Asian Made Easy

Herbs Garlic chives- used in northern Chinese and Korean cuisine, they have a mild garlic flavour and a delicate chive aftertaste. Coriander- soft leafed herb is spicy and citrusy with a nutty after taste. Green birds eye chillies- a strong chilli used all over Asia; it is surprisingly hot even with the seeds removed.

Herbs Long red chillies- moderately hot chilli is popular in Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food. When seeds are removed it adds a little heat but lots of flavour. Ginger- an aromatic root, ginger adds heat and flavour to everything from curries to desserts. It can be bought in dried or fresh form. Thai basil- has an aniseed flavour and used in red and green curries

Herbs Curry leaves- highly valued in Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines, they have a fragrant, citrus like flavour. Dried leaves are more pungent than fresh. Kaffir lime leaves- essential ingredient in many South-East Asian dishes. The dark green glossy leaves can be stewed, or shredded and added just prior to serving Lemongrass- has a strong lemon aroma, but also contains scents of pine or eucalyptus.

Garlic- pungent bulb which is the building block for many recipes Galangal- known as Indonesian ginger, it is a pink tinged tuber with a lemony, pine and cedar aroma. Mint- there is many varieties, but all share the same intense smell.

Spices Cardamons (green) - Green cardamons are native to Southern India but are now grown throughout tropic areas. To give a subtle flavor to a dish, remove the cardamons before serving. Cloves - Easily found in all American supermarkets, cloves are used in most parts of Asia in both sweet, and savory dishes. Remove whole cloves before serving a dish. Coriander - Ground coriander is easily found in American supermarkets. In Asian markets it can be found in seed form. The seeds are dry-roasted before using. The ground coriander will lose its fragance if it is stored too long. Only dry-roast what you need for a recipe

Spices Cumin - There is white cumin and there is black cumin (Nigella). White cumin is easily found in the market both in seed form and ground. White cumin is used in Southeast Asia. It is usually roasted, ground and used in curry paste. (See black cumin, Nigella, below). Fenugreek seeds - Very popular in curry pastes in Southern Indian cooking. Five-spice - It usually consists of: cassia, star anise, fennel seeds, anise pepper, some may have cloves as one of the ingredients. This mix is known for being aromatic and not hot.

Spices Nigella - Nigella is black cumin. Indian cooks usually prefer this cumin to the white cumin. It too, is found in seed form and is then usually roasted, ground, and mixed in curry paste. Garam masala- spice blend Dried chillies- come in lots of different styles and varieties and heat to food Szechuan peppercorns- not really a peppercorn, it is the dried fruit of a native Chinese tree. It has numbing qualities and is often pared with chillies

Star anise- has the same sharp flavour as aniseed and fennel; it has a totally different taste when toasted. Cinnamon- is scraped from the bark of the cinnamon tree. Used in both sweet and savoury dishes, in stick or ground form. Saffron- more expensive than diamonds in weight, it is the stigma from the centre of a small blue crocus flower. It is highly perfumed and adds colour to dishes. Nutmeg- it is a peppery spice with a timber aroma, it works well in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Noodles

Fruit

Pantry Items Tofu Coconut milk Soy sauce (light) Mirin Hot chilli sauce Oyster sauce Fish sauce Palm sugar

Pantry Items Shrimp paste Black vinegar Nori sheets Japanese mayonaise Dashi powder Miso paste