posted by admin on Nov 30
Sichuan pepper is one of the oldest staple spices used in Chinese cooking. It is technically not a pepper at all but rather the berries of the prockly ash tree native to the Sichuan province in China.
The reddish brown berries are dried after picking and are husked to remove small, bitter black seeds before crushing. Sichuan pepper, also known as fagara or Chinese pepper, has a spice, earthy flavor and produces a slight numbing effect when eaten. To maximize flavor, dry-roast Sichuan pepper before grinding.
Available : Asian food stores.
posted by admin on Nov 29
Sesame seeds come from a herbaceous tropical plant native to Assyria and are one of the world’s oldest spices. These small. flat seeds have a high oil content and a nutty flavor that becomes pronounced after dry-roasting or frying. The seeds range in color from pearly white to black.
The most commonly used are creamy white – these are referred to as white sesame feeds in the recipes in this book. white sesame seeds are ground to as paste to make tahini in the Middle East and to serve with noodles and rice in China. In the Middle East, sesame seeds are used to make the sewwt halva. The flavor of black sesame seeds is stronger and more earthy than the creamy white ones. They are best eaten raw as they become quite bitter when taste.
Black sesame seeds are used in Japanese and Chinese cooking and are compatible with sugar and some fruits in desserts. Sesame seed oil is an important ingredient in many styles of cooking, particularly Chinese, but it must be used with cautuin as it can taste very bitter if used with a heavy hand. Sesame seeds are considered a laxative and can be used as a hot poultice to relieve aches and pains.
Available : widely.
posted by admin on Nov 28
Sea salt is the universal seasoning used in everyday cooking throughout the world to flavor and preserve food and to heighten the flavor of other ingredients. As opposed to rock salt, which is mined, sea salt is produced by the evaporation or sea water or water from salt marshes, the best varieties coming from England and France, where it is known as gros sel. Excellent sea salt from South Australia has recently appeared on the market too.
More costly to produce than other types of salt, sea salt flakes are odourless but have a strong, salty taste and do not include the iodine and magnesium carbonate found in processed table salt. Kosher salt, available from Jewish food stores, has a very similar texture and taste to sea salt as it contains no additives.
Available : widely.
posted by admin on Nov 27
Sansho pepper is derived from the dried and ground seed pods of a Japanese variety of the prickly ash tree and is that country’s equivalent of SICHUAN PEPPER. The seeds themselves are not used as they are too bitter.
One of the few spices used in Japanese cooking, sansho pepper gives off a certain amount of heat, has a slight numbing effect on the tongue and is used to counter fattiness in food. The aromatic leaves of the sansho plant, which have minty, basil and liquorice overtones, are used in herbal preparations.
Available : Japanese or Asian food stores.
posted by admin on Nov 26
Each autumn a single purple crocus flower yields three orange-red stigmas, which are picked laboriously by hand and then dried to make saffron. Saffron is an essential ingredient in any self-respecting spice cupboard. Thankfully, because of its intense qualities, a little goes a long way (for maximum flavor, however, make those pinches generous ones)
Saffron has a sweet, floral aroma and slightly bitter flavor that underlies its distinctive and penetrating spiciness. There is no substitute for it as a spice or coloring agent. Saffron can be used in savory and sweet preparations and is integral to such dishes as France’s bouilabaisse and rouile, Italy’s risotto Milanese, Spain’s paella and zarzuela (a seafood and saffron casserole), Iran and Iraq’s saffron rice, and India’s rice pilaf and kulfi, as well as numerous breads, pastries and cakes from the cuisines of the world.
It is also an important ingredient in the making of Yellow Chartreuse (a French liqueur that is light and sewwt on the palate) and in perfumes, and is used as a dye for cloth (it is sacred color for Buddhist monks) saffron was valued as a heart tonic in ancient Persia, and its fragrance was thought to induce sleep. It is also been considered an aphrodisiac and a cure for flatulence an poor vision. In India it is used to treat digestive and urinary tract disorders and as a skin remedy.
Thought to have originated during the ancient civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia, saffron is now cultivated widely, in particular in Spain, Turkey, India and Iran, and more recently, Tasmania. It is a commonly held belief that the deeper the color, the better the quality, and each cook has his or her favorite saffron. I prefer dark-red, intense variety form Iran or as a close second, Kashmiri saffron. Spanis saffron is also of extremely good quality-it tends to be slightly paler than its Iranian or Indian counterparts but its flavor is equally intense.
When purchasing saffron, buy stigmas or threads rather than the powder as the latter loses its flavor quickly and can be adulterated with imitations and false colorings. To use saffron threads to the best effect, infuse them in a chosen cooking liquid to ensure even coloring and distribution of flavor.
Available : widely.
