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Flavor
of The Food
- Asam
gelugor are dried, slice, of garcinia fruit that impart
a sour flavor to dishes. Asam gelugor should be soaked in water
to soften and rinsed before added either whole or sliced to other
ingredients. If not available, replace with tamarind juice.
- Banana
leaf (daun pisang) is an ind ispensable as a food wrapper,
used to wrap food for steaming or grilling. The moisture within
the banana leaf makes a difference to the texture and fla vor
of the food. Fresh banana leaf should be softened for easy folding
before wrapping food in it, either by soaking it in hot water
for 5 to 10 minutes or briefly heating it over low fla me. If
not available, replace with aluminium foil.
- Candlenuts
( kemiri), also known buah keras, are waxy, round cream
coloured nuts from the fruit of the candlenut tree. They are usually
ground and added to sauces and spice paste for texture and flavor.
Candlenuts should only be eaten after proper preparation.
- One
method is to dry-roast the nuts over medium heat until they can
be cracked open, then stir-fry the crushed kernels with other
ingredients such as garlic, shallots and shrimp paste. Such a
mixture is often used as a flavoring ingredient in Indonesia and
most of Southeast Asia. Store in the refrigerator as candlenuts
turn rancid quickly. Raw macadamia nuts can be used as substitutes.
- Cardamom
(kepulaga) is a pungent spice commonly used to perfume
rice dishes, curries, cakes and desserts. Pale green, straw colored
or black, the cardamom pods enclose about 15 to 20
- Intensely
fragant brown or black cardamom seeds. Available as powder, seeds
or whole pods, the best flavor is achieved by using the seeds
removed from the pod directly. Ready ground cardamom pods should
be stored in a tightly sealed jar to preserve their aroma.
- Chilies
( cabai ) are indispensable in padang cooking and many
different varieties are used. The large moderately hot, finger-length
green, red or yellow chilies are the most commonly used. Green
chilies are the unripe fruits and have a flavor different from
rice chilies. Dried chilies of this variety are also used in some
dishes.
the
ginger family
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