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Resplendent Rhubarb

rhubarb
Oh, rhubarb. While a stalk of asparagus or bunch of ramps may inspire foodies to rhapsodize about the promise and bounty of spring, it's rhubarb that so neatly captures the caprice and delicacy of the new season. Treat the green and fuchsia stalks right and they'll reward you with bright, sweet-tart benevolence. Do them wrong and risk the slings and arrows of sour mush. The line between edible and execrable is a precarious and fine one, and should be approached with caution.

Find an eminently edible recipe after the jump.
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Filed under: Ingredient Spotlight, Ingredients

Vietnamese Coriander - Ingredient Spotlight

vietnamese corianderIt looks like basil and smells like lemon, but this emerald green herb is actually a member of the buckwheat family. Native to Southeast Asia, Vietnamese coriander is used much like cilantro, its close cousin, flavor-wise. In Vietnam, it's used fresh in salads and summer rolls or cooked in soups and stews. In Singapore, it's is known as laksa leaf and is one of the main flavorings in a pungent curry noodle soup called laksa. You can find Vietnamese coriander in many Asian markets in the United States. Use it in stir fries, or try tearings bits of it into hot chicken soup with lime and chili for a pho-like flavor.

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Duku - Ingredient Spotlight

duku
Wikipedia

Imagine if grapefruits turned greenish, shrank to the side of golf balls and lost their hard pith. That's the duku for you. Lansium Duranum, known in various languages as langsat, lansone, kokosan, gadu guda, lon bon and longkong duku grows throughout the tropical zones of Asia. They grow in clusters on trees, and are usually bought by the bunch. To eat a duku, cut it in half and simply squeeze until the fleshy lobes pop out of their jackets. It tastes remarkably like grapefruit, though some find it even more bitter (I don't). Duku are not widely available in the US (have any of you seen them?) but are ubiquitous in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia.

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Pandan - Ingredient Spotlight

pandan leaves

Pandan is the leaf of the Pandanus amaryllifolius plant. It's ubiquitious in Southeast Asian cooking, especially in desserts. Pandan is used in curries and meat dishes, wrapped around chicken and fried, used to perfume rice and to flavor cakes, ice creams and popsicles. Light green pandan cakes are a popular dessert in Malaysia and Indonesia, similar to a chiffon cake. Pandan leaves are also woven into baskets baskets, which can be used for serving food. Pandan is not readily available in the U.S., which is why it's rarely seen on menus, but can sometimes be found frozen in Asian markets.

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Ingredient Spotlight: Jackfruit

jackfruit

Jackfruit, popular in Indian, Southeast Asia and parts of South America, are the largest fruits in the world. These green, spiney specimins can weigh up to 80 pounds and be three feet long. The jackfruit exterior is inedible, but its yellowish-orange, seed-filled interior lobes are starchy and sweet. I think the flavor is a bit like sweet potato with a hint of sulfur (better than it sounds). Young jackfruits have a crisp, crunchy texture; more mature jackfruits head towards mushy. Ripe jackfruits are commonly used in desserts; young green jackfruits are popular in curries, salads and stews.

Check out this site for some jackfruit recipes, though be aware that the fruit is hard to find in the U.S. Your best bet is to use canned, available in many Indian markets.

Filed under: Ingredient Spotlight, Ingredients

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