Glossary of Terms

Adobo -: Popularly regarded as the Filipino national dish; made of meat, poultry (or a combination of both) or seafoods in a dark, tangy sauce.
Bean Threads -: Also commonly referred to as long rice, fun see and cellophane noodles. These are fine dried noodles made from mung bean flour. Sold in packets. They should be soaked for 15 to 30 minutes in warm water before using in a recipe. They have a transparent look after being soaked.
Chili peppers -: Chili peppers vary. The hottest are the very small chilies and the larger the milder. Mature chili are not always red. the seeds are the hottest part of the chili. What makes them "hot" is capsaicin concentrated in the seeds and the inside membranes. In preparing chili paste, milder dried whole chili is sometimes called for in recipes. Dried chili mush be soaked in warm water for 5 minutes, then drained. Discard seeds. All immature peppers are green, but some mature green chili peppers never get red. If left on the plant they will turn yellow or red. Hot chili peppers dried and powdered produce cayenne. Milder red peppers are ground to produce paprika.
Fish Sauce -: This thin, translucent, salty brown sauce is an indiepensable flavoring in Filipino and Thai cooking. It is made by salting down small fish that are packed in wooden barrels. The liquid that "runs off" is collected, cooked and bottled as fish sauce. Though the odor is strong when uncooked, the flavor mellows upon cooking. Fish sauce is milder in flavor than soy sauce and is often used in place of salt.
Kamias -: A sour fruit usually used in sinigang. Also known as carambola or star fruit because it is star-shaped when cut crosswise.
Mint -: Thais use mint leaves in their salads, stir fried dishes and for grnishing. There are many different varieties of mint. If fresh mint is not available, simply omit it. Dried mint is not a good substitute.
Mushrooms, dried-Chinese black -: The flavor of these dried mushrooms is distinctive. Sizes reange from less than 1" to about 2" in diameter. They keep indefinitely when stored in tightly covered containers. Before using they must be soaked in warm water for 15 to 30 minutes. The best should be reserved for dishes in which the mushrooms are cooked whole. Less expensive mushrooms are perfect for recipes calling for slicing or quartering. Fresh mushrooms can be substituted, but are not as flavorful.
Sinigang -: A dish of meats or seafoods boiled with sour fruits to give it s tangy taste. Sour fruits commonly used are tamarind, kamias or guavas.
Tamarind -: Tamarind comes in green, ripe, dried, preserved, canned or liquid form. It has an acidic taste with a little sweet and sour flavor. Both the pulp and young tiney leaves are edible. Dried tamarind pulp can be soaked in warm water for 10 minutes. Squeeze the pulp into the water, then strain. Use the water in recipes. The longer the tamarind soaks the stronger the flavor of the liquid.