Candlenut ( Aleurites Moluccana )

This waxy, beige nut, a native of Malaysia and Indonesia, is related to the Queensland Bush Nut,
which is better kniwn internationally as the macadamia. ( Perhaps to the chagrin of the Australians,
the macadamia, which is an excellent eating nut, was first exploited commercially by the Hawaiians,
after they imported the plant from Queensland and developeda way of cracking the hard shell. )

Unlike its relative, the candlenut is never eaten raw as a savoury or dessert nut, but always
cooked. In large quantities, the candlenut is said to be poisonous, althought its purgative
qualities, which are strongest when the nut is freshly picked, disappear after it has been kept
for a while. The candlenut is used in Malay and Indonesian cuisine. A few nuts are pounded to
a paste and used to add texture and flavour to curry-like dishes.

As the candlenut contains a larga amount of oil, it can become rancid if kept for any lenght of
time. It is best to store them in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Botanical Family : Euphorbiaceae
Malaysian name : Buah keras
Indonesian name : Kemiri

Chilli ( Capsicum SPP )

The shilii is such a hallmark of regional cuisines that it is surprising to reflect that it
was introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Prior to its availability,
pepper was used to provide the pungency or "heat" of regional food.

The chilli is found in a bewildering veriety of colours, sizes and flavours in different parts
of the world. There are more than two dozen varieties encountered in Southeast Asia, including
finger-lenght chillies in red and green; medium-lenght plump chillies which can be yellow, pale
creamy white, orange, green or red; tiny bird's eye or, as the Thais call them in an accurate
description of their size, "rat droppings" chillies; and short bulbous chillies known as tabia
Bali and found in that Indonesia island.

The most common chilli is perhaps the finger-lenght chilli ( C. annum var. longum ), of medium
intensity on the "heat" scale. This is sold green ( unripe ), red ( ripe ) and dried.
The flavour and fragrance of green and red chillies differs slightly, and where one particular
type is specified in a recipe, this should be used.

When dried, the chilli turns dark reddish brown. Dried chillies are usually cut in 2 cm ( 3/4 inch )
lenghts and soaked in warm water until softened, then punded to a paste before being cooked.
Some ir all of the seeds may be removed according to the desired degree of heat.
Dried chillies are commonly used by Malaysian and Sumatran chefs, as they add deeeper red colour
to a curry then fresh chillies, and lack the smell. Dried chillies are also dry fried or roasted
gently until crisp then ground to a coarse powder and used as a condiment in Thailand.

The tiny fiery hot bird'a eye chilli ( C. frustescens ) is another regional favourite, pounded
and added to frash or raw sambals and side dishes in Thailand. In the Philippines, where lical
tastes do not run to really pungent foods, bird's eye chillies are put in a bottle of coconut
vinegar which is used as a condiment.

Botanical Family : Solanaceae
Thai name : Prik kee fah; prik kee nu
Malaysian name : Lombok, lada, cili, cili padi
Indonesian name : Cabe, lombok, cabe rawit
Tagalog name : Sili, siling labuyo

Galangal ( Alipinia galanga )

A native of Java and the Malay peninsula, this member of the ginger family has a pungency and
tang quite unlike that of common ginger ( Zingiber officinale ). It is often referred to as
greater galangal, to distinguish it from another variety grown in China, lesser galangal.

The young shoots of the rhizome are pale pink, and are more flavourful and tender than the older
beige coloured rhizomes. Galangal is too spicy to be eaten raw, an is used in slices, chunks or
pounded to a paste for various curries and side dishes. When pounding or blending galangal to a
paste, first chop it into small pieces as it is often obstinately tough. Perhaps this is why
Thai cooks often just bruise a large chunk with the flat side of a cleaver and add it whole to
the cooking pot.

Slices of dried galangal are exported from tropical Asia, as are pieces of the young rhizome
packed in water inside glass jars. However, nothing quite matches the inimitable jungle fragrance
of fresh galangal.


Botanical Family : Zingiberaceae
Thai name : Kha
Malaysian name : Lengkuas
Indonesian name : Laos

Ginger ( Zingiber officinale )

Around 400 members of the ginger family grow wild in tropidal Asia, but this particular
variety is the one universally known as ginger. Two forms of the common edible ginger
are found in Asian markets : young ginger has very thin skin, is pale yellow and has pinkish shoots
with green stalk ends, while old ginger is beige-brown with a thicker skin. This should be
scraped off with a knife before using.

Young ginger is more tender and juicy than the mature rhizome, so it is prefferd for grating or pounding
to extract the juice, a popular marinade with Chinese chefs.
It can be eaten raw, and is also pickled ( a treatment very popular in China and Japan ).

Mature ginger, although sometimes served raw in very fine sheeds, is more commonly cooked as
the flavour is more emphatic than that of young ginger.

Ginger is widely used for medicinal purposes throughout Asia, particularly to improve digestion
and to counteract nausea and vomiting.

Botanical family : Zingiberaceae
Thai name : Khing
Malaysian name : Halia
Indonesian name : Jahe
Tagalog name : Luya

turmeric

Turmeric
( Curcuma domestica )

A member of the prolific ginger familiy, turmeric is cultiviated for its flavour and
vivid yellow colour.In India, the rhizomes are dried and crushed to form powdered turmeric,
but in Southeast Asia, the fresh rhizome is generally preferred.

The juice extracted from crushed turmeric is favoured for giving bright yellow colour to
ceremonial rice dishes in Southeast Asia. It was also widely used as a dye for cloth,
but has been replaced these days by commercial dyes.

As the flavour and colour of fresh turmeric rhizomes is so intense, it is used in small
quantities, often no larger than the sizes of a pea. Care should be taken not to sain clothing
or utensils when using fresh turmeric.

Fresh turmeric leaves are used as a herb in some Malay and Indonesia dishes. In Thailand, young
shoots and inflorescences can also be cooked with eggs to make an unusual omelette.
The rhizome us used in folk medicine throughout the region.

Botanical Family : Zingiberaceae
Thai name : Khamin
Malaysian name : Kunyit
Indonesian name : Kunyit
Tagalog name : Dilaw

Historical Overview of Spices, Herbs and Aromatics

Spices have had a greater impact on the world than any other foodstuff. Fragrant cloves with their woody overtones, heady sweet cardamon, pungent black pepper, the nutmeg whose complex flavours burst forth when grated.
Spices have been used for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Indians and Chinese all held spices in great esteem, not only for flavouring food and as medicine but also as an ingredient in magic potions, breath sweeteners and to perfume the air. A few spices, as cumin which is native to Egypt, originated in the Middle East, but the majority grew in Asia, along the Malabar coast of India, in China and in parts of what is now Indonesia.

As can be imagined, by the time these spices had travelled as far as the markets of mediaeval Europe, the prices were astronomical and spice cupboards in homes that could afford such luxuries were kept under lock end key. It was in an effort to break the Arabian monopoly on spices provided to the Venetian markets and to therefore reduce their price that European explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama set out on their epic voyages across uncharted oceans.

It is interesting to note that coastal areas of Southeast Asia countries with a long history of contact with India show a much greater usage of spices in their cuisine than inland civilisations which had virtually no direct contact with the outside. One need only compare the richly spiced, complex dishes of Sumatra with, for example, the relatively simple food of Central Java.

China, even more than India, has influenced the cuisines of the region. Although Chinese trading junks have plied the seas for centuries, it was the immigrations of hundreds of thousands of Chinese to every part of Southeast Asia during the past century that had the greatest impact. Ingredients such as soy sauce, beancurd, bean sprouts and noodles were all introduced by the Chinese, as were spices native to China, particularly the cinnamon-scented star anise and cassia.

In today's world of modern transportation and international trade, spices are treated much the same as any other commodity. They are not only put to culinary use but incorporated in toothpastes, perfumes, cosmetics and soaps. The mistery and rarity of spices have virtually disappeared, but their magical effect on food and their ability to delight the palate remain unchanged.