It's fall and apples are in season! When we think of apple pie, most of us think of America. It's right up there with bald eagles, Mount Rushmore, and Abe Lincoln's beard. Apples have made frequent appearances throughout the history of Western art and iconography, and...
This crazy flavorful Korean Gochujang Drizzle sauce is made with a few staple pantry ingredients and can be whipped up in minutes. It's as easy as putting all of the ingredients into a mason jar and shaking it up! You won't be able to stop making this sauce! Korean...
A lovely reader sent a package of his homegrown star anise spice. Have you ever used star anise before? Normally, when I buy them at the Asian market, they look like they've been picked through - none of the "stars" even resemble stars. Upon opening the bag, there is...
Cilantro is used in a lot of Asian and Mexican cooking.When purchasing cilantro make sure the leaves and steams are not bruised or soft . The fresh herb has thin, delicate leaves and flavorful steams. It is used in soup, stir-fries and noodle dishes. Cilantro should...
Thai basil has a stronger flavor than sweet basil that is found in most supermarkets. You should avoid chopping the leaves, it is better to tear the leaves from the steam and/or tear them into pieces when cooking. The basil should be loosely wrapped in a paper towel...
Star Anise is a very strong spice which taste and smell like licorice. Star Anise is used very often with pork and duck. It is one of the main ingredients in five spice powder and is used in both savory and sweet dishes. Whole Star Anise has a very long shelf life,...
Cinnamon is used in both sweet and savory dishes. Cinnamon can be used whole, broken or ground. It also has medicinal uses. The sticks are very hard, making them difficult to grind, so you should purchase ground if you plan on using a lot of ground cinnamon. Cinnamon...
Coriander is used widely in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, thus having many uses for this wonderful spice. Buy Coriander in seed form. When a recipes call for ground coriander, the seed should be dry pan roasted and freshly ground to release its warm lightly...
Cloves have a very strong distinct flavor. This spice is traditionally used in savory dishes. When purchasing clove you should look for a large whole clove with plump buds. Whole cloves can be stored in a cool dry place, ground clove should be stored in small amount...
Baby corn is young corn, usually eaten whole, yes, cob included. They are boiled, or tossed into stir-fry dishes. Cooking doesn't change its texture - they are as crunchy and sweet as raw. They can be found fresh in Asian grocers or canned would be an acceptable...
Fish sauce is an essential ingredient in my pantry. It has a nice salty-sweet flavor to it, and you use it very sparingly, like Anchovy paste. A little goes a long way! There are several brands of fish sauce, the best one I have found so far is called "Three Crabs"....
Saffron comes from the stigma of the saffron crocus. It's no wonder that saffron's considered one of the most expensive spices: according to Mr. Harold McGee, it takes over 70,000 flowers and about 200 hours of labor to produce only 1 pound of dried saffron. The best...
