Pronounced eda-mar-may … the fancy way to say “boiled green soy beans”.
Next time you are out at your favourite Japanese restaurant, show your nutritional know-how and buy yourself some. They’re an excellent source of protein and fibre, so they will keep you feeling full until your sashimi arrives. And for the vegetarian or vegan out there, did we mention they’re also really high in iron? Yup. A 1//2 cup serving will give you the same amount of iron as 100g of chicken breast.
However, don’t limit your edamame eating to restaurants only! Buy the frozen beans in your supermarket and crack them out in the afternoon with some hummus for a filling afternoon snack. Or de-pod them and roughly mash them for a healthier alternate to potato with your main meal.
Black garlic is a highly sought after ingredient in many high end restaurants around the world. It was first used by Taoists, Koreans and Thais to add delicate and muted notes of caramel to certain dishes.
Black garlic is made when heads of garlic are aged under specific heat and humidity parameters, with temperatures that range from 60 – 77 degrees Celsius for between 14 to 40 days. During this time, the enzymes that give fresh garlic its sharpness break down the Maillard reaction occurs. This is the chemical process turns the cloves black and to develop their characteristic sticky date-like texture.
Because black garlic has such a delicate flavour, it is best used in dishes where it won’t be overpowered. For example, you can eat black garlic alone, on bread, in soups, sauces, crushed into mayonnaise or as a flavouring agent in rice. What a beautiful and dramatic addition to your next meal!
White miso paste is made from cooked soybeans that have been mixed with rice and cultured with a mould called koji, a mix of miso from an earlier batch, thinned with water and salt. The whole mix ferments from between one to three months. The result is a thick paste with a colour that can range from white to light beige.
Being a fermented food, miso is excellent for gut health, one of the reasons why more and more people are discovering what a fantastic ingredient miso paste can be in daily cooking! Use miso paste to add a little flavour to your vegetables, or in a cauliflower mash. You can even rub some on sliced eggplant and roast to create a deliciously sweet and tangy flavour.
Concentrated white miso paste can be bought in most grocers, or in your local Asian grocer. You can store it pretty much indefinitely, covered, and in your fridge.
Pronounced guh-lang-gul. Apart from being an awesome sounding word, galangal is a part of the rhizome family. Rhizomes are knobby underground stems that are known for their pungent and flavourful flesh.
The rhizome family also includes ginger and turmeric, both shown to have an effect on reducing inflammation and soothing upset stomachs. Galangal is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, important for skin and eye health, in addition to healthy immune function.
The root of galangal shares similarities with its more familiar cousin, ginger, however galangal is a little bigger, with a shinier skin than ginger, and is also much harder and woody. Galangal also tastes slightly different to ginger, with a higher citrus note and a sharp end palate. Galangal is frequently used in Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian meals, in combination with fish and shellfish, garlic, ginger, chilli, and lemon.
You can find fresh galangal at your fruit and vegetable supplier or at Asian grocers. You can also purchase powdered galangal, however it is really a poor substitute for the fresh stuff!
Also known as bitter bean or twisted bean, the Parkia speciosa (petai) bears long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds similar in size and shape to almonds. The “Stink Bean” name can be attributed to the bean’s peculiar odour, often compared to shitake mushrooms, but stronger.
Stinky beans are for those who dare to try something out of the ordinary. Once you get beyond the name, you will find that stinky beans add a unique flavour to the dishes they are in. Stinky beans are high in Vitamin A, calcium and phosphate.
Like galangal, stinky beans are an ingredient unique to Southern Thai cuisine. At Asian markets or your local Asian Grocer, you will be able to find fresh frozen stinky beans in the frozen section, and pickled stinky beans in glass jars.
Most recipes that use stinky beans call for them fresh, however frozen ones are a good substitute. At Oriental markets, you can find snap frozen stinky beans in the frozen food section and pickled stinky beans in glass jars. Pickled stinky beans are normally eaten by the Thai with chilli sauce.
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