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It is the hand picked and dried stigmas of a flower. In Southeast Asia, it's only used by the Indians for its intense fragrance though it is also used by the Chinese as a medicine. It also gives food a yellowish color but being the most expensive spice in the world it is rarely used just for that purpose. (For colouring purpose, usually turmeric is used.) Usually, a tiny quantity is soaked in water and the resulting orangy yellow liquid is added to food.
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Contained in processed intestine, they usually contain pork or liver, rice wine, sugar and various spices. Pork sausages are brighter red in color while those of liver are dark maroon. Contains a fair amount of fat depending on the manufacturer . Often steamed on a plate over cooked rice producing a wonderful fragrant and oil which is used to flavour rice. Those with not too much fat (the visible white patches) are usually preferred. They can be stored for a long time. Slice at an angle. Avoid overcooking or the fat will be lost along with its wonderful flavour.
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A herb found mostly in Indonesian curries, fresh leaves are rarely available outside Southeast Asia. These leaves does not carry a distinct taste, both fresh and dried, and could easily be left out. (It might be used for other reasons, perhaps medicinal. if you knew, please let me know)
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Most popular in Vietnam where it is often eaten raw. It tastes like coriander but with a strong and distinct 'medicinal' feel.
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Used mostly in desserts either used whole or made into a paste. Roast before use.
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Used desserts, snacks, salads and occasionally other dishes. Crushed to release more flavour before use. Rinse in water and dry fry till light brown and fragrant best just before use.
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Those used in Southeast Asia are maroonish in color and small ideal for deep frying. Replacable by small onions, those with a stronger flavour are preferable.
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Somewhat like spring onion. Pickled shallots are sourish sweet and are oftened added to salads and sometimes in soups.
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Avoid overly red ones as they are dyed. Good dried shrimps has a present smell and does not contain shells.
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Seasonal seafood, fresh shrimp fry are used for a variety of dishes. Only frozen ones are available outside Southeast Asia and is a great for making sauces and stocks.
Photo below: Cincalok, a speciality of Malacca. This pinkish shrimp fry is preserved with salt and rice and is used in making sauces and salads.
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One of the special ingredients that give Southeast Asian cuisine its very special flavour. It is strong smelling, a little wet and saltish. Watch the amount of salt used in recipes that also requires blacan. Toast over fire on both sides to release its special aroma before use. Powdered ready to use type is also available. Keep well without refrigeration for months. The lighter pinkish type is not used for making sambal blacan.
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Speciality of Penang and Malacca, a major ingredient in rojak sauce and Penang laksa. Its use is limited to a couple of very special dishes, the famous Singapore Rojak being one. Often come sweethened and usualy comes in a plastic container. Like blacan, it is very strong smelling but the taste is simply marvellous!
photo: sweet shrimp paste usually comes in a plastic container.
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The young of a several species of fish. It is somewhat salty and often used in omelette or deep fried as a side dish.
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An important sauce of protein in Asia where it is made into many products such as beancurd, beancurd stick and fermented soyabean cake(tempeh). It is also processed into seasonings such as salted soyabean paste, made into a wrap (oiled beancurd sheet) for deep fried food, made into drinks(soyabean milk) and sprouted and used as a vegetable. ( soyabean sprouts).
more about soya bean curd
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The are basically three types of soya sauce. The most common light soya sauce is saltish; dark soya sauce is fuller in taste and gives food a rich brown color often used in stew; sweet soya is very sweet, very thick and dark.
more about soya sauce
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One of the most popular garnishes often couple with coriander. Combination with ginger is also popular in Chinese stir fry dishes.
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Large dried squid is soaked in baking soda(?) usually overnight to re-hydrate, boiled and used for various dishes such as Yew He Eng Chai (Squid Kang Kong) and Indian rojak. It is also cut into pieces without soaking and used for various dishes like Hokkien squid rice porridge. Small dried squid, cuttlefish and octopus are great for flavouring soups and stocks.
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A pungent spice, it is the seeds that contains the fragrant oil. It is usually used whole. Take care not to use too much as it could give an undesirable bitter flavour. Native to China, it's a major ingredient in five spice powder.
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It has a fresh, somewhat sourish sweet flavour. The unripe fruit is very sourish and used to add sour taste to various dishes. Eaten as a fruit or in salads, it is effective against sore throat when made into juce and salt added. Usually cut lengthwise, it does not need to be peeled but the harder ridge and the core should be removed. Those greenish yellow ones have a fresh slight sourish sweet flavour and are much preferred. Those rippen orangy yellow ones are less sour but miss the tangy flavour desired of this fruit.
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Of tropica American origin, it is available in various colors and turn to yellow, orange or purple when cooked. Sometimes they're called yam in the US, but yam is used to refer to cocoyam in Singapore, or taro as it's sometimes called. Young, fat and heavy ones without shoots and roots are the better ones. It is used mainly in desserts and snacks and often added to rice and rice porridge. It was eaten as a staple or mixed with rice when rice was scarce in many parts of East Asia. Peel before use, peeled sweet potatoes might turn a little brownish. Cook in about 10 minutes. Sliced sweet potatoes are often coated with a dough, deep fried and eaten as a snack. Mashed sweet potatoes are used for thickening in certain dishes such as mee rebus. Also popular in japan where it is used often in snacks.
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The texture is different from fresh potatoes, somewhat fuller in taste, much sweeter and more chewy. Dried sweet potatoes are available whole, sliced and shredded. Color usually range from whitish to dark brownish orange. They are most commonly used in desserts but could be used in savoury dishes adding a sweet touch much like fruits. Finely shredded dried sweet potatoes are added to plain rice porride much like fresh sweet potatoes. Soak before use or need longer cooking time.
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The leaves of the sweet potatoes are used as a cheap but tasty vegetable. The flour is used for many snacks and desserts in Hokkien(South Eastern China, Fujian Province) cuisine. A much preferred thickening agent much like tapioca flour but has a much nicer flavour. It is not sweet.
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It is not pepper but a kind of a dried berry. It has a strong sharp, minty flavour that leaves a fresh aftertaste, not quite like peppercorn which is hot. This numbing effect is the signature of szechuan dishes. The flavour comes mainly from the husk, the black seed has a very subtle minty flavour and is hard and has a gritty texture when ground. Often used crushed and roasted.
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It is salted and coated in chillie powder. Sliced fine and use as it is in small amount or when larger amount is required, slice and soak before use.
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