Glossary of terms
| Archar |
A vegetable pickle (Indian) |
| Akagai |
Cockle (Japanese) |
| Al dente |
Term to describe cooked pasta that is soft but firm to the tooth (Italian) |
| Aloo gobi |
Potato and cauliflower dish (Indian)/td> |
| American lobster |
Also called Boston lobster, it is identifiable by a presence of front claws |
| Amuse-bouche |
A tasty starting tidbit sent by the chef (French) |
| Anago |
Conger eel (Japanese) |
| Antipasto |
A course of hors d'oeuvres [plural: antipasti] (Italian) |
| Aoyaki |
Round clam (Japanese) |
| Armagnac |
The oldest brandy from France, named after the region in which it is made |
| Aspic |
Savoury meat jelly used as a garnish or to contain game, eggs, etc |
| Au gratin |
Dish covered with breadcrumbs, butter and/or grated cheese and baked until brown (French) |
| Au jus |
"In its own juice," used to refer to the serving of meat (French) |
| Awabi |
Abalone (Japanese) |
| Bak chang |
A local rice dumpling filled with savoury or sweet meat and wrapped in leaves |
| Bak kut teh |
A local pork-rib soup which has hints of garlic and Chinese five spices |
| Béarnaise sauce |
Sauce made from egg yolk, butter, shallots, wine, vinegar and herbs (French) |
| Béchamel sauce |
A white cheese and butter sauce (French) |
| Beef rendang |
Beef stewed with spices and coconut milk (Malay/Indonesian) |
| Belachan |
Fermented prawn paste used as a condiment in local cuisine |
| Bhindi |
Okra or lady’s finger (Indian) |
| Bird’s nest |
The edible nest of various small swifts or swallows of southern Asia, made chiefly of glutinous secretions from their salivary glands |
| Biryani |
A dish of basmati rice and meat, seafood or vegetables (North Indian) |
| Bittergourd |
A bitter-tasting vegetable |
| Bok choy |
A variety of Chinese cabbage that grows like celery, with long white stalks and dark green leaves |
| Bouillabaisse |
A spicy Provencale fish stew (French) |
| Bourguignon |
Burgundy style, meaning cooked with red wine, mushrooms, bacon and onion |
| Brinjal |
Aubergine (Indian) |
| Bruschetta |
Toasted bread topped with tomato, garlic, basil and parmesan cheese (Italian) |
| Buah keras |
See candle-nut (Malay) |
| Caesar salad |
Romaine lettuce with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese in a garlic-flavoured olive oil vinaigrette, sometimes with anchovies or bacon |
| Canard |
Duck (French) |
| Candle-nut |
Called “kimiri” in Indonesian and “buah keras” in Malay, it is a smallish white-fleshed nut, shaped like a hazelnut |
| Capers |
The flower buds of the caper plant, which are pickled and used as a condiment |
| Cardamom |
The seed pods of a member of the ginger family, used as a fragrant spice in North Indian and Moghul dishes |
| Carpaccio |
Thinly sliced raw beef fillet, served with olive oil, lemon juice and par mesan shavings (Italian) |
| Cep |
A type of mushroom |
| Char kway teow |
A local dish of broad rice noodles fried with a dark, sweet sauce and cockles, Chinese sausage, prawns, bean sprouts or fish cake |
| Char siew |
Sweetish barbecued pork (Chinese) |
| Chendol |
An Asian dessert made with a mixture of red kidney beans, jelly, coconut milk and brown sugar syrup topped with ice shavings |
| Cheng tng |
A dessert consisting of a bowl of syrup with pieces of herbal jelly, barley and dates (Singaporean) |
| Chèvre |
Goat’s cheese (French) |
| Chicken rice |
A local dish made of rice, which has been boiled in chicken stock and ginger, served with steamed chicken slices |
| Chilli padi |
An extremely hot variety of small chilli |
| Choy sum |
A popular Chinese green vegetable, served steamed with oyster sauce |
| Chutoro maguro |
A cut from the outside of a tuna’s belly (Japanese) |
| Ciabatta |
Crusty bread made with olive oil (Italian) |
| Clay-pot rice |
A rice dish cooked in a clay casserole with pieces of chicken, Chinese mushroom, Chinese sausage and soy sauce |
| Congee |
Chinese porridge |
| Couscous |
A fluffy, small-grained wheat semolina used like rice in Middle Eastern cuisine |
| Crème brulée |
A cream or custard dessert covered with caramelised sugar (French) |
| Crème caramel |
A dessert made of eggs, sugar and milk topped with caramel (French). Also known as Crema Catalana (Spanish) |
| Crèpe |
Thin, sweet pancake (French) |
| Daikon |
A large white radish (Japanese) |
| Dhal |
A dish of pureed lentils (Indian) |
| Dhosas |
Light, crispy, jumbo-sized pancakes brimming with potatoes, onions and spices |
| Dim sum |
Sweet and savoury buns, dumplings and mini dishes served at breakfast and lunch |
| Di wang |
A leafy Asian vegetable |
| Dolmades |
Vine leaves rolled and stuffed with mint-spiced rice (Greek) |
| Dow see |
Fermented salted black beans (Chinese) |
| Drunken prawns |
A delicacy in which live prawns are placed in Chinese wine and then steamed (Chinese) |
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