What Is Water Spinach? Water spinach, also known by its scientific name Ipomoea aquatica, is a vegetable belonging to the Convolvulaceae family, just like sweet potatoes. It is an aquatic or semi-aquatic herbaceous plant with hollow, smooth, and long stems measuring between 2 and 3 meters. Numerous leaves grow on […]
Sauces and condiments
Mẻ: Vietnamese Fermented Rice
Fermentation has long been used to preserve and enrich foods nutritionally, especially rice across Asia. In Asian cooking, fermenting rice has given rise to many delicious dishes. For example: koji in Japanese cuisine; jiuniang or cơm rượu in Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine; tapai in Indonesian cuisine; and even rice […]
Kuzu, what is it?
Kuzu, this plant-based binder, is very well known in Japan! It is highly valued there for its gelling and smoothing properties that are attributed to traditional sauces such as yakitori sauce, soups and desserts. What is kuzu? Kuzu, or kudzu, comes from the Asian climbing plant Pueraria montana. Known for […]
Goji berries, what are they?
Goji berries, also known as “wolfberries”, come from Lycium barbarum, a plant native to the Chinese regions and Mongolia. Its fruits come in a wide variety, each with a slightly different taste; some are sweeter, others more tart. In addition to their great flavor, goji berries have long been used […]
Authentic Yakitori Sauce (Tare)
The authentic yakitori sauce recipe, a simple recipe with only 5 ingredients but an unforgettable taste Some mysteries will always be as elusive as a runaway wheel of camembert—“Who is Ornicar?”, “Was Lady GaGa ever a man?”, and “How do you actually make that famous tare that tastes just like […]
Black Cardamom Explained
What Is Black Cardamom? Chinese black cardamom, amomum tsao-ko, is a spice commonly used in Asian cuisine. It is also called tsao-ko or cǎoguǒ in Chinese and thao qua in Vietnamese. It is the fruit of an herbaceous plant from the Zingiberaceae family (ginger) with red stems and long, pointed […]
Homemade Gyoza wrapper
The preparation of gyoza, these delicious Japanese dumplings, is an art that deserves our full attention. Today, we’ll dive into the heart of Japanese culinary tradition with a gyoza dough recipe that will delight even the most discerning. Whether used for chicken gyoza, beef gyoza, or even pork This is […]
Mung Bean Paste
Mung bean paste – what is it? Picture an ingredient that slips as easily into a savory dish as it does into a sweet one – a true culinary double agent. That is exactly what mung bean paste is, a quiet star of Asian cooking (let’s shine the light on […]
What is palm sugar?
Sugar is an essential ingredient in cooking to add flavor and sweetness to many sweet and savory dishes. From white sugar to brown sugar, including powdered sugar, cane sugar, or raw sugar, there’s something for every taste. Among them, palm sugar takes the gold medal. Natural and exotic, it’s ultimately […]
What is wakame seaweed?
Wakame is among the most common edible seaweeds. Widely used across Asian cooking, it often appears in salads and soups, or served alongside seafood. While it’s also harvested wild in Australia, cultivation is centered in Japan and Korea. Most wakame you’ll find in stores likely comes from one of these […]