Asian Food and Cookery

January News from Asian Food and Cookery

A happy new year to all you Asian Food lovers out there.

We have some interesting articles this month and the featured one again comes from Lisa Paterson. Her series on spices has been fascinating and unfortunately, as far as I can tell, this is the last of them. I hope you enjoy.

Liz Canham

New Articles This Month

A Spicy Encounter – Part 4 of 4 – Tangy, Hot and Amalgamating Spices by Lisa Paterson

Spices come from the buds, bark, stems, roots, berries and seeds of plants. Any part except for the leaf is termed a spice, the leaves are classified as herbs.

Spices are generally grouped into five categories based on flavor – sweet; tangy; pungent; hot and amalgamating. Today we will delve further into the tangy, hot and amalgamating spices and discover their secrets.

A Chinese Banquet by Jee Hui Poh

Banquets are held to celebrate the New Year, the Moon Festival, weddings, and other special occasions. Each event is associated with particular treats -- filled moon cakes for the Moon Festival or New Year's pudding, for example -- but there are also many common characteristics and ceremonies involved. A banquet acquires much of its festive character through 2 elements: the release from some everyday eating customs (usually those that impose restraint) and the exaggeration of others. At a banquet, for example, rice doesn't need to be treated as the center of the meal, but the respectful interaction between guest and host must be performed with extra gusto.

20 Tips For Great Indian Curries Plus One Tip You Wont Find In Any Recipe Books To Guarantee Success by Robert Daniel

Curry Tip 1: Use more onions than the recipe recommends.

Curry Tip 2: Slice those onions thin and nearly CARAMELISE them. This brings out the sweetness and flavour of the onions, which then infuses into the curry. Place them into HOT OIL when you begin.

Curry Tip 3: Use more fresh garlic and ginger than the recipe recommends.

posted by Liz Canham @ 6:54 PM