Asian Spice List A-F

Thursday 24 June 2010 - Filed under Asian Spices

I will try to cover the wide variety of spices used in Asian cooking. I may miss af ew regional spices but hopefully I will get all of the spices. I am dividing it into 2 parts as I thought that the information would be more accessible. Here is the first part of the Asian Spice List

Asafoetida If you were to smell this spice raw you might tell the Chef not to use it. It has a very horrible odor. But once you cook it it this spice tastes like Garlic or Onions or if you have used them Leeks. It used in South East cooking and has a him in India’s Vegetable Curries.

amchoor Another term for this spice is Dried Mangos. It is native to eastern India and Burma. Sour, unripe varieties are used to produce amchoor. This sour fruit is sliced and then dried in the sun to produce Amchoor. It used in marinades,Curries and Condiments.In it use in marinades is has the same tenderizing affect as lemon juice.

Bay Leaves. This Laural leaf some to show up in many countries cuisines. In Asian Cooking it shows up in Pakistan,India Cooking. In India it used garam masala.

Ajowan. Is a see that comes from a plant that is grown in Southern India. The flavor closely resemble Thyme and it is used in some Breads and Fish recipes.

Cardamom This a herb in the ginger family. It has strong minty flavor and is used in Garam Masala.

Cassia. Another name for this bark is Chinese Cinnamon and it used as a replacement for the more common Cinnamon.

Cinnamon Though in Western Cuisine Cinnamon is a desert spice in Asian Cooking it can be a main course. This spice is used extensively in Indian Curries

Cloves The one drawback to this spice is the fact it is strong. Use just little as it dominate any dish it is in. One trick is to use whole cloves in the dish and when it is done cooking pull it out.

Curry Leaf . This is a leaf rom the curry tree but this is not the curry spice you buy in the store. This leaf is used in Cocanut and Seafood Curries.

Fenugreek. Is a small seed that grows in south east Euirope and Western Asia. They have a nutty flavor with a bitter after taste that closely resembles celery.They are usually roasted and ground before being used adding to meat, fish, vegetable and dal dishes and chutneys. In the south of India and in Bengal they are used in various spice mixes or are ground to flour to make dosai bread.

Five Spice Powder A Chinese spice blend, usually containing equal parts cloves, cinnamon or cassia, Szechuan pepper and fennel. Used to flavor stir fries, stews and greasy meat dishes.

I will add the second part to the Asian Spice List in a couple days.

2010-06-24  »  Spice Guy