Don’t wait a long time for our kitchen science popularization to meet everyone again. I wonder if your cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds during this time? Today, we don’t talk about frying, frying, frying, cutting, and other operations that require skilled actions. This issue can be described as a zero-based seasoning crash course. Using these small things can improve your cooking from the taste to the visual level-vanilla.
Of course, I’m not talking about vanilla pods from Madagascar, but various herbs represented by the Lamiaceae family. They are widely used in dishes, desserts, beverages, skin care products, or fragrance additives. Give it a special aroma. The definition of
spices is relatively broad. They are mostly dried plant fruits or rhizomes, which are mostly in the form of powder during cooking, or filter residue after stewing, which only changes the taste and color of the dishes. Vanilla belongs to one of these types. Because it contains volatile substances, most of the fresh leaves are used, and the dried aroma will be greatly reduced. In addition to seasoning, it also has a certain decorative effect, and is even used as an auxiliary material or even a side dish in some dishes.
Stir-fried meat with coriander, a famous dish in Northeast China, is full of coriander. Of course, coriander is considered vanilla, and coriander seed is also a very useful spice, we will talk about this later.
Warm reminder that
biological taxonomy is changing with the times, because we non-botanical professionals have no systematic learning experience and related knowledge reserves, and this knowledge will not be of any help to cooking...Gu this article It can only speak Chinese and English can not be specific to Latin scientific names. Please correct me if there are academic errors.
* Some pictures are from the Internet
Rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary can be described as the basic entry in the vanilla world. The principle of "have never eaten pork but have seen pigs run", even people who do not know how to cook can recognize steak. The small bunch next to it looks like a pine branch. It is not only delicious, but also beautiful in name. The song of Jay Chou in 2006 may have laid a mysterious and graceful foundation for Rosemary in the hearts of the masses.
rosemary has a woody aroma, like a mixture of pine needles and a touch of camphor, with a warm earthy flavor and a little bit of acridity. This smell is also in line with the climate characteristics of the original Mediterranean. Rosemary is often used in all kinds of meat cooking, especially beef and chicken. When cooking steak, just add black pepper and sea salt to form a delicate balance, allowing the fat and aroma of the beef itself to be maximized. This cooking method is fully enough to interpret "using the simplest ingredients to make delicious." Using only pepper, salt, rosemary, and olive oil, potatoes can be roasted with Michelin. If you use some garlic to marinate, you can make the chicken breast that is hard to avoid on your fitness road become warm and pleasant.
Rosemary is not only edible, but also has a lot of ornamental value. The blue and purple flowers are cute and not overly gorgeous, suitable for courtyard ground cover, filling the lower area and embellishment. btw, the edible use of rosemary's creeping or standing, short leaf or long leaf is almost the same, and the taste is very similar.
At the same time, it is also a very common essential oil plant. Rosemary has a mild scent. It is said to have a soothing and sleeping effect. If you have used related skin care products, you can give us an Amway if you think it is good.
Thyme
Thyme
Thyme has the same unshakable status as rosemary in the herb industry. There are many types of gardening, and all are edible. The leaves of ordinary thyme are short and compact, growing in clusters and spreading upward. It has a unique aroma, a bit of sweetness and a touch of ginger, which can cover up the smell of meat and make it fresh. Usually, you can take the upper fresh branches and leaves directly like rosemary, or use them backwards to discard the stems. The finely divided leaves sprinkled on the surface of the soup visually arouse appetite.
Personally think that thyme and tomato are the best match. Red sauce pasta, pizza, tomato soup, etc. can be added with thyme to adjust a soft taste curve.
Thyme ground plant can grow into a big flower ball, and it also has small purple flowers. The cold resistance in winter is also good. Even if it dries up, new buds can be re-germinated in the spring. There are many different varieties of thyme, and the taste is slightly different, such asThe fruit is only used for cooking to buy ordinary thyme.
oregano
Oregano
oregano, just listening to the name is really incomprehensible. what? Where is the cow? Usually the scenes that do not use Chinese name correction are referred to by transliteration, and it also has a famous and straightforward title-pizza grass.
I may not find the right words to describe the aroma of oregano. When the steaming Italian-style crispy bottom pizza enters my mouth, I feel the sweetness and sourness of tomatoes, the saltiness of cheese, the bitterness of arugula, and the pasta. The scorched aroma of Maillard reaction after baking at high temperature... Besides the delicate aroma, that is probably oregano.
Maybe you have large pieces of basil on the surface of your pizza, or scattered rosemary and thyme fragments. Even if you can’t see the oregano, it is still an important ingredient in pizza making. It just hides in the pizza. In the sauce. Even if the Italian blend of vanilla is used, the proportion of oregano in it is quite high. Its compound, jumping, with a hint of sweet aroma is prominent and not overly strong. Here is a critique of cloves by name. Unless you put less, the full pot will be full of its flavor.
The appearance of oregano is not very good, and the leaf shape and plant shape are not as beautiful and changeable as thyme. It is mainly used for food and cosmetics. Marjoram actually belongs to oregano, which can be understood as sweet oregano.
Basil
Basil
The above four are almost the four kings of the vanilla world. When it comes to basil, there will be boring disputes like "pineapple pineapple". I am here to explain clearly to everyone that the "nine-story pagoda" is "Ocimum", and what we generally call basil is actually Italian "sweet basil", and of course it is also Ocimum.
"So is the nine-story tower basil?"
is!
In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and bias towards most cooking habits, the nine-story pagoda refers to a type of basil with a more spicy taste. The leaves are usually flat, sharp and stretched upwards. In Vietnam such as locomotive beef noodles It is more common in dishes and other Southeast Asian diets, and it has a more pungent and stimulating taste than sweet basil. The sweet basil is relatively soft, with the leaves rolled outwards, tender green and shiny, with a hint of sweetness with a hint of grass mixed with cinnamon.
The representative of sweet basil must talk about the green sauce. The method is very simple. Just mash the basil leaves, slightly fried pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil together. Adding green sauce, a little salt and pepper to the cooked spaghetti can become a fast-handed delicacy that is close to zero failure without losing the sense of luxury. The seeds of
basil also have common names such as Lanxiangzi, Minglizi, etc. After soaking in water, the seed coat will expand to form a translucent polysaccharide layer. It was often used as an additive in some beverages in the last century. The texture of the pellets is fun to chew and is low in calories. It can be made into sugar water. If you are interested, please try it.
In addition, basil is an annual herb that will wither after completing a life cycle. The speed from seed germination to edible is still very fast, but it has no ornamental value and it is easier to attract insects.
Sage
Sage
Sage (Salvia L.) has many different species, but the only one used for cooking is "Salvia officinalis'Berggarten'", English "salvia" refers to Ornamental species, so "sage-sage grass" is more accurate as an edible herb.
sage has a compound aroma similar to a mixture of oregano and basil, but it lacks the spicyness of basil, but has a woody note like rosemary. When there is no seasoning inspiration, I will add a little sage Used instead of mixed vanilla. btw Sage also has the same incense-lighting purpose as wormwood.
did not find the source of the Chinese name "sage", perhaps because the slender and upright flower spikes resemble rat tails instead of leaves, or it may be a Latin transliteration. Baghdad sage leaves are very wide, and most ornamental species have very small leaves, beautiful flowers, and tallThe ornamental value of horticulture. Some of the small purple flowers you see on the side of the road are not necessarily lavender but sage, and of course it may be catnip.
mint
Mint
mint should be the vanilla that does not need to be introduced too much. There are many varieties and different flavors. The most familiar one is "wrinkled leaf spearmint" (see above picture), which is the standard "toothpaste flavor" ". Others such as peppermint, strawberry mint, etc. have their special aromas, but they are always inseparable from the cool base notes of mint.
Mint is used in the preparation of dishes, the first one that comes to mind is Yunnan cuisine mint beef, followed by various Southeast Asian dishes. Its most uses are the production of bartending and beverages, as well as peppermint candies and daily chemical products.
Nepeta
Nepeta
Nepeta
is generally called catnip (catnip), but in fact it is not peppermint but similar in shape. The leaves of Nepeta are mostly pointed oval, with small hairs on the surface and longer petioles. It has the aroma of sweet fruit hard candy, and the tea tastes very fragrant, but it is rarely used for cooking.
★The "Nepeta" eaten in parts of Henan Province is not Nepeta, but a kind of basil.
contains nepetalactone, which excites most cats and is ineffective to humans. Catnip also has very high gardening value.
Lemon balm
Melissa
Lemon balm, a genus of Melissa, is often sold as "lemon mint", and it is difficult for non-professionals to distinguish between species. It can be made in the same way as Nepeta tea. It has a refreshing lemon aroma, and the overall food value is not high.
Perilla
Perilla
The size of Perilla
can be described as the Big Mac in the Labiatrice. Although it is also vanilla, it is mostly used as an auxiliary material. Japanese tempura, Korean yakiniku, Chinese food can be fried as a side dish, and Western food can also be used for sauces. It has a special salty aroma, like a barbecue powder mixed with sesame and cumin.
Agastache
Agastache
Agastache
Agastache
Agastache
Agastache
Agastache has a sharp tip, the taste is very strong, the feeling of star anise is very strong, like a thirteen fragrance lacking a few spices. At present, it seems that it is only suitable for Chinese cooking, which can mask the earthy smell of freshwater fish.
Tarragon
Tarragon
Tarragon
Tarragon, also called Snake Artemisia, is said to have the title of "King of Vanilla". The taste is strong and peculiar, including basil and cumin, and even with a touch of cream.
Tarragon can be used in all kinds of French cooking, whether salad cold dishes or fried and roasted, as long as you can accept its breath. There is also a special drink "Tarragon Vinegar". Please try it with the sour flavor of wormwood.
Parsley
Parsley
French incense, parsley, parsley...there are so many names, perhaps the first time you saw it, it was in the Chinese restaurant at the family gathering of the last century. It joined hands with radish flowers and butterfly orchids. At that time...
has the unique taste of Umbelliferae plants, and the green grass aroma is slightly astringent. If you hate coriander and carrots, it will cause discomfort. It has a wide range of uses (of course, this includes Chinese dishes), such as sprinkling on the surface similar to the risotto in the above picture, buttery garlic baguette, various grilled meats and breads, mixed butter and so on.
Dill
Dill
is very similar to fennel and has a close biological relationship, but the taste of dill is sweeter and thicker. In Chinese cooking, fennel generally eats leaves, and is often made into stuffings such as buns and dumplings. The bulbs of fennel in western food can be used as a supporting role in cold salads.
Dill is often used in the tune of seafood dishesTaste, which has the effect of sweetening and removing fishy, its taste is still very strong. Mixed cheese or salad is also good, of course, it is a nightmare for people who don't like the taste.
bay leaf
Bay leaf
bay leaf is commonly known as bay leaf (and bay leaf in botany is another thing), dry can be found everywhere, but fresh bay leaves are rarely sold, and you have to plant one yourself if you want to get it. Fresh bay leaves are very sweet, with a mellow but not greasy fruit aroma. Fragrance will evaporate with drying, and the effect will be greatly reduced.
Lemon leaf
Lemon leaf
Lemon is not only good for fruit, but the leaves also have a high cooking value. Of course, the most representative one must mention Thai Tom Yum Goong. Putting lemon leaves in the soup can bring the most peaceful citrus notes, and at the same time it will not have a strong sour taste. Compared with the fruit itself, the leaves have a little more grassy aroma, but pay attention to the dosage, too much will increase the bitterness.
Lemongrass
Citronella
When it comes to Tom Yum, it must be citronella. Unexpectedly, they look like this in the ground.
Lemongrass has a lemon-like aroma but is softer, without irritating acid but a little more sweet, which is very common in Southeast Asian cuisine. It, along with arrow leaf orange and southern ginger, can be called the three major pieces of tom yum goong.
So far, the popularization of vanilla has come to an end. I hope it will be helpful to everyone's seasoning skills. I will summarize all kinds of spices in the next issue. Stay tuned~
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