Ingredients
Lemons grown in warm and sunny climates. In the US, they are a little smaller than a tennis ball. They have a zingy and citrusy taste that is sour and bright. The rind is yellow, textured and shiny. The yellow of the rind is called zest in cooking and used to flavor food. The pith, the white part of the lemon is bitter and not commonly eaten, though edible. The yellow pulpy and juicy flesh is used the most and adds a bright citrus flavor to any dish. Lemons are popular in many cuisines worldwide.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
There are many varieties of chili peppers. They are a small, hot pepper. The pepper is dried and ground into a fine powder, that varies in shades of red. Chili powder is a spice blend popular in American and Latin-American cooking. It is usually made from ancho chilies, paprika, oregano and cumin, other spices may be added. It is used in many protein dishes and has a spicy and herbal flavor.
Fenugreek seeds are a small and extremely hard seed. They have a rough square shape and are smaller than an apple seed, with a beige color. When exposed to water these seeds slowly soften and offer a flavor that is sweet and nutty, much like a cross between maple and celery. Fenugreek is used in Indian cuisine as a spice and can be found in various cuisines around the world.
Asafoetida is a spice, commonly used in Indian cuisine. Asafoetida is sold as a powder and sometimes as a paste. Its smell is pungent and and its color is a pale yellow. The flavor lends to dishes and creates a satisfying taste that is similar to the effect that garlic and onions give in boosting the flavor of a dish.
Turmeric is the root of a flowering plant and is used as a spice. The root is woody, but easy to cut and looks similar to ginger. Rather than growing in clusters, each root is a several or so inches long, cylindrical and 1 or more inches in diameter. The thin skin is a brownish-orange and protects the inner root which is bright orange, like a carrot. Turmeric dyes everything it touches and leaves a golden color. The flavor is earthy, pungent and slightly bitter. It has numerous uses, including flavoring and coloring food.
Sesame oil is pressed and extracted from sesame seeds. Sesame is a tiny seed with an earthy and nutty flavor. The sesame ranges in neutral colors from white to black. Raw sesame oil is yellow. Roasted sesame oil is a light to medium shade of brown. The raw, or non-roasted oil has a milder taste than the roasted variety and is more multi-purpose, whereas the oil from roasted sesame seeds lends a deep, earthy flavor that pairs well in East Asian dishes and is used as a flavoring.
