Asian Food Pix by MakanTime.com - Asian 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

	Bamboo Shoot ............................................................ Fresh bamboo shoots are seldom available outside Asia, it is a popular vegetable especially with the Chinese. Fresh shoots is delicious but most needs to be boiled to rid it of toxic substance. Many different varieties, bitter bamboo shoot is loved for its bitterness. Photo bottom left : Winter Bamboo Shoot
	Banana and plantain ............................................................ Native to Southeast Asia but an important crop throughout the tropics, edible bananas come in various sizes from finger length to over 50cm and they are largely hybrids of Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Edible bananas are usually categorised into two groups: the sweet type or dessert bananas and a non-sweet type commonly referred to as cooking bananas or plantain. Cooking bananas are dry, starchy and may be acidic. They are mostly used unripe (green or yellow) as a starchy staple like a potato, or messed up when ripe (near black) in both sweet and savoury dishes . Dessert bananas are sweet and may be eaten fresh or cooked.
	Banana Bud ............................................................ When female flowers nearer the stem have turned into bananas, the bud containing male flowers at the end of the flower stalk is chopped off and used as a vegetable. Sometimes called banana heart, only the buds of certain variety of banana plants are tasty. Peel off the outer layers and use only the tender parts.
	Banana Leaf ............................................................ Banana leaf used as a wrapper imparts a special flavour to the food cooked in it. Food wrapped and grilled in Banana leaf is called pepesan in Indonesia. Soak leaf in hot water or over flame to soften. Sunning it could also help to release its flavour and render it less likely to break.
	Banana Stem ............................................................ Banana plant, classified botanically as a giant herb, has a succulent stem which comprises a core and layers of overlapping leaf stalks. Usually only the tender core is used, but some recipes may call for the somewhat fibrous inner layers to be included.
	Barley, pearled ............................................................ Barley with hull and bran removed. Used mainly in desserts and drinks. Often confused with Chinese pearl barley and should not be used as a replacement in therapeutic soup recipes. Pot barley, or barley with just the hull removed, are rarely used in Southeast Asian kitchen.
	Barley, Chinese pearl ............................................................ Used mainly in Traditional Chinese Medicine and in herbal soups and drinks. Also and known as yiyiren, coix's seed, job's tear, golden euryale seed.
	Basil ............................................................ Has a special distinct fragrant different from that of the Western basil. It's marked by the purplish stems. Popular in Thailand(bai horapa) and often eatern raw in Vietnamese(rau hung) cuisine. Known as Daun Selaseh in Malaysian and Daun Kemangi in Indonesia. Keep for days when planted in a cup of water and wrap with plastic with wholes to prevent drying up.
	Basil, European ............................................................ Just for comparison sake, here is a sample of European Basil.
	Bean Curd ............................................................ Bean curd is made by adding a coagulating agent (such as gypsum powder) to soya bean milk. Water is pressed out to obtain bean curd of various firmness. more about beancurd
	Bean Noodle ............................................................ Made of green beans, it usually comes in stiff bundles of various sizes. Buy a bundle of the required amount as it is messy to take out the desired amount. Also known as glass noodle, it becomes translucent when cooked, or pop and turn white when fried in oil.
	Bean Paste, fermented ............................................................ Fermented/salted bean paste comes in various consistency, the bean may be whole of finely ground . Saltiness various from brand to brand so it is wise to test it out before applying. Many varieties contains chillies and other spices and seasonings. It is similar to Japanese Hatcho miso and Korean bean paste Toenjang.
	Bitter Gourd ............................................................ The bigger variety is preferred by the Chinese and the smaller by the Indians. Less crinkly and plump looking ones tend to be less bitter. It turns yellow and the seeds turn red when ripe but it is usually used green.
	Black Chicken ............................................................ This small chicken is in fact covered in white feather. It is used mainly for Chinese tonic soups which call for the use of various medicinal herbs.
	Black Cumin ............................................................ Black cumin is not quite the same as cumin and not to be used interchangeably. It is thinner and darker than cumin and is often used whole sprinkled over various dishes. Known as Kala jeera in Hindi.
	Blackeyed Beans ............................................................ Used mainly in the Chinese and Indian kitchens in Southeast Asia, this bean is easy to identify.
	Blimbing Asam (Camias) ............................................................ Blimbing Asam, meaning sour blimbing, is a close relative of the star fruit (blimbing manis, sweet blimbing). It adds a sour taste to a number of Indo-Malay dishes. Salt and squeeze out the juice to reduce its acidity if required. Known in Thai as ta ling pling and in Tagalog as Kamias. Dried and salted form is sometimes used.
	Bottle gourd ............................................................ Immature fruit is eated as a vegetable, the mature gourd when dry and treated forms a water container, thus its name. One variety has a narrow waist forming a figure much like the number 8.
	Breadfruit ............................................................ Breadfruit is an important crop of the Pacific islands where it is an important source of carbohydrate. Some varieties are seedless while others are seeded. In Malaysia and Singapore, the seedless variety with a smooth skin known usually by its Malay name buah sukun is often fried in a batter and eaten as a snack. The seeded variety with spiky skin is known as buah kelor.
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