Mexican Chocolate
Other Names
Chocolate para mesa, unconched chocolate
Description
Chocolate as we know it has only existed for a few hundred years. Modern chocolate is “conched” by grinding it for up to 72 hours to give it a smoother texture. Before the Europeans perfected the process of refining chocolate, the cacao bean was used to make a beverage for [...]
Masa Harina
Other Names
Masa de Harina
Description
Masa Harina literally means dough flour in Spanish and in Mexican cuisine, it refers to flour made from maize that has been soaked in lime water (calcium hydroxide). It is not the same thing as cornmeal and cannot be used interchangeably. The process of soaking the maize in lime water softens the [...]
Fennel
Other Names
Florence, Finnocchio
Description
Fennel is a vegetable that originated in the Mediterranean but now grows all over the world in coastal regions. It has long stalks with feathery dill-like leaves on top and the stems thicken into a large white bulb at the bottom. The yellow flowers of fennel grow in clusters at the top of [...]
Kombu
Other Names
dashima, dasima, haidai, kelp
Description
Kombu is a type of thick flat seaweed cultivated in the northern waters of Japan. Although it may sound like a plant, seaweed is technically classified as a type of algae. Kombu comes in many forms making it a versatile ingredient with uses ranging from soup stocks to wrappers and [...]
Niboshi
Other Names
iriko, myulchi, dried baby sardines, dried baby anchovies
Description
Niboshi are baby sardines (anchovies by some translations) that have been boiled once then dried. They vary in size from about 1.5″ (pictured below right) to over 3″(pictured below left) long with the smaller ones having a milder flavour. They’re used in both Korean and Japanese cooking [...]
Udon
Other Names
inaniwa udon, kishimen, sanuki udon, okinawa soba, udong
Description
Udon is one of the 3 most common Japanese noodles. While there are many regional differences in thickness and texture, it is almost always made with wheat flour. As with any type of pasta, fresh udon is the best, but they also come frozen as well as [...]
Katsuobushi
Other Names
kezuribushi, kezurikatsuo, hanakatsuo, shaved skipjack, shaved bonito
Description
This is a basic ingredient in the Japanese kitchen made from dried bonito (skipjack tuna) which is a fish prized for its high concentration of umami compounds. By drying it, the level of umami is further concentrated, making katsuobushi a core component of most Japanese stocks (dashi).
What’s [...]
Tomatillo
Other Names
ground tomato, husk tomato, mexican tomato, ground cherry, tomate de cáscara, tomate verde.
Description
These little guys look almost exactly like small green tomatoes, but unlike tomatoes, they naturally grow in a papery husk. While different varieties come in a multitude of colors, tomatillos are most widely known for their bright green color. When purchasing, look [...]
Welcome to Ingredients by No Recipes
In a recent survey over at No Recipes a few people mentioned that they’d love to hear more about some of the more unusual ingredients I cook with. While I’ve tried to provide a primer the first time I use an ingredient, I realize some readers may have tuned in after I first posted about [...]
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