Panko is a type of breadcrumb that is most often used for frying in Japanese cooking. It's made from traditional Japanese wheat bread that has been dried and shredded into flakes. The process produces breadcrumbs that are larger and flakier than ordinary breadcrumbs.
We like panko because it doesn't get soggy or fall off when baked or fried. Plus, it maintains a bit of a crunch when regular breadcrumbs tend to turn soggy.
Many large grocers carry panko in the international food section, and you're sure to find panko at an Asian market. In a pinch, you can substitute crushed saltines (or some other light cracker) for panko.
Recipe: Butternut Squash Tempura With Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce (Cookthink)
Recipe: Oven-Fried Chicken (Cookthink)
Reference: What is an oil's smoke point? (Cookthink)
Tofu is a block of pressed soybean curd. Like many things, tofu originated in China and figures in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, as well as being coveted by vegetarians of all nationalities for its high protein (and nonexistent cholesterol).
Neutral-tasting tofu tends to take on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with, kind of like chicken. It comes in many guises, including soft and firm, dried and processed.
A versatile ingredient, tofu can be eaten raw, cubed and marinated and added to salads or stir-fried dishes at the last minute (it holds its shape but must be treated with some delicacy). Or it can be cut into slices and fried until crispy. Tofu can also be mashed up and used to make non-dairy desserts, like "cheese"-cake.
Cilantro is the parsley of the East, where it's known as "coriander leaves" or "dhani". (In Mexico, where it's also very popular, it's sometimes called "Mexican parsley".)
If you like cilantro (and some people don't at all), the herb is an easy way to add a beautifully fresh, sweet, fruity flavor to any dish.
To prep it, first rinse and shake dry the leaves. Hold the bouquet at an angle with the leaves against the cutting board. Run your knife down the side of the bouquet to slice away the leaves. It's fine to remove some of the tender stems along with the leaves. (In fact, for salsas, spice pastes, curries and some longer-cooking dishes, the stems add essential, concentrated cilantro flavor.)
Now just run your knife back and forth across the pile of leaves, chopping them as coarsely or as finely as you need to. The closer to the end of the cooking you plan to add the cilantro, the finer you'll want to chop it. But since cilantro is so tender it's usually okay to keep the the chop coarse.
Now that you know how to prep it, try some cilantro recipes at Cookthink.com.
Lemongrass is a Southeast Asian grass that has a lemony aroma and flavor thanks to its high content of essential citral oil.
Commonly used in Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Thai cooking, the tough, fibrous grass can be bought fresh, frozen (usually minced), or dried and ground into a powder. It can either be finely chopped and integrated into soups and other preparations, or chopped into sticks and bruised and used to flavor dishes while they cook, then removed before serving.
It also makes a nice herb tea -- just add hot water, steep, and serve.
Recipe: Southeast Asian Chicken And Cabbage Soup (Cookthink)
Recipe: Rasa Malaysia's Malaysian Chicken Satay (Cookthink)
Reference: How to prep lemongrass (Cookthink)
Southeast Asian shrimp paste is made from salted, fermented, sun-dried, ground shrimp.
Used in small amounts in East and Southeast Asian sauces, soups, curries and rice dishes, shrimp paste has a strong taste of the sea. Its pungent odor mellows with cooking. It's sold jarred or in a solid cake that is brownish in color.
Reference: What does it mean to devein a shrimp? (Cookthink)
Reference: What is fish sauce? (Cookthink)
Soy sauce is a salty liquid made from fermented soy beans, roasted wheat, water and salt. Packed with umami, soy sauce is used as a condiment and seasoning in Asian cuisines.
Soy sauce comes in many subtle variations, but is generally broken down into dark and light varieties. Light soy sauce is generally saltier and thinner than dark soy and does not stain food while cooking. Chinese black soy has added molasses that colors dishes as it cooks. The whole soy beans used to make quality soy sauce lend it a dark color, but cheaper brands using soy protein may cheat by adding caramel coloring.
The Japanese use soy sauce as a dipping sauce for sashimi or to season tofu, grilled meat and vegetable dishes. The Chinese use soy sauce mainly for marinades. In Indonesia, it is used mostly as a table condiment (called kecap, which comes in sweet and salty variations).
Be warned: though Japanese tamari (a slightly thicker and complex soy sauce made from more soybeans than most) is generally wheat-free, other commercial brands of soy sauce do contain gluten, so if you are trying to cook gluten-free, check the labels carefully.
The word curry was invented by British colonialists in the 18th century. Most likely a bastardization of the Indian word kari (meaning sauce), it refers to a number of saucy dishes flavored with curry powder or curry paste.
The idea of curry began in India. By the beginning of the 18th century, the Dutch and the British were selling standardized curry powders. At the Universal Paris Exhibition of 1889, a curry decree set the composition of curry as having prescribed amounts of tamarind, onion, coriander, chilli pepper, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, pepper, and mustard.
Today, curry powder may also include cloves, cardamon, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, caraway, ajowan seeds, dried basil, mustard seeds, mace, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, saffron or cinnamon. The mix depends on the cook, as curry recipes can be found in the cuisines of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Caribbean.
While there is no rigid definition of "a curry," many restaurants use it as a generic term for sauce-based dishes that can vary in spice content and heat, and can contain meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, coconut milk, onions, fresh ginger, kaffir lime leaves and other ingredients.
Curry powder's flavors fade quickly, and Indian curry powder is ideally made to order depending on the dish. Madras curry powder is named after the southern Indian region from which it comes. Careful if you're not used to it, as it tends to pack a lot more heat.
Recipe: Curried Brussels Sprouts And Sweet Potatoes (cookthink)
Recipe: Red Curry Chicken Breasts (cookthink)
Tamari is a kind of dark, rich soy sauce produced mainly in the Chūbu region of Japan. Tamari is considered the closest thing to the original soy sauce, which was a watered-down extension of fermented miso paste. Tamari is generally thicker than soy sauce and has a slightly richer, more balanced flavor.
Generally wheat-free, tamari is a favorite of people on a gluten-free diet.
Recipe: Crispy Sweet And Sour Tofu (VeganYumYum)
Recipe: Vegan Sausage Chili With Apples And Black Beans (VeganYumYum)
Oyster sauce is a thick brown sauce made from oysters, brine, umami flavor enhancers likes MSG and preservatives.
Invented in 1888 in China, oyster sauce is commonly used in Chinese (especially Cantonese), Filipino and Thai cooking. It is popular on steamed vegetables such as broccoli or in stir-fried dishes.
No salt is added to a good-quality oyster sauce, which gets its salty brininess from the oysters, which are simmered until they produce a broth that is then cooked down until thick and caramelized. Inferior oyster sauces may thicken the sauce with starch and caramel coloring.
Crystallized (or candied) ginger is ginger root that has been peeled, sliced, poached in sugar syrup and coated with sugar crystals.
It has a sweet, spicy bite and is often used in desserts, such as candied ginger ice cream. It can also be nibbled on its own as a sweet snack or an accompaniment to tea. (Ginger is said to aid digestion and help relieve upset tummies.)
You can buy crystallized ginger in most major supermarkets now. If you strike out there, try a local Asian grocery. Or make it yourself.
Bean curd, or soybean curd, is another word for tofu, which is nothing more than a pressed block of bean curd.
Bean curd is made from curdled soy milk that is extracted from cooked, ground soybeans. Coagulated soy milk curds are pressed into blocks of tofu in a process that resembles cheesemaking.
recipe: Crispy Tofu With Citrus Soy (Steamy Kitchen)
recipe: Honey-Walnut Tofu (Cook & Eat)
What is rice wine and how is it different from rice wine vinegar?
What is rice wine and how is it different from rice wine vinegar?
Rice wine is sweet cooking or drinking wine made from fermented rice, such as Chinese Shaoxing and Japanese mirin and sake.
Made from fermented rice -- or in some cases, the dregs of rice wine -- Chinese and Japanese rice "wine" vinegars have a milder, sweeter taste than Western-made vinegars. Even those rice vinegars made from rice may be labeled "rice wine vinegar." Just remember to look for the word "vinegar" when telling rice wine and rice vinegar apart.
Chinese rice vinegar includes the pale variety used in sweet-and-sour dishes; red vinegar made from red yeast rice; and the smoky black vinegar popular in Southern China and used as a condiment. Japanese rice vinegar is pale yellow and is used to flavor sushi rice (with the addition of salt and sugar) and salads. Koreans and Indians also make and use rice wine vinegar.
