That Smells Good! - Asian Herbs and Spices 2 Quiz

Answer: Green Cardamom

Cardamom is a spice that comes from the same family of plants as ginger and is an important ingredient in Asian cuisine contributing to the flavour of both sweet and savoury dishes. Green cardamom, those little pods that you find yourself chewing on whilst enjoying a curry, are often bruised before use; this splits the skins and allows the numerous tiny black seeds inside to impart their wonderfully exotic fragrance and flavour to any dish to which they are added. Cardamom pods are also often chewed in the area of the sub-continent as a breath freshener.

Answer: Jaggery

Jaggery, although similar in many respects to pure palm sugar, is not made exclusively from the sap of a palm tree but is refined in the most part from sugar cane. The purity of jaggery can usually be garnered from its colour which ranges from a pale orangish honey colour, the purest, to very dark brown product which is often found mixed with ash and other substances. Jaggery is also available in a range of consistencies from soft and fudge-like in texture through to slabs of material so hard that they can only be used after being grated or sliced into small shards... Believe me when I say that you need a very sharp and very heavy blade to slice some forms of jaggery! This sweetener is added to many dishes to counteract the saltiness and spiciness, an integral property of the foods from this region and, of course, in other cuisines across the world.

Answer: Ajwain seeds

The seeds of the plant Trachyspermum ammi, also known as bishops weed or carom, are related to caraway. Ajwain seeds have a delicate aniseed and pepper-like flavour, a pungent thyme-like aroma and are similar in appearance to cumin seeds. Ajwain is believed to have its origins in north-eastern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean but much of the world's production now takes place in Iran and the Indian state of Rajasthan.

The striped greyish coloured seeds go particularly well with bland dough based products and are often used as a component in the seasonings for snacks such as the very popular Bombay mix.

Answer: Ginger

Zingiber officinale...This rhizome is found in its natural root form or as a fine powder. Ginger root freezes well provided it is protected tightly wrapped in kitchen foil before being placed in the freezer. Ginger possesses a sweet but fiery flavour and can easily overpower any dish if used too liberally. Personally, I like to add copious amounts of ginger to some of what I eat, especially grated into vanilla ice cream or sliced and fried with any number of seafood curry dishes.

Answer: Amchur

Amchur is a pale greenish-yellow powder that is an extract from the skins of green mango fruits and is usually added to some of the more bland dishes such as dhal and to some curries to which it imparts a pleasant sourness. Amchur is a very popular spice ingredient used in dishes from the northern regions of India.

Answer: Tamarind

This flavouring is obtained from the pods of the Tamarind tree and is used to impart a slightly sweet and intense tartness on the tongue. Tamarind pulp requires soaking in warm water and draining before use in order to remove the little, hard, black seeds. It can also be obtained as a paste that should, ideally, be diluted before use.

Answer: Star Anise

This decorative and pungent spice is an important component in the cuisine of China in which it is used in both its natural whole form and ground as a component of five spice powder. Star Anise is used in Indian cookery in some of the milder sauces such as Korma, into which it imparts a delicate aniseed like flavour, combining well with cream, almonds and coconut.

After cooking it is advisable to remove any whole star anise before serving; biting down on it can prove to be just a little uncomfortable, especially if you should have a loose filling or two!

Answer: Kala Namak

Kala namak, which translated means 'black salt,' is a volcanic rock salt that smells very strongly of sulphur. Because of its pungent odour, kala namak is not for everyone and it can take some time to become accustomed to it. However, once its odour has been overcome, this salt can become most useful to anyone following a vegan diet; added to tofu it realises a more than acceptable resemblance to scrambled eggs. Kala namak, which is also known as sulemani namak and kala loon, is a common seasoning used across southern Asia but particularly in Pakistan, the western states of India and in those countries of the Himalayan region.

Incidentally, this 'black' salt is not always black. I have a small container in my kitchen of kala namak which is actually a shade of greyish-pink.

Answer: Dagar na phool

Also known as stone flower or kalpasi, this fragrant lichen can be found growing on stones, walls and trees near fast flowing water; it has a slightly bitter cinnamon-like flavour and is popular in both Marathi and Awadhi dishes and especially in the cuisine of the Tamil Nadu region. Also known as Dagarful, it can be difficult to obtain in the West but may be substituted in many recipes by the use of cinnamon itself.

Answer: Kokum

The sun dried rinds of fruits of the mangosteen family are the source of the spice kokum. Kokum is used in a similar manner to tamarind in which it imparts an intense tartness to any dishes that it is added to. Kokum is a popular ingredient in the fish curries from the Kerala region of south-west India and is used in a similar manner to citrus zest or vinegar.

This flavouring also combines particularly well with sauces containing a high percentage of coconut. Before use it is important to remember that the dried kokum should be soaked in hot water for at least ten minutes.