Glossary of food ingredients P

Palm sugar	Made from boiled down sap of several kinds of palm tree, including the palmyra palm and the sugar palm of India, palm sugar ranges in color from pale golden to dep brown. It is sold in block form or in jars. Palm sugar is thick and crumbly and can be grated or gently melted before use. Soft brown sugar can be used as a substitute.
Panko (dehydrated bread crumbs)	Japanese dehydrated bread crumbs with a coarser texture than regular bread crumbs. Available at most supermarkets or oriental groceries. To make panko, use white bread and make coarse crumbs in the blender. Then dry crumbs slightly in the oven.
Papadum	As it is widely known, is a paper-thin wafer made of lentil flour. They should be fried in hot oil for a few seconds until they swell up and become crisp and golden.
Paprika	Paprika is a spice which comes from a mild red pepper in the family Capsicum annum. It is a brilliant red powder and often used as a garnish.
Parsley, Chinese (corlander or cilantro)	A leafy parsley with a pungent flavor. Use as a garnish. Also may be used to add flavor to most dishes.
Paw Paw, green	Green paw paw is an under ripe paw paw. It is commomly used in Asian salads and some soups or as a snack with sugar and chili. To shred green paw paw, peel and slice finely. Sometimes lightly blanched before shredding.
Pea Eggplants (Pea Aubergines)	Tiny pea eggplants or pea aubergines are sold in Asian stores. If you can't find them, use regular eggplants (aubergines) cut into chunks
Pepper	Pepper is the dried berry of Piper nigrum. This vine which can grow up to ten feet tall is indigenous to India and Asia. Pepper is actually berries that are picked about nine months after flowering. (This is true pepper, and should not be confused with paprika, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, red pepper, and bell pepper, which are fruits from the capiscum family.) Black Pepper, the spiciest, is berries that are picked unripe. The berries used for White Pepper are ripened on the vine and soaked so that their outer hulls are easily removed. Green Peppercorns are immature berries which are freezedried or packed in brine for preservation.
Petai	A tall species of the lowland forest in Asia, also known as Parkia Speciosa. The seeds encapsulated in a long pendulous pods of this species, are a local delicacy, despite its strong and slightly bitter aftertaste. The seeds can be eater raw, grilled or blanched. It is believed to be good in countering diabetes.
Plum sauce	This sweet-sour, jam like sauce is used in Chinese cooking and as a dip with fried meats and snacks. It is made from plumps, garlic, ginger, sugar, vinegar and spices.
Popadum	See Papadum
Poppy Seeds	Poppy Seeds are tiny nuttytasting, bluegray seeds inside capsules on Papaver somniferum, a yellowishbrown opium plant indigenous to the Mediterranean.

Food Glossary