lanka.
Garam masala - Blend of ground spices common in Indian, Bangali and Pakistani cuisine, whose literal meaning is hotspice. Traditional Garam masala use cinnamon, roasted cumin, caraway seeds, cloves, nutmeg and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Commercial Garam masala may contain dried red chili peppers, dried garlic, ginger powder, sesame, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, bay leaves, star anise and fennel. Garam masala is used in cooking, but unlike many spices, it is often added at the end of cooking, so that the full aroma is not lost.
Hummus - is a dip or spread usually made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
Jar Choy - A type of pickled mustard stem originating from Sichuan, China.
Lebkuchen - A traditional German product resembling soft gingerbread. Lebkuchen is also known as honey cake or pepper cake. A variety of Nürnberg Lebkuchen using no flour is called Elisenlebkuchen.
Lentils - The lentil is a bushy annual plant of the legume family. Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and minerals.
Liquid smoke - A concentrated seasoning that is used to duplicate flavors of smokehouse wood. Liquid smoke is made through the burning of wood chips, or sawdust which forms a smoke cloud that is extracted forming a base smoke solution. This base is modified to develop a wide range of smoke flavors. Because liquid smoke is very concentrated, most recipes only call for a few drops to taste.
Lotus - Nelumbo nucifera is known by a number of common names, including blue lotus, Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily.
Molasses or treacle - A thick syrup by-product created from the processing of the sugarcane or sugar beet into sugar. Blackstrap molasses provides the bitter-sweet flavor to baked beans and gingerbread.
Mole - Mexican Spanish from Nahuatl mulli or molli, "sauce" is the generic name for several sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as dishes based on these sauces. In English, it often refers to a sauce which is known in Spanish by the more specific name mole poblano.
Mole poblano - A popular sauce in Mexican cuisine prepared with dried chile peppers, ground nuts and/or seeds, spices, Mexican chocolate, salt, and other ingredients including charred avocado leaves, onions, garlic. Ground oregano is also used. To provide a rich thickness to the sauce, bread crumbs or crackers are added to the mix.
Okra - A very common thickening agent for a lot of African soups and vegetable dishes.
Pinto beans - These are named for their mottled skin (compare pinto horse), hence it is a type of mottled bean.
Raita or pachadi - An Asian and Indian condiment based on yogurt and mainly used as a type of sauce or dip. The yogurt is seasoned with coriander, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and other herbs and spices. The mixture is served chilled. Raita has a cooling effect on the palate which makes it a good foil for hot and spicy Indian dishes including vindaloo curries.
Rice noodles - Noodles that are made from rice. Their principal ingredients are rice flour and water.
Rosemary - (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody perennial herb native to the Mediterranean region with a strong fragrance.
Roux - A mixture of wheat flour and fat. Butter, vegetable oils, or lard are common fats used. It is used as a base for gravy, other sauces, soufflés, soups and stews.
Salsa - In Spanish or Italian, salsa can refer to any type of sauce, however in American English it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato or corn based hot sauces typical of Mexican cuisine, like those used as dips. In British English Salsa typically refers to Salsa Cruda which is common in Spanish or Italian cuisine.
Scallion - Commonly known as spring onion or green onion. They tend to be milder tasting than other onions and are typically steamed and set in salads in western cookery and used in many Asian recipes.
Spice rubs - A mixture of ground spices that is made for the purpose of being rubbed on raw food including meat before the food is cooked.
String Beans - Green beans or French beans are the unripe fruits of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and the common bean whose pods are usually called string beans in the northeastern United States.
Tamarind - A tropical tree, native to tropical Africa, including parts of the Madagascar forests. The fruit pulp is edible and used as a spice in both Asian and Latin American cuisines, and is also an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, HP sauce and the Jamaican-produced Pickapeppa sauce.
Tarragon or dragon's-wort - A perennial herb often used in cooking. It is native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from easternmost Europe across central and eastern Asia to western North America, and south to northern India and Mexico.
Watercress - Fast growing, aquatic perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. Watercress contains large amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C. Many benefits from eating watercress are claimed, such as that it acts as a mild stimulant, a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants, a diuretic, an expectorant, and a digestive aid.
Wood ears - A relative of the cloud ear fungus. It is an edible mushroom that grows on the trunks of beech, elder, and walnut trees and related to cloud fungus.
Wine lees paste - A thick fermented wine paste. Light miso (Japanese soybean paste) can be used as a substitute.
This page is from our Pig and Pork Definitions category.
 Read comments on "Definition of Cooking Ingredients" or add your comment below.
© www.pigonaspit.com all rights reserved | | 
