Group Discussions
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GLOSSARY
3 years ago
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We now have members from around the world (Yay! 
), so I figure there're going to be ingredients posted that we're not all familiar with! 
If you post a recipe that contains something 'unusual', post a brief description here. And, if you come across any new & exotic ingredients (either here or elsewhere), post a query here, and I'm sure someone will know what they are, & will have used them before! (Oh, & don't forget to put the ingredient name as the subject of your post - one ingredient per post should keep things simple to find/follow!)
Asafoetida
3 years ago
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Asafoetida ([ah-sah-FEH-teh-dah], or asafetida, asafoetida powder, hing, devil's dung, ferula, foetida, food of the gods, heeng, imguva) seems to be most commonly used in Indian cookery, though it's a native of Iran. It's a white or yellowish, very pungent powder, which is used as a souring agent (but don't let that put you off!).
You should be able to get it from ethnic grocers or healthfood shops, but, if you can't get hold of any, substitue a little lemon juice, onion powder or garlic powder, or just leave it out. Don't use much of it! - an 1/8 of a teaspoon is plenty in a dish for four poeple.
TVP
3 years ago
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TVP
stands for 'Textured Vegetable Protein' (Sometimes known as 'Textured
Soy Protein'). They make it with what's left over after they extract
the oil from soya beans, so it's a very low fat food. This link will tell you more.
Most health- & whole-food stores carry it, & there are a few places online that should post it to you (It's dehydrated, so it's pretty lightweight). Try:
http://www.veganessentials.com/
Try to make sure you get organic though - that way it won't be from genetically modified soya.
Most health- & whole-food stores carry it, & there are a few places online that should post it to you (It's dehydrated, so it's pretty lightweight). Try:
http://www.veganessentials.com/
Try to make sure you get organic though - that way it won't be from genetically modified soya.
3 years ago
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Linda
I don't agree. There is no substitute for a pinch of hing.
I don't agree. There is no substitute for a pinch of hing.
3 years ago
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Niall, you're right. 
It was sacrilegious of me to even suggest it.
It was sacrilegious of me to even suggest it.
3 years ago
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Niall and Linda 
Oh you two!!! Ya, tis true 
there's no substitute for a pinch of hing. I rarely use it, but I have it in the cupboard all the time - just in case. It lasts forever.
One hint about hing or asafoetida for the uninitiate, though: Whatever container it comes in, don't trust it. I place my small plastic container of hing (which looks perfectly secure without further help or precautions) inside a small ziplock baggie. This is as a precaution in case somehow, through curious fingers, accident, gremlins, earthquake, whatever, the top comes unhinged (silly pun there) and the hing spills.
If that happens, you'll easily remember my motto: A little hing goes a long way; a lot of hing makes everyone go a long way 
Used sparingly - the teeniest weeniest pinch so that you wonder Why Bother - it makes a wonderful difference to those recipes which call for it!
Just my two annas worth.
River
Oh you two!!! Ya, tis true there's no substitute for a pinch of hing. I rarely use it, but I have it in the cupboard all the time - just in case. It lasts forever. One hint about hing or asafoetida for the uninitiate, though: Whatever container it comes in, don't trust it. I place my small plastic container of hing (which looks perfectly secure without further help or precautions) inside a small ziplock baggie. This is as a precaution in case somehow, through curious fingers, accident, gremlins, earthquake, whatever, the top comes unhinged (silly pun there) and the hing spills.
If that happens, you'll easily remember my motto: A little hing goes a long way; a lot of hing makes everyone go a long way Used sparingly - the teeniest weeniest pinch so that you wonder Why Bother - it makes a wonderful difference to those recipes which call for it!
Just my two annas worth.
River
GARAM MASALA
3 years ago
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GARAM MASALA is often used in Indian Cookery. It refers to a special hot spice mix, made according to the individual cook’s own personal blend, but would be mixed ahead of time and kept in a jar. It consists usually of cardamom, cloves, cumin, black pepper, numeg, cinnamon and perhaps mace.
There is a recipe for making it here on another thread at Vegan World Cuisine:
Spice mixes, pastes, etc.
It is added in small quantities to various dishes in addition to the other spices for the recipe - often sprinkled on at the end.
You can buy Garam Masal in ordinary supermarkets. These commercial brands are okay if you just need a sprinkle, but they use cheaper spices and lack the wonderful scent of the homemade versions. If you make your own - and it's really quite easy - you can keep it in a small jar in the cupboard until the next time you want it.
River
River
CURRY POWDER
3 years ago
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CURRY POWDER is an English invention. The English who went to India had these highly spiced dishes which they called 'curries' (meaning a gravied dish) which their Indian cooks prepared for them - probably not quite as they would have chosen to make them for themselves
When the English returned to their own country, many took with them a taste for 'curry' and the commercial Curry Powder was born - much easier to use than trying to buy individual spices at the time. In any case, they wouldn't have known how to mix the spices, not having recipes. With the commercial 'curry powder' they could add a tsp or two to stews and call them 'curries'.
Times have changed, and Indian dishes are more widely understood now. Alas, so-called 'curry powder' is still all too available and mistakenly used in lieu of the appropriate spices - different and in different proportions for each dish.
See our thread Indian Main Course and Side Dishes for more on the use of Indian spices!
River
When the English returned to their own country, many took with them a taste for 'curry' and the commercial Curry Powder was born - much easier to use than trying to buy individual spices at the time. In any case, they wouldn't have known how to mix the spices, not having recipes. With the commercial 'curry powder' they could add a tsp or two to stews and call them 'curries'.
Times have changed, and Indian dishes are more widely understood now. Alas, so-called 'curry powder' is still all too available and mistakenly used in lieu of the appropriate spices - different and in different proportions for each dish.
See our thread Indian Main Course and Side Dishes for more on the use of Indian spices!
River
3 years ago
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Curry powder?? 
Actually, I must ask my friend Preeti if she can extract her mum's family recipe for garam masala.
Actually, I must ask my friend Preeti if she can extract her mum's family recipe for garam masala.
Anonymous
Curry...
3 years ago
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Well... I'm going downstairs right now and make my recipe, because I use curry as a 'flavoring' and it is goooood. I'm sure it was curry... hmm....
be right back....
AARRRrrghhhh
Not that I really mind eating something after 7 p.m. when it tastes so gooood, but yes, curry is a delicious product all by itself in some soy mayo...but adding other things gives it its ethnicity.
Try mayo, quite a bit of curry and use it as a dip. WoW.
Yummy!.
PS the usual soy mayo calories per T.
Chana Dal
3 years ago
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Chana Dal is the same species as chick peas/garbanzo, but they're normally picked younger, & stored split rather than whole - hence the 'dal' bit of the name.
Toovar Dal
3 years ago
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Toovar Dal are shelled, split pigeon peas. Other common names are arhar, red gram, toor, togari, gandul, Congo pea, Gungo pea,no-eye peas.
Miso
3 years ago
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Miso is a traditional Japanese fermented soy product. It normally also has something like rice, barley or wheat added - so be careful which one you buy if you have gluten sensitivity. It's packed with B vitamins, but these are easily destroyed by heat, so when cooking add the miso at the last minute.
Easy ways to add it are either to remove a little of your hot sauce, soup, whatever, & stir the miso into it until it dissolves, then stir this back into the main pot; or, press the miso into the main pot through a sieve or tea strainer, so it breaks up & dissolves quicker.
Easy ways to add it are either to remove a little of your hot sauce, soup, whatever, & stir the miso into it until it dissolves, then stir this back into the main pot; or, press the miso into the main pot through a sieve or tea strainer, so it breaks up & dissolves quicker.
Yeast extract
3 years ago
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Yeast extract is fairly common in the UK (Natex, Meridian, Essential are common brands. Marmite too, but they're owned by Unilever .) and Australia (Vegemite), but it's becoming more common elsewhere. It's a by-product of beer brewing, & it's one of those things that you either love or hate the flavour of, but if you love it, it's fantastic spread on toast - just a small amount mind!
For vegans it's a great ingredient in stews, gravies, etc., & gives tham a much richer flavour. It's also an excellent source of B vitamins.
.) and Australia (Vegemite), but it's becoming more common elsewhere. It's a by-product of beer brewing, & it's one of those things that you either love or hate the flavour of, but if you love it, it's fantastic spread on toast - just a small amount mind!For vegans it's a great ingredient in stews, gravies, etc., & gives tham a much richer flavour. It's also an excellent source of B vitamins.
Jícama
3 years ago
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The jícama plant grows as a vine that can reach a height of 4-5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths of up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The root's exterior is yellow and papery, while its inside is creamy white with a crisp texture that resembles that of a raw potato or pear. The flavor is sweet and starchy. It is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon juice, and powdered chile. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Notable raw jícama dishes in China and Southeast Asia include popiah and salads such as yusheng and rojak.
Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. It is composed of 86-90% water; it contains only trace amounts of protein and lipids. Its sweet flavor comes from the oligofructose inulin (also called fructo-oligosaccharide), which the human body does not metabolize; this makes the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.
3 years ago
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That last post about jimica was excellent. i bought some at the local grocer and didnt really have any idea what to do with it.
Hi Phillipe!
3 years ago
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You should try the Jicama 'chips/fries' recipe - they're fantastic! 
Jicama's also nice just sliced or chopped into a salad.
Jicama's also nice just sliced or chopped into a salad.
3 years ago
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Thanks to Laurie for posting these in the 'Helping Vegetarians go Vegan' group. I thought they'd be useful additions to this thread:
Sweet potatoes & yams
2 years ago
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What's sold in most shops as 'yam' is actually just white sweet potatoes. True yams are a different vegetable. N.B. The
actually-sweet-potato yams are OK to eat raw, but true yams need to be cooked! Also, I think you're supposed to peel yams, but it's ok to eat the skin of sweet potato, even raw.
These are true yams:
This post was modified from its original form on 05 Apr, 10:53
These are true yams:
This post was modified from its original form on 05 Apr, 10:53
Kohlrabi
2 years ago
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Kohl Rabi gets its name from German: Kohl (cabbage) & Rabi (turnip). You can cook the base in any recipe that you'd normally use swede, turnip, cabbage or broccoli, but you can also eat them raw, especially the smaller ones - try some grated into a salad.
If you can find ones still with their leaves intact, buy these. The leaves are tasty & can be used instead of just about any other greens.
If you can find ones still with their leaves intact, buy these. The leaves are tasty & can be used instead of just about any other greens.
Anonymous
2 years ago
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Thanks for the veganpeace.com sites, Linda! I've bookmarked them for referral. I'm curious if anyone has developed a good list of complete proteins for vegans. I've started one for myself, but I'm sure there's a lot of whole foods that have complete proteins I don't know about.
So far, I've been surprised to find out what IS a complete protein -- like nutritional yeast, sprouted seeds and beans, quinoa, buckwheat, wheat gluten and hemp seeds.
So far, I've been surprised to find out what IS a complete protein -- like nutritional yeast, sprouted seeds and beans, quinoa, buckwheat, wheat gluten and hemp seeds.
2 years ago
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Thanks, Amelia! I never knew about those - I though soya was the only one. If you do manage to get a list together, we'd love to see it.
Nama Shoyu
2 years ago
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Nama Shoyu (Koikuchi or kijōyu) is a Japanese, unpasturised soy sauce. Like other Japanese soy sauces it contains wheat, so isn't gluten-free. Because it's unpasturised, many raw foodists will use it, since it's full of live enzymes and organisms like lacobacillus, even though it's made of soy & has been cooked.
Raw cashews
1 year ago
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Almost all cashews in the shops labelled 'raw' aren't! They're just unroasted. The shell of a cashew is toxic, so to remove it safely most companies heat process them. It's possible to remove it without doing this though to get truely raw cashews, and you can get these from specialist raw suppliers. It's well worth doing, since they taste so much better.
Shirataki noodles & konnyaku - Japanese
1 year ago
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Shirataki noodles and konnyaku are both made from Elephant Yam, AKA konjac. They're high in fibre and have zero calories!
They're both quite gelatinous, & konnyaku looks a little like tofu, but wobblier. They've got little flavour of their own, but the flavour they have is nice. You can get them from Japanese grocers, if you're lucky enough to have one nearby, but I'm afraid you can't seem to get them online. (Though you can get konjac root powder (glucomannan powder), if you're feeling adventurous enough to make your own.)
They're both quite gelatinous, & konnyaku looks a little like tofu, but wobblier. They've got little flavour of their own, but the flavour they have is nice. You can get them from Japanese grocers, if you're lucky enough to have one nearby, but I'm afraid you can't seem to get them online. (Though you can get konjac root powder (glucomannan powder), if you're feeling adventurous enough to make your own.)
Chia seeds
1 year ago
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Chia seeds
are amazing; They're a complete protein, & high in Omega-3. They
can absorb up to 12 times their own weight in water, and release their
soluble fibers, resulting in a gelatinous mass similar to tapioca
balls. This soluble fiber helps slow down digestion, & the
conversion of carbs to sugars, so they're great for anyone with
digestive problems or diabetics. They're also good at relieving
constipation though, so beware! 
Check out this article on living-foods.com about them - "It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during the conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a 24hr. forced march. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for seashells would only bring the Chia seed for their nourishment."
Check out this article on living-foods.com about them - "It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during the conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a 24hr. forced march. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for seashells would only bring the Chia seed for their nourishment."
Spiraliser/spiralizer/spiral slicer
9 months ago
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These are all one & the same thing - a device for cutting vegetables into long, very thin threads or thin, delicate spirals. The one I have looks like this:
You can see the long, spaghetti-like threads (the carrot) and the spirals (the cucumber & radish) in this thread. Great for garnishes, but even better in a raw food kitchen for making 'pasta'.
If you use one, make sure to cut your veg into chunks no more than a couple of inches long first. The spirals are so thin you can end up with spaghetti several feet long!
