Here are some terms, names, and alternatives to help everyone use and understand our recipes perfectly.
ALCOHOL: it is optional but gives a unique flavor.
You can use fruit juice or water instead to make up the liquid content in our
recipes.
ALMONDS :
Flaked: sliced almonds.
Ground: we used commercially ground packaged
almonds.
Slivered: almonds cut into slivers.
ARROWROOT: used mostly for thickening. Cornflour can be
used instead.
BACON RASHERS: bacon slices.
BALMAIN BUG: crustacean first discovered in Sydney Harbour, NSW; named after the harbourside suburb of Balmain. Crab or lobster can be substituted.
BEAN SPROUTS: we used mung bean sprouts; these should be topped and tailed; available fresh or canned in brine.
BEANS, BLACK: are fermented, salted soya beans. Canned and dried black beans can be substituted. Drain and rinse canned variety soak and rinse dried variety. Leftover beans will keep for months in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Mash beans when cooking to release flavor.
BEEF:
Chuck steak: is cut from the neck of the animal. The flesh is firm, with coarse grain, red color, and little fat. Long cooking is recommended.
Eye - fillet: tenderloin.
Minced: ground beef.
BREADCRUMBS:
Packaged: use fine packaged breadcrumbs.
Stale: use 1 or 2 - day - old white bread made into crumbs by grating, blending, or processing.
BROCCOLI, CHINESE ( gai lum ): Remove and discard fibrous parts of the stem, and cut flowerets away from stems and leaves. If using remaining stems, peel away any tough skin with a peeler and chop stems.
BUTTER: use salted
or unsalted ( sweet ) butter, 125g is equal to 1 stick of butter.
BUTTERMILK: is now made by adding a culture to skim milk to give a slightly acid flavor, skim milk can be substituted if preferred.
CABANOSSI: a type of sausage; also known as a cabana.
CABBAGE: large leafy vegetable available in several different varieties.
CARAMEL TOPPING: a caramel-flavored syrup usually used in milk drinks or on ice - cream.
CHEESE:
Bocconcini: small balls of mild, delicate cheese packaged in water or whey to keep them white and soft. The water should be just milky and cheese should be white; yellowing indicates that it is stale.
Cheddar: we used a full-flavored cheddar.
Cream cheese: also known as Philly.
Cottage: soft, unripened, mild-tasting ourd cheese of different fat content from skim milk to full-cream milk
Fresh goats ' milk: we used a mid-flavored goats ' cheese.
Gruyere: Swiss cheese with small holes and a nutty, slightly salty flavor.
Jarlsberg: a Norwegian cheese made from cows ' milk, it has large holes and a mild
nutty taste.
Kefalograviera:
a semi-hard cheese with a smooth texture and a mild salty after - taste,
made from sheep's milk
Mozzarella:
a fresh, semi-soft cheese with a delicate, clean, fresh curd taste; has a
low melting point and stringy texture when heated Neufchatel: soft, unripened, or fresh curd cheese. It resembles cream cheese but contains more moisture.
Parmesan:
sharp-tasting cheese used as a flavor accent. We prefer to use fresh
parmesan cheese, however, it is available already finely grated Pecorino:
hard cheese, straw-colored with a grainy texture and sharp - tangy flavor.
Ricotta: a fresh, unripened, light curd cheese of rich flavor.
Tasty: use a firm good - tasting
cheddar. True blue: a smooth and creamy white-blue mold cheese.
CHILLIES: are available in many different types and sizes. The small ones ( bird's eye or bird peppers ) are the hottest. Use tight rubber gloves when chopping fresh chilies as they can burn your skin. The seeds are the hottest part of the chillies so remove them if you want to reduce the heat content of recipes.
Chilli powder:
ground dried chilies.
Chilli sauce:
we used a hot or sweet Chinese variety. It consists of chilies, salt, and
vinegar. We use it sparingly so that you can easily increase amounts in
recipes to suit your taste.
Dried chili flakes:
are available at Asian food stores.
CHORIZO SAUSAGE: Spanish and Mexican highly spiced pork sausages seasoned with garlic, cayenne pepper, chili, etc. They are ready to eat when bought. If unavailable, use a spicy salami. See picture with cabanossi.
CORIANDER: also known as cilantro and Chinese parsley, it is available fresh, ground, and in seed form. The leaves, roots, and stems can be used.
Clockwise from right: Coriander, ground coriander, flat-leafed parsley .curd milk flavored.
CORNFLOUR : comstarch .
CREAM: is simply a light pouring cream, also known as half ' n ' half.
Thickened ( whipping ): is specified when necessary in recipes.
Reduced: a canned product with 25 percent fat content.
Sour: a thick commercially cultured soured cream.
Sour light: a less dense commercially cultured soured cream; do not substitute this for sour cream.
CREME DE CACAO: chocolate-flavored liqueur.
CURRY POWDER: a convenient combination of spices in powdered form. Curry powder consists of chili, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, and turmeric in varying proportions.
CUSTARD POWDER:
pudding mix.
DUCK, CHINESE ROAST: available from Asian food stores.
DUCK LIVER PATE: use chicken liver pate if unavailable.
EGGPLANT: aubergine.
ENDIVE: a curly-leafed vegetable, mainly used in salads.Endive.
FENNEL: vegetable with aniseed-tasting bulb and leaves; bulb can be eaten uncooked in salads or maybe braised, steamed, or stir-fried in savory dishes. Leaves can be chopped and added to dishes.
FISH SAUCE: an essential ingredient in the cooking of a number of South East Asian countries, including Thailand and Vietnam. I is made from the liquid drained from salted, fermented anchovies. It has a very strong smell and taste. Use sparingly until you acquire the taste.
FIVE SPICE POWDER: a pungent mixture of ground spices which include cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppers.
FLOUR, PLAIN: all-purpose flour.
GARBANZOS: canned chickpeas. They are a staple food in the Middle East; are available from supermarkets and health food shops.
GARAM MASALA: there are many variations of the combinations of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, and nutmeg used to make up this spice, used often in Indian cooking. Sometimes pepper is used to make a hot variation. Garam masala is readily available in jars.
GARLIC: strong-scented pungent bulb with a distinctive taste. A bulb consists of cloves; use the number of cloves specified in individual recipes. See the picture with red Spanish onions.
GHERKIN: comichon.
GINGER:
Fresh, green, or root: scrape away outside skin and grate, chop, or slice ginger as required. Fresh, peeled ginger can be preserved with enough dry sherry to cover; keep in a jar in the refrigerator; it will keep for months.
Ground: is also available but should not be substituted for fresh ginger.Fresh ginger.
GRAND MARNIER: an orange-flavored liqueur. Cointreau can be substituted.
HERBS: we have specified when to use fresh or dried herbs. We used dried ( not ground ) herbs in the proportion of 1: 4 for fresh herbs; for example, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs instead of 4 teaspoons ( 1 tablespoon ) of chopped fresh herbs.
HOI SIN SAUCE: a thick, sweet Chinese barbecue sauce made from salted black beans, onions, and garlic.
HORSERADISH CREAM: paste of horseradish, oil, mustard, and flavorings.
JAM: conserve.
KAHLUA: a Mexican liqueur flavored with coffee.
KIRSCH: a liqueur distilled from cherries.
KIWI FRUIT: Chinese gooseberries.
LASAGNE, INSTANT: these pasta sheets don't need to be pre-cooked; check packet directions; available from supermarkets.
LEMON GRASS: needs to be bruised or chopped before using. It will keep in a jug of water at room temperature for several weeks; the water must be changed daily. It can be bought dried. To reconstitute: place several pieces of dried lemon grass in a bowl; cover with hot water, stand for 20 minutes; drain. This amount is a substitute for 1 stem of fresh lemon grass.
LOBSTER: crayfish.
MALIBU: tropical coconut drink flavored with light Jamaican rum liqueur.
MARINARA MIX: a mixture of uncooked, chopped seafood usually including prawns,
mussels, fish, and octopus or squid.
MARZIPAN:
a paste made from a marzipan meal.
MIRIN: a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking. Substitute 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of dry sherry for each tablespoon of mirin, if preferred.
MIXED SPICE: a blend of ground spices usually consisting of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.
MUSHROOMS: We used fresh mushrooms plus other different types of mushrooms in our recipes.
Clockwise from left: Oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, and Chinese dried mushrooms.
MUSSEL MEAT: cooked mussels removed from the shell. See the picture with scallops.
MUSTARD, SEEDED: a French style of mustard with crushed mustard seeds.
MUSTARD SEEDS: tiny seeds used in curries, pickling, and making mustard; seeds can be black, ( spicy and piquant ), brown ( less piquant ), or white ( milder ).
NOODLES: See the picture below.
The picture shows noodles used in this blog: 1. Capellini egg noodles, 2. rice vermicelli, 3 dried egg noodles, 4. Japanese somen noodles, 5. fine fresh egg noodles, 6. fresh egg noodles, 7. gow gees pastry, 8. egg pastry sheets.
The picture shows some of the pasta used in this blog: 1. capelli d'angelo pasta 2 extra large pasta shells, 3 curled frilly pasta, 4. wholemeal pasta wheels, 5. conchigliette pasta 6. Inguine pasta 7. vegeroni pasta spirals, 8. pasta crests.
OIL: polyunsaturated vegetable oil.
Olive oil comes in
several different grades with each grade having a
different flavour. The most flavorsome is the extra virgin variety usually
used in homemade dressings. Extra virgin olive oil is the purest quality
virgin oil. Virgin oil is obtained only from the pulp of high-grade fruit.
Pure olive oil is pressed from the pulp and kernels of second-grade olives.
Extra light olive oil is lighter in color and flavor than pure and virgin
Sesame: made from roasted, crushed white sesame seeds. It is always used in
small quantities. Do not use it for frying
ONION, RED SPANISH: red-skinned, pink-fleshed variety, almost odorless and popular in salads. From left: Garlic, bulb and cloves, green shallots, red Spanish onion.
OYSTER SAUCE:
a rich brown sauce made from oysters cooked in salt and soy sauce, then
thickened with different types of starches.
PANCETTA: Italian in origin; is a ready-to-eat processed meat
made from pork belly which has been salted, cured, and lightly spiced. See the picture with the pastrami.
PARSLEY, FLAT-LEAFED: popular herb is also known as continental or Italian parsley See picture with coriander.
PASTA: See the picture below.
PASTA SAUCE: we used bottled products, one containing beef and one without meat. based on tomatoes; available from supermarkets.
PASTRAMI: highly seasoned smoked beef ready to eat when bought Clockwise from top: Prosciutto, pastrami, pancetta.
PASTRY, READY ROLLED PUFF: frozen sheets of puff pastry available from supermarkets.
PEAS: Snow: also known as mange tout ( eat all ). sugar peas or Chinese peas. pepper plant, available in cans from supermarkets.
PEPPERS: capsicums or bell peppers.
Sugar snap: a young tender spring pea with an edible pod.
PECANS: nuts of the hickory tree with a sweet, oily kernel; walnuts can be substituted
PEPPERCORNS, GREEN: berries of the From left Foca Putus
PEPPER, SEAL: a combination of pepper, red pepper, garlic flakes, paprika, and natural chicken extract
PIMIENTOS ( sweet red peppers ): are preserved in brine in cans or jars. See the picture with the peppers
PLUM SAUCE: a dipping sauce that consists of plums preserved in vinegar sweetened with sugar and flavored with chilies and spices.
POLENTA: commeal.
PORT WINE JELLY: a port-flavored jelly preserve; apple jelly can be substituted.
PRAWNS: also known as shrimp.
PROSCIUTTO: uncooked, unsmoked ham cured in salt, ready to eat when bought. See the picture with the pastrami.
RIND: zest.
RUM: we used a dark underproof rum.
SAFFRON: the most expensive of all spices, is available in threads or ground form. It is made from the dried stamens of the crocus flower.
SAKE: Japan's favorite rice wine; is used in cooking, marinading, and as part of dipping sauces. If sake is unavailable, dry sherry, vermouth, or brandy can be substituted.
SALMON, ATLANTIC: a farmed variety of fish available all year.
SALMON ROE: caviar, eggs of salmon.
SAMBAL OELEK: a paste made from ground chilies and salt.
SCALLOPS: we used the scallops with coral ( roe ) attached; they require minimal preparation.
From top: Scallops, mussel meat
SHALLOTS, GREEN: also known as spring onions and scallions. See the picture with red Spanish onions.
SHRIMP PASTE: a powerful dark brown flavoring made from salted dried shrimp.
SOY SAUCE: made from fermented soya beans. The light sauce is generally used with white meat and the darker variety with red meat. There is a multi-purpose salt-reduced sauce available, also Japanese soy sauce. It is a matter of personal taste which sauce you use.
SPATCHCOCK: small chicken about 400g to 500g.
SPINACH ( silverbeet ): Remove coarse white stems, and cook green leafy parts as individual recipes indicate. See the picture below.
From left: English spinach, silverbeet.
Also Read: PASTA FACTS