SPICES

Spice are dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetables substances primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving and sometimes used to hide flavor and odor on most Asian cookings.





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Garlic and onion are very important seasoners in many Asian dishes

Red Peppers (chiles) varying degrees of hotness are prequently employed in China, India, Korea and other part of Asia, an ingredient in the Japanese seasoning togarashi, which also contains sesame seed, orange feel and a Japanese pepper.

Ginger Root adds zip to all cuisines. A large amount of fresh ginger root, raw or cooked, is very hot and nippy. But a little merely enhances flavor, just a little garlic does. To keep fresh ginger root for several weeks

just refrigerate unwrapped or freeze for longer life. Don't substitute dried ground ginger unless the recipe says  to. Ginger also preserved in syrup, candied or crystallized in sugar. Pickle ginger may be white or tinted red or pink are commonly used in sushi.

Curry Powder is a spice mixture which has caught on in China and Japan for non Indian dishes. Most curry powder recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek and red pepper in their blends. Depending on the recipe, additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, asafoitida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamon, black cardamon, nutmeg, long pepper and black pepper may also be included.

Chinese Five Spice is blend of ground cloves, fennel, licorice root, cinnamon and star annise. May be used with fatty meats such as pork and duck, it is also used as a spice rub for chicken, duck, pork and seafood or added to the breading for fried foods. Five spices is used in recipes for Cantonese roasted duck, as well as beef stew. It is used as marinate for Vietnamese broiled  chicken.