Glossary of Ingredients
Here is background on some of the less familiar ingredients used in Worlds of Healthy Flavors recipes.
Ajowan (ajwain) seeds: Related to caraway and cumin, these small seeds resemble celery seeds but have a flavor similar to thyme and lovage.
Aleppo pepper: A dark red, mildly spicy ground red pepper from Syria; sometimes marketed as "Near East pepper."
Baharat/bajarat: The word means "mixed spices" in Arabic and different cooks will have their own blends. In Lebanon and Syria, baharat typically includes black peppercorns, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In Tunisia, it may include pepper, rose petals, and cinnamon.
Barley rusks (paximadia): A specialty of the Greek island of Crete, these twice-baked rusks are made with barley flour and sometimes seasoned with aniseeed. They are baked hard as rocks and must be softened in water before use. They keep for months. Greeks use them for a sort of bread salad with tomatoes, capers, and olive oil.
Basmati rice: Long-grain, highly aromatic rice grown in India and Pakistan. It must be rinsed several times before cooking to remove surface starch, and it is usually soaked for a half hour or more before cooking. When properly cooked, basmati rice will be fluffy, never sticky, with each grain separate.
Bulgur: Wheat that has been partially cooked, sun-dried, and cracked. It is available in different sizes from fine to coarse. Fine bulgur is for tabbouleh and kibbeh. Coarser bulgur is for soup and pilaf.
Chile, Thai bird: Very small, very hot fresh chiles, which may be green (unripe) or red (ripe). Fish sauce with sliced bird chiles is a popular condiment on Thai tables, especially with noodles.
Chile, ñora: A dried, cherry-shaped mild pepper about the size of a small plum, used in Spanish cooking. It must be soaked in hot water to soften, then puréed; or, the soaked flesh may be scraped from the skin.
Curry leaf: Also known as kari leaf, this aromatic green leaf of Murraya koenigii contributes a sweetish aroma and slightly bitter flavor to Indian, Indonesian, and Malaysian stews and curries. Look for the fresh leaves in Indian and Southeast Asian markets.
Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides): A North American herb that grows wild in poor soil. It has slender, elongated, serrated leaves and a clean, pungent taste that reminds some of creosote. Epazote is almost always cooked. It is essential to the kitchens of central and southern Mexico and is often added to black beans.
Fish sauce: Typically made with anchovies that are brined and fermented for months until they yield an aromatic liquid, this clear condiment is highly nutritious. It has a salty flavor and pungent smell that dissipates somewhat during cooking. Fish sauce provides the salty element in many Southeast Asian dishes. In essence, it's the equivalent of the Western salt shaker. If fish sauce isn't in the dish, it's probably on the table, served alongside as part of the dipping sauce. Most Asian markets carry a variety of bottled fish sauces imported from Thailand and Vietnam. They vary widely in intensity. The Vietnamese version, nuoc mam, is mixed with sugar, lime juice, chiles, and garlic to make the indispensable dipping sauce, nuoc cham.
Garam masala: An essential component of Northern Indian cooking, garam masala is a blend of "warming" spices that varies from cook to cook and region to region (garam means warm; masala means spice blend). Although there is no standardized recipe, typical ingredients include cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, coriander seed, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, chiles, and cinnamon. Garam masala is usually added to dishes toward the end of the cooking.
Harissa: Spicy red pepper paste used in Tunisia and, to a lesser extent, in Morocco. It may be flavored with cumin, garlic, caraway, and sometimes other spices, and is typically preserved under oil for long keeping. Harissa is also the name of the sauce made by thinning harissa paste with lemon juice and broth to make a condiment for couscous.
Hoja santa (Piper auritum): Also called hierba santa, this herb has a large, heart-shaped, velvety leaf with a pronounced anise flavor. It is a member of the same family as black pepper and is used as a seasoning in Southern Mexico.
Kaffir lime: The grated zest of this knobby lime is used in Thai curry pastes and fish cakes. The glossy green leaves, finely julienned, figure in Thai soups, salads, stir-fries, and curries. If you can't find the fresh item, look for dried or frozen leaves and dried kaffir lime rind.
Lemon grass: A plant that resembles a woody scallion, with a slender, multilayered base and branching leaves. When sliced, chopped, or crushed, it releases a lemony scent and flavor. Discard the branching leaves and the fibrous outer layers of the base. Chopped lemon grass is used to flavor Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian curry pastes, stir-fries, and salads, and Vietnamese marinades for chicken and beef. It may be thinly sliced for salads, pounded with a mortar for marinades and sauces, or cut in chunks and smashed with a cleaver for soups. The chunks are not meant to be eaten.
Luffa: Resembling a ridged cucumber, luffa is a mild-flavored squash with a silky texture. It should be peeled before cooking. Southeast Asian cooks use it in soups, curries, and stir-fries. It readily soaks up the flavors of whatever it's cooked with.
Mango powder (amchoor): Made from dried, unripe mangoes, this tan-colored powder adds a tart taste to North Indian stir-fries, beverages, stuffings, and pastries. It is a common seasoning in Indian vegetarian cookery.
Nopales: Also called nopalitos, these are the edible paddles from some varieties of prickly pear cactus. Small, thin paddles are preferred over larger ones; the thick-skinned paddles from ornamental cactus or from the larger cactus grown for fruit are not used. Cactus paddles are covered with small thorns, which must be removed before using.
Palm sugar: Some species of palm yield a sap that can be boiled down until it crystallizes into a dark sweetener with a taste reminiscent of maple sugar. Thai cooks use it in coconut-milk desserts and to balance the flavor of curries. Palm sugar may be soft and sticky or as hard as an open box of brown sugar.
Piloncillo: Commonly shaped into small, truncated cones, piloncillo is unrefined sugar. Its flavor lies somewhere between dark brown sugar and molasses. It is grated or chopped for use or made into syrup. Look for it in Latin American markets, or substitute dark brown sugar.
Pimentón: The Spanish word for Spanish paprika, which may be sweet, bittersweet, or hot.
Pomegranate syrup/molasses: The concentrated juice of sour pomegranates. It is thick and dark, with a sweet-sour taste. It is widely used in the Middle East in marinades, beverages, dips, sauces, grain salads, and stews.
Purslane: An annual plant that resembles watercress, but with thicker, fleshier stems and leaves. Purslane has a refreshing lemony taste, not unlike sorrel. It can be eaten raw in salads (it's often paired with tomato) or cooked. It grows wild on farms and in gardens, and many consider it a weed.
Sumac: A ground brick-red spice from the dried berries of a nonpoisonous variety of the sumac bush (Rhus coriaria). It has a pleasantly sour, lemony taste and is widely used in the Middle East. Sumac is often sprinkled on grilled kebabs or rice pilafs and is a component of most za'atar blends. Some dishes call for the tart liquid obtained from steeping the whole berries.