Skip to main content

Posts

Pan-Asian Essentials: 8 Must-Know Ingredients

Pan-Asian cuisine is a vibrant tapestry of flavors, melding sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy notes. Whether you’re venturing into this culinary world for the first time or deepening your appreciation, here are eight key ingredients that give Pan-Asian dishes their unforgettable character. 1. Soy Sauce Description: A dark, fermented condiment made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and water. Importance: Umami Booster: Delivers a rich, savory depth to marinades and stir-fries. Versatile: Used as a dipping sauce, seasoning, and base for soups. 2. Fish Sauce Description: A pungent, salty liquid made from fermented fish, central to Southeast Asian cooking. Importance: Flavor Enhancer: Adds a distinctive salty and umami kick, essential in dishes like curries and salads. Authenticity: Integral to authentic Thai and Vietnamese recipes, balancing sweetness and spice. 3. Lemongrass Description: A tall, aromatic grass with a fresh, citrus-infused flavor. Importance: Brightens Dishes: Imparts...
Recent posts

Shrimp v/s Prawns - What's difference?

Shrimp vs. Prawn – What's the Difference?  Shrimp and prawns are both popular in global cuisines, but they're not the same, especially when it comes to anatomy, texture, and culinary usage. Here's everything you need to know — simplified for hospitality professionals and food enthusiasts. Key Differences: Shrimp and prawns are both crustaceans, but they belong to different suborders: Shrimp: Pleocyemata Prawns: Dendrobranchiata Shrimp usually have curved bodies, while prawns tend to be straighter in shape. Shrimp have 1–2 pairs of clawed legs, whereas prawns have 3 pairs of clawed legs. The shell of a shrimp is softer, while prawns have a slightly firmer and tougher shell. Shrimp offer a delicate, mild flavor, while prawns are often sweeter and meatier. Culinary Uses: Shrimp are ideal for: Grilled dishes Pasta and risottos Shrimp cocktails and tacos Salads and ceviche Prawns work best in: Bold, spicy curries Stir-fries with sauces Mediterranean stews Butter-garlic or tandoo...

What is HACCP? let's decode this

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – a fancy way of saying “let’s keep food safe at every step!” It’s like having a superhero team guarding your food from farm to fork. Here’s how it works, in everyday words: 1. Hazard Analysis What could go wrong? Think of all the possible bad stuff – bacteria, chemicals, or even a piece of plastic – that could sneak into food. We list them out so we’re prepared. 2. Critical Control Points (CCPs) Where do we stop the danger? These are the key moments in the kitchen or production where we must control the process – like cooking chicken to kill germs or keeping milk cold. 3. Critical Limits What’s the magic number? Every CCP has a limit – like “cook at 75°C or higher” or “keep below 5°C” – and we follow that rule, always. 4. Monitoring Procedures Are we following the rules? We keep checking – temperatures, timings, cleanliness – to make sure everything’s going right. 5. Correc...

Food restrictions for different religions

Hindus No beef, mainly vegetables, no alcohol.  Muslims No pork, no alcohol, no shellfish, halal meat ( requires a Muslim to be present at the killing).  Sikhs No beef, no alcohol, only meat killed with one blow to the head.  Jews No pork, meat must be kosher, only fish with fins and scales, meat and dairy produce not to be eaten together. Rastafarians No animal product except milk, no canned or processed foods, no salt added, foods should be organic.

What is Break Even Point ?

The Break even point is that point at which the organisation makes no profit and no loss. At this point revenue is just sufficient to cover all the costs without resulting in either a profit or a loss. 

Macarons

These small, round, sweet meringue-based cookie sandwiches with filling in the middle are light and crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. Macarons, which first appeared in Italy in 1533 (albeit without the filling), got their name from the Italian word  maccherone , which means  fine dough . They were originally made for the marriage of the Duke of OrlĂ©ans, who later became King Henry II of France. Food historians credit Pierre Desfontaines as the inventor of the macaron. He was the first to fill the cookies with a creamy ganache and stick them together, turning the humble almond cookie into the versatile treat we know today. Macarons are the most popular type of cookie in Paris, but they are popular throughout the rest of the world as well, and they appear with different fillings and in various sizes, colors, and flavors.

kimchi

Although many people get a chill through their spine at the very mention of the word pickles, Koreans have found a way to make fermented pickled vegetables interesting, tasty and titillating. A classic starter or a side dish to any Korean meal, these spicy, salty, sweet and sour vegetables known as kimchi start their way sliced, tied in bundles, and marinated in brine with hot chili peppers, salty fish paste, leeks, ginger, sugar, and garlic. Although the popularity of kimchi is still rising in the West, it is an ancient dish, dating about two thousand years back, when it was first mentioned in written documents. It was originally called chimchae, literally translated to soaked vegetables, because kimchi was soaked only in brine or beef stock in the past, but by the 12th century, other ingredients and seasonings began to be added to the pot. Nowadays, kimchi is made both in North and South Korea, the Southern version being more salty and spicy than the Northern one. Seasons...