Lemongrass
Extremely fragrant, we put lemongrass in curries, poached and braised, fish, pork and chicken. It is also pounded and combined with other spices. It is also used for medicinal…
Browsing Author mk
Tamarind
Tamarind used in cooking comes from the flesh of the tamarind pod, shown above. Unlike fresh tamarind, which can be quite sweet–the one above wasn’t–the ingredient tamarind or assam…
Curry leaves
Such a strange name for this leaf. The leaves don’t taste like curry, and the tree doesn’t produce curry. It’s neither spicy, nor fragrant. I rubbed the leaves and had…
Sesame oil
There’s regular sesame oil, and there is black sesame oil. Can you tell the difference if the bottles don’t give you the hint? Two friends and I taste tested…
Chinese cooking wine
Chinese cooking wines are inexpensive versions of drinking wines and are used liberally in braising, for sauces, or just to splash into a stir fry in place of water to…
Chinese Black Vinegar
The favored vinegar for Chinese cooking is black vinegar which is from Chinkiang, a city in Jiangsu province. It has a rich, smoky flavor which can be substituted by a…
Sugar
In Chinese and many Southeast Asian sweet snacks and desserts, we prefer to use rock sugar or palm sugar instead of regular granulated white or brown sugar. Ping Tong, or…