Being exposed to a wide range of new ingredients and products, I have decided to share a few of these amazing new products. Most of these products are widely used in Asian Cuisine and can only be found in certain stores that specialise in Asian Cuisine. I have included the traditional name as well as a rough translation of what each item actually is.  As time goes on and I become more familiar with these ingredients I will post some of my own recipes. So keep an eye out for those in the next month or so. Hope you all learn something new and put it to use next time you make a Asian fest for your Family or friend. Or even if you just able to identify those ingredients you never knew on the menu at you favourite Asian restaurant. 

Ingredients List 

1. Takano Stame - Dried Chilli
2. Kochukaro- Red Pepper flakes 
3. Szechuan Povar - Mixture of Spices native to the Szechuan Province of China 
4. Hondashi Gyomuyou - concentrated grains of bonito flakes used for flavouring 
5. Itogaki Katsuo - Fine shaved Bonito Flakes 
6. Shisen Tobanjan - Assorted Chilli Paste 
7. Moniji Orashi -Chilli Paste 
8. Hoisen Sauce - Thick sauce made from soy beans, vinegar, sugar, garlic and various spices
9. Goma Abura - Sesame Seed Oil 
10. Nata mame no Hanna - Prepared sword bean blossoms 
11. Yuzu Kusho - Spicy citrus paste (yuzu, Japanese citrus fruit similar to lemons in appearance) 
12. Nagai’s Aonori Ko - Prepared Sea Weed
13. Kozuru Zero - 0% Saki (Rice Wine) 
14. Matcha Midori - Green Tea 
15. Layu - Sesame seed chilli oil 
16. Kaiso salad - Sea weed salad 
17. Me hijiki - Sea weed (fine black) 
18. Saitaku sushi nori - sushi sea weed sheets 
19. Yakisushinori - sushi nori (roasted, Gold brand)
20. Itagaki Katsuo- shaved Bonito 
21. Fueru wakame - seaweed mix dried
22. Katsuo kombu awase dash - seaweed crushed dried bonito & kelp 
23. Kewpie (QP) - Sushi mayo 
24. Karashiko - Mustard powder 
25. Harusame - Cellophane noodles or Glass noodles made from starch and water
26. Dried Vermicelli noodles - Type of Rice noodles
27. Dashi kombu - Dried seaweed/ family of Kelp
28. Mizu Ame - Liquid Candy used as a sweetener (Millet Jelly)
29. Tankatsu Sauce - Thick brown sauce similar to HP sauce.
30. Mamenori San Goma - Soy bean sheets for sushi 
31. Rayu - Chilli infused vegetable oil 
32. Masago - Capelin roe
33. Negi - Japanese leak, mistaken for green onions 
34. Kanikama Mix - Artificially flavoured crab sticks made from white fish.   
35. Yamaimo - White Japanese yam/ wild yam
36. Sansho pepper - Powdered berry like fruits from the prickly ash tree. (Shuan Pepper)
37. Miso - Fermented Soy Beans 

Choux pastry is a great recipe to have in you cooking arsenal, it is a versatile product that can be used for sweet and savoury dishes. Depending on your piping capability you will be able to pipe eclairs, profiteroles, choux buns and even choux pretzels. Making classic pastries such as Croquembouche, St. Honore, éclaires, Choux Swans and Paris-brest. If you are more of a savoury person, use all of  the classics and use them in savoury applications. For example instead of filling the profiteroles with creme patisserie, use a fulling of cream cheese, smoked salmon and dill. Or use the St. Honore as a base for your next sautéed  Mushroom medley with fresh ribbons of baby asparagus and a mushroom stock Veloute. Or the next time you want to make your own gnocchi, you will be able to make your own Choux pastry. Choux pastry truly has an endless amount of uses that can make your next dinner party that bit more Extraordinary. 

Recipe

•  250g water
  
• 75g butter
  
• 150g plain flour
  
• 180g egg (scramble eggs and then weigh) 
  

Method 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 220C/482F
2. Start by adding your water and butter into a medium sized sauce pan and bring to the boil.
3. Sift flour to prevent lumps in your pastry 
4. Once butter is completely melted remove from the heat and then add in your flour.
5. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir the mixture till it becomes a smooth paste with no flour lumps.
6. Once there are no lumps, and then allow to cool down slightly.
7. Now gradually add in your egg mixture while you vigorously stir the mixture to prevent egg from coagulating. 
8. Once all your egg mixture has been mix in, you should have a smooth some what firm mixture. 
9. Place into your piping bag and pipe onto silicone paper into the shape you desire. (to prevent silicone paper moving around the baking tray, use some of the pastry to glue it down.) 
10. Before you place the tray into the oven sprinkle some water over the tray to help the pastry to puff up nicely. 
11. Keep in the oven for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 
12. Remove and allow to cool down, one cooled use in desire application. 

So I have been looking around a bit for interesting things which are currently happening in the culinary world. Something that really stood out to me was a product called "Smart Knife", which in essence is a knife with software and sensors build into the blade. These sensors  gives you information about the product which you are cutting. Some of the information which is gives you is how fresh the product is, the amount of vitamins and minerals in the product and bacteria levels to name but a few things. It also gives off negative ions with in return prolongs the freshness of the products you are cutting as well as prevent oxygenation of certain fruits. This is still in the development and experimental stage of production from what I can understand. If you would like to find out more about this wonderful product go have a look at the link below.  

Information from: http://electroluxdesignlab.com/en/submission/smart-knife/