Agar Agar (or Kanten)

You may come across this white powder (sometimes called kanten in recipes) and wonder what to do with it. It is 'vegetarian gelatine', produced from a seaweed from SE Asia (its name is the Malay word for jelly and the word repeated makes it plural) and has a few advantages over gelatine:

• it is odourless, tasteless and colourless

• it will set liquids quickly at room temperature and will stay set even in hot weather

• it is from a plant rather than animal origin (gelatine is usually made from the bones, hooves and horns of cattle)

• it may be used to help soothe digestive upsets and can give a feeling of fullness for people on low-kilojoule diets.

Use agar agar carefully as contact with cold will cause it to set instantly. Dissolve it (l tablespoon for every 4 cups of liquid) in hot water and stir well to dissolve or bring to the boil and simmer l minute. Mix into warm fruit or liquids and stir in well. Leave the mixture to set. This will occur as soon as the temperature reaches around 50C.

ANCHOVIES/SARDINES (or Ikan Bilis)

These small fish have always been popular because they add a distinct fishy taste to dishes and this is perhaps their main function, rather than to provide nutrition. Canned or bottled anchovies can be very salty and packed in oil and may be rinsed or patted dry before use to reduce these.

An alternative is to  use dried anchovies (ikan bilis). These are much tinier than regular anchovies (1-2cm) and are usually sold whole, dried and in packets, in Asian stores. To use, roast them in the oven, or fry them quickly with a tiny amount of oil in a heavy frypan until they are crisp. They are a traditional garnish for SE Asian dishes, but are good added to many recipes – scrambled eggs, salads or risotto.

Fresh sardines are now becoming available and these are delicious boned – just cut off the head, gut them if necessary, slit down the belly and press firmly, cut side down, on a board to loosen the backbone, which you then tear off using the tail as a handgrip. They may then be crumbed and lightly fried for 2-3 minutes depending on size, baked or grilled.

Arrowroot

The name for this powder, now used for thickening dishes, is said to have come from a Red Indian word aru aru meaning 'meal of meals' because it is so easily digested. Once used to treat poisoned arrow wounds, some say its name could have come from the Indian word araruta or flour root. Today it is especially good for those who cannot tolerate wheat or corn, taking the place of the more commonly used thickener cornflour. Use less though – l teaspoon to a cup of liquid ­ but treat it the same way. Dissolve it first in a little cold liquid before stirring into the rest of the hot dish. Bring it to the boil as you stir and add it at the end of cooking and do not overcook it as it loses effectiveness at prolonged high heat.

Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame, saccharin, cyclamates, and sucralose are all non-nutritive sweeteners that are the subjects of many tests and statements. Saccharin, 30 times sweeter than sugar, was banned then allowed again in the US, and cyclamates are still banned there.

Both are available in Australia. Sucralose is made from sugar, but is 600 times sweeter, has no joules yet tastes like sugar with no aftertaste. Aspartame, 180 times sweeter than sugar, has been declared safe by the USFDA, although tests and controversy continues. Its taste advantage is that it lacks the bitter after-taste of saccharine. Cyclamates are often added to saccharine to mask this flavour.

Asparagus

A member of the lily family, perhaps no food tastes more different fresh than canned. The tougher base of asparagus should not be used. Bend each spear near the base and the point where it snaps easily is the part to discard. If you use a microwave, a simple way to cook a bunch of asparagus is to stand it in a glass 1/3 filled with water and covered by a sandwich bag. Cook on Full Power for 2 minutes for bright green tender tips.

Asparagus is a diuretic and a laxative but it has been thought to soothe bee stings, improve eyesight, and even ease toothache. Its name probably comes from its feathery leaves which were once called 'sparrow-grass'. The stalks contain sulphur, so if you don't want to ruin the taste of your wines at a meal, add grated cheese when you serve it – to the asparagus, that is.
Use them:

• sliced and tossed through a stirfry
• dressed lightly with salt-reduced soya sauce, minced garlic and ginger
• lightly blanched and sliced with salads or pasta
  
  

Avocado (sometimes called Alligator Pear)

Why do they put Cholesterol Free stickers on avocados? No plant product has cholesterol, although some have saturated fats, and that is what the avocado growers should be telling the world: avocados contain a mono-saturated oil rather than a saturated one, and as such are right up the top of the list for goodies, along with olive and canola oils, in cholesterol-lowering diets.

From a tree that is related to the bay tree, avocados had their debut on the international scene when first served to Cortez in l519 in Mexico. The locals had been enjoying it there for about 8500 years, so it was about time to let the rest of the world try it. Avocado flesh also browns if exposed to air, so keep the cut sides covered or brush with lemon juice. Store them in a refrigerator, or ripen them at room temperature by putting them in a brown paper bag with an apple. Avocados are generally described as a fruit, even though mostly they are used in savoury dishes – salads, Mexican foods, dips, or with seafood – and there are different varieties that ripen during the year. Most common are the Fuerte which has a thin smooth skin, while the Hass has a rough purplish skin.

• mash the flesh with a little lemon juice and coriander to serve as a dip or sauce with Mexican foods
• mash it to spread on sandwiches
• while it may be cooked and served hot, prolonged heat will make the fruit bitter. Add near to serving time.