A Glossary of Asian Cuisine

Bonito Flakes: Flakes of dried, smoked bonito tuna. Used as garnish on

soups and sushi rolls and to make stock; they have a smoky flavor.

Edamame: Boiled green soybeans; nutty and very nutritious. Often used
shelled in salads or served in their pods with salt and soy sauce.

Eel Sauce: A sweet and salty sauce, akin to a strong teriyaki. Made with
eel eggs, soy sauce and sugar. Much more delicious than it sounds, it is
drizzled on sushi and rice dishes.

Galangal: Similar to ginger in texture and taste, it has a more peppery

flavor. Used in soups, curry pastes and stir -fries.

Gyoza: Or in American: potsticker. Dough filled with a meat or veggie

filling, either pan-fried or steamed, usually eaten with soy-vinegar sauce.

Nori: Sheet-thin seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls and as a garnish in

soups. Also can be bought in squares and eaten as a healthy snack.

Nigiri: Traditional type of sushi; made up of fresh, sliced fish atop a

small oval clump of sushi rice. Best served at room tempera ture.

Ponzu: A thin, tart, citrusy sauce. Very versatile, it is often used as a

dipping sauce atop chopped meat or fish (tataki) or as a salad dressing.

Sashimi: Slices of raw, fresh fish, most commonly salmon or tuna. Often
expensive but a real delicacy.

Tempura: A light, airy batter often used to coat vegetables, fish and
sometimes even ice cream!
Thai Basil: Sweet basil with a peppery, licorice-like taste; it adds flavor
to Thai red and green curries as well as noodle dishes and is served raw
as an accompaniment to Vietnamese pho.

Uni: A Japanese delicacy, uni is raw sea urchin roe. Known as an

“acquired taste.”

Toro: Often the most expensive item on the sushi menu, toro comes from
the fatty belly of bluefin tuna. The high fat content means it has a
buttery, rich flavor.

ASIAN FOODS GLOSSARY

Adzuki [a-ZU-ki]: Also called azuki, aduki, or red mung bean. This red, pea-sized bean
is often boiled with sugar to make red bean paste, a common ingredient in many sweets
(like Chinese zongzi or mooncakes, or Japanese dorayaki), as well as sweet red bean
soup.

Amchoor [am-CHOR]: Also called mango powder, although it doesn’t taste sweet like
mangoes. Unripe mangoes are dried and ground to make this sour and tart spice
powder, used in many Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.

Chaas [CHOO-s]: A popular Indian yogurt drink, sometimes called “buttermilk” in India.
It comes in many variations, and can be served plain or spiced.

Chapati [chuh-PAH-tee]: Also known as roti, safati, shabaati, and roshi. This
unleavened whole wheat flatbread is commonly in South Asian countries like India and
Nepal.

Congee [KON-jee]: Like a soupy version of Italian risotto, congee is a comforting rice
porridge served throughout Asia. It can be served at any meal of the day, either plain or
with toppings like meat or fish. This is the go-to dish to eat when you’re ill, like chicken
noodle soup is in the West.

Dim sum [DIM-suhm]: Similar to Spanish tapas, dim sum describes a selection of
various sweet or savory dishes in small portions, often served with tea. The dishes are
usually hidden away in small steaming baskets and include things like steamed buns,
taro cakes, and steamed rice flour rolls.

Donburi [DOHN-boo-ree]: A typical Japanese meal where rice is served in a large bowl
with a variety of cooked toppings, such as beef, pork, fish, tempura, and/or vegetables.
Furikake [fu-RI-ka-keh]: A dry Japanese seasoning, usually made from a mixture of
dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped dried seaweed, sugar, and salt. It is commonly
sprinkled over cooked plain rice.

Galangal [GAL-uhn-gal]: Like ginger, galangal is a rhizome, or a stem that grows

underground, with a thin, rough skin that must be peeled before using. Widely used in
Thai cooking, galangal has a fresh flavor and gentle heat, with a pine-y, citrus taste.

Ghee [gee]: A type of clarified butter (butterfat without the water and milk solids) that
originated from the Indian subcontinent and is widely used in dishes from South Asia
and Middle East.

Gomashio [go-MA-shi-o]: Also spelled as gomasio. It is a type of furikake made from

sesame seeds and salt. It is typically sprinkled over plain rice, steamed sticky rice with
adzuki beans (sekihan), or onigari. Some varieties are sweetened.

Kimchi [KIM-chee]: A typical Korean side dish made from salted, fermented vegetables
(usually napa cabbage and Korean radishes) and flavored with mixed seasonings
(usually chili powder, scallions, garlic, ginger, and salted seafood). Kimchi has many
variations and can be served either as a garnish to meals or as a main dish on its own.

Kombu [KOHM-boo]: A type of seaweed widely eaten across East Asia, can be used to
make soup (dashi), kombu tea, or can be added to beans while cooking to help
digestion.

Kumquat [KUHM-kwot]: A small, olive-sized fruit that closely resembles an orange.

Unlike oranges, kumquats are eaten skin and all, as the skin is slightly sweet, while the
flesh is slightly sour.

Laksa [LAK-sa]: A spicy rice noodle soup commonly found in Southeast Asia. The dish
is prepared from a base of curried coconut milk or sour tamarind, and is usually made
with chicken, shrimp or fish.

Lassi [LAH-see]: A popular Indian beverage made with yogurt and water. Traditionally it
is mixed with spices like cumin, but can also be sweetened with fruit like mango instead
of using spices.

Longan [LONG-guhn]: This aromatic, golf-ball sized fruit is also called dragon eye fruit,
because when peeled and cut in half, the dark pit inside of the round, milky colored fruit
somewhat resembles an eye.

Lotus root [LOH-tuhs ROOT]: Commonly used as a vegetable in soups and in deep-
fried, stir-fried, and braised dishes in China, Korea, and Japan. When cut into rounds,
lotus root reveals holes inside that make it look like a snowflake. Lotus root tastes
slightly bitter, and has a crispy texture like jicama.
Lychee [LEE-chee]: A sweet, fleshy stone fruit native to China that is used in desserts
or enjoyed fresh. About the size of a big grape, lychee has an inedible outer skin that
can be easily peeled off.

Makizushi [MAH-kee-zoo-shi]: Also called maki, this dish is what comes to mind when
most people think of sushi: rice and seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables.

Makrut (Kaffir) Lime Leaves [muh-KROOT lie-m leevs]: Makrut lime leaves bring an
intense citrus and floral flavor to Southeast Asian cuisine. Previously referred to as
Kaffir, now considered a racial slur, Makrut lime leaves, like bay leaves, are often
bruised and added whole to dishes while they cook and later removed, as their texture
can be tough.

Mangosteen [MANG-guh-steen]: Not related to a mango at all, this Southeast Asian

tropic fruit has a sweet, tangy fibrous flesh, and a hard, inedible outer skin.

Mantou [MAN-toh]: Also known as Chinese steamed bun. It is typically cloud-shaped

without fillings, and is popular in Northern China. A sub type of mantou called baozi is
filled with either sweet (red bean paste) or savory (meat and vegetables) fillings.

Mapo tofu [MA-puh TOH-foo]: Originated in Sichuan province in China, this dish
consists of tofu and minced meat cooked in a very spicy, chili and broad bean sauce
(douban).

Natto [NA-toh]: Fermented soybeans with a strong smell and distinct flavor, most
popular in the eastern regions of Japan.

Nigiri [ni-GEE-ri]: A type of sushi that simply includes sliced raw fish on top of sushi
rice, without vegetables, sauces, or other ingredients.

Paneer [puh-NEER]: A fresh cheese (similar to cottage cheese) common in South Asia.
It is prepared by adding lemon juice or vinegar to heated milk.

Rambutan [RAM-boo-tan]: A fruit with a spiny red skin and a sweet, mildly acidic juicy
flesh. It is native to various regions of tropical Southeast Asia.

Sake [SAH-keh]: A popular rice wine in Japan that can be served either hot or cold.

Sashimi [sah-SHEE-mee]: Fresh raw fish served in thin slices, often seasoned with soy
sauce, wasabi, and grated ginger at the table.

Satay [sah-TAY]: Grilled meat served on skewers, typically sprinkled with various spicy
seasonings and eaten with soy and peanut sauce. It is commonly found in Indonesia
and Malaysia.

Somen [SO-muh]: White Japanese noodles similar to the size of angel hair pasta. They
are made of wheat flour, and are usually served cold and eaten with a dipping sauce
called tsuyu.
Takoyaki [TA-koh-yah-ki]: A popular Japanese snack where wheat flour dough balls are
filled with minced octopus, tempura scraps, and flavorings of green onions and pickled
ginger. Commonly serve in a ‘boat’ made of paper and topped with mayonnaise
and takoyaki sauce.

Tamago [TA-ma-goh]: Japanese-style layered omelet that can be served as a

breakfast, a side dish, or on sushi rice. Unlike Western omelets, there are usually no
vegetables or flavorings added in between layers.

Tempeh [TEM-pay]: An Indonesian staple source of protein made from fermented

soybeans. Unlike tofu, it has a firm texture and is usually sold as a cake or block.

Tom Yum [TOM YAM]: A spicy, sour soup popular in Laos, made with herbs like
lemongrass, and often served with meat or seafood.

Wagashi [wa-GA-shi]: A collective name of traditional Japanese sweets that are

typically made of rice flour and served with green tea. The shapes, ingredients, and
tastes of wagashi vary greatly across regions and differ in different seasons. Some
famous types include: mochi, daifuku, manju, yokan, and dorayaki.

Xiao Long Bao [SY-ow LONG BOW]: Also called “soup dumplings,” these are a type
of baozi (steamed buns with fillings) that originated from the Jiangnan region of China.
Xiao Long Bao are traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets, and can be filled with pork
or minced crab meat and fish roe. There are different variations of Xiao Long Bao
across different regions, but most are filled with broth.

Zongzi [ZONG-zee]: A traditional Chinese festival food intended for the celebration of
the Dragon Boat Festival. It is made of sticky rice with various fillings (either sweet or
savory) and wrapped in bamboo leaves, then steamed or boiled.