Ingredient Guide

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	Lady's Fingers (See Okra) ...........................................................................
	Laksa Leaves (rau ram/Vietnames mint/daun kesom/water pepper ) ........................................................................... A herb that grows wild in wet places. It has a strong fragrant and being used for a special curry noodle dish in Singapore called Laksa. It goes well in dishes with sweet and sour sauces made of Asam and chillies.
	Laos (Lengkuas/Galangal/kha) ........................................................................... Of Southeast Asian origin, it has a pungent taste and should be used sparingly. Often used coupled with lemon grass in spice paste, soups and curries. If root is old and fibrous, do not add it to ground spice mix but just crush and add during the cooking process. Store well in the freezer.
	Lemon Grass (Serai) ........................................................................... A grass with a bulbous base that has a nice fragrant. Only the tender base is used, sometimes made into a paste with other spices, sometimes bruised and used whole in soup and curries. Used only the tender part for spice paste, if the grass is old and fibrous, do not use in spice mix but instead, just crush and add while cooking. In some cases maybe replaced with lemon zest. Store well in the freezer.
	Lemon, pickled (see also plum sauce) ........................................................................... Come soaked in liquid. It is used to rid various meat of unpleasant strong smell and to add a distinct tangy flavour such as in a duck soup.
	Lemon Sauce (see also plum sauce) ........................................................................... A sweet and tangy dip sauce good with deep fried, grilled and roasted food.
	Lentils ........................................................................... Lentils or dhals are very popular in the Indian Kitchen and especially important in vegetarian food from curries to snacks. Urid dhal has a dark skin and is creamy inside; red dhal is red in color; chana dhal is smilar to toor dhal (just somewhat bigger and rounder?) and are interchangeable; brown dhal is flat and yellow inside. Moong dhal has a green skin and is yellow inside(see green beans). Photo: whole brown lentils and toor dhal
	Lesser Galangal (kencur) ........................................................................... Member of the ginger family, taste is a cross between ginger and galangal. It is pungent and only a small amount is needed. It has brown skin and creamy white flesh with a touch of purple.
	Lily buds (Golden needles) ........................................................................... Dried buds with a somewhat sourish taste and a special fragrant, it is used mainly in Chinese dishes. To use, soak and remove hard end and tie into a knot. Freshly dried buds are light yellowish brown in color and they turn darker brown with age.
	Lime (see also Kaffir Lime) ........................................................................... A small round lime that turns yellow when ripe, it's usually used green and often squeezed fresh onto sambals and various dishes, it has a very sharp sour flavour. Sometimes used halved as the peels add a bitterish tangy flavour. Replacable with lime or other sour citrous fruits.
	Liquorice ........................................................................... Has a somewhat minty flavour, only a few slices is enough to give a lingering flavour. Use mainly in herbal soups by the Chinese, it's widely used in Chinese herbal medicine.
	Lotus leaf ........................................................................... Used by the Chinese as food wrap, it imparts a nice flavour to food. Soak dried leaves in hot water and rinse before use.
	Lotus Seeds ........................................................................... Usually available dried, occasionally with brown skin. Used mainly in sweet dishes either whole or make into a paste, remove skin and the green shoot as it tends to be bitterish.
	Luo Han Guo (Lor Hon Kor in Cantonese) ........................................................................... A dried fruit the size of a tennis ball. It is somewhat sweet and used often in Cantonese soups. It is very light in weight and break easily.
	Lychee ........................................................................... A treasured seasonal fruit native of Fujian, China, it has a thin hard shells that is easy to press open, a single black stone and its taste is sweet with a hint of sourness. It's sized like a strawberry.
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