Food and Cooking
Glossary
K
Kare-kare
Kare-kare is a Philippine stew or curry. Any Filipino fiesta,
particularly in the Tagalog region, is not complete without
kare-kare, which is made with a variety of vegetables. It is
made from a peanut sauce (sometimes spiced with chili), stewed
ox tail, goat, chicken or beef, bagoong and occasionally offal
or tripe.
Kebab
A kebab is essentially small chunks of meat threaded onto a
skewer and grilled or cooked over coals. Kebabs can be served
on their own with dips or sauces, with rice, or removed from
the skewer and used to stuff an open pitta bread.
Kebabs are part of the culinary tradition of the Caucasus, the
Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Asia,
as well as numerous other cuisines. Vegetables can be used instead
of or as well as meat. Kebabs are particularly good for barbecuing
because you can satisfy all kinds of tastes on a single skewer
- from veggie kebabs to chicken, lamb, beef or fruit.
Ketchup
Often called catsup in the US, this thick, slightly sweet and
spicy sauce is a traditional American accompaniment for French
fries, hamburgers and many other foods. It's usually made from
tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and spices, but other flavours such
as mushroom ketchup or various fruit ketchups are available.
Ketjap Manis
Also spelled kecap manis. Similar to dark soy sauce but sweeter,
this extremely rich, dark, syrupy sauce is used in marinades,
as a condiment or as an ingredient in Indonesian cooking. The
sweetness comes from palm sugar; other flavourings include garlic
and star anise. It's available from Asian supermarkets.
Kimchee
Kimchi, also known as gimchi or kimchee is a traditional Korean
dish of fermented chile peppers and vegetables, usually based
on cabbage. The Korean word seems to originally have meant "steeped
(or submerged) vegetable".
King Crab
King crabs, also called stone crabs are a family of crab-like
decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Their large
size means that many species are widely caught and sold as food.
Kingfish
The King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) is a migratory species
of mackerel that lives its entire life in the open waters of
the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. At present, king
mackerel are primarily marketed fresh. They may be sold as fillets,
steaks, or in the round (whole). Their raw flesh is grayish,
due to its high fat content, They are best prepared by broiling,
frying, baking or, especially for large ?Smoker? King, by smoking.
Kirsch
From the German 'kirsch' meaning cherry, this is a clear liqueur
distilled from cherries and their almond-flavoured stones, often
used in sponge cakes, for macerating and to flavour dishes containing
fruit. It's often added to fondue and is used in the dish cherries
Jubilee - poached cherries flambéed with kirsch.
Kiwano
An exotic fruit from New Zealand, also known as horned melon
or jelly melon. It has a bright yellow-orange skin covered in
stubby spikes and a pale yellow-green pulp with a jelly-like
texture and tangy flavour. It's a refreshing fruit to eat as
it is from the shell, or you can spoon the flesh into fruit
salads, over ice cream or use it in puddings.
Kiwi Fruit
The kiwifruit is the edible fruit of a Cultivar Group of the
woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and
other species in the genus Actinidia. It is marketed worldwide
as kiwifruit but is more commonly called kiwi in North and South
America and in Europe. The most common cultivars of kiwifruit
are oval, and about the size of a large hen's egg (5-8 cm long
and 4.5-5.5 cm diameter). It has a hairy, dull green-brown skin
that most people peel off before consumption. The flesh is bright
green or golden with rows of small, black, edible seeds. The
texture of the fruit is soft and the flavour is sometimes described
as a mix of strawberry, banana, and pineapple.
Knead
To work and stretch dough either by hand or using an electric
dough hook. The process makes the mixture smoother and softer
and develops the elasticity of the gluten. It also evenly incorporates
air and any additional ingredients at the same time. Depending
on the recipe (and your energy levels!) kneading usually takes
about seven to ten minutes.
Knish
A knish is an eastern-European snack food popular in Jewish
communities. A knish consists of a filling covered with dough
that is either baked or fried.
Kohlrabi
One of numerous members of the brassica family, a pale green
or purple, bulb-shaped vegetable that tastes a bit like a mild
turnip. It's grown more for its bulb-like stem than for its
greens leaves, although these can be eaten too if they're attached
when you buy it. Kohlrabi can be substituted for turnip in any
recipe, and is good steamed or boiled, sliced and stir-fried
and added to stews or soups.
Korma
Korma, also spelt qorma, is a mild curry, often made with yogurt
sauce, cream, or nuts. In some cases it is made with coconut
cream. Especially with chicken.
Kosher
Kosher foods are those that meet certain criteria of Jewish
law. Invalidating characteristics may range from the presence
of a mixture of meat and milk, to the use of produce from Israel
that has not been tithed properly, or even the use of cooking
utensils which had previously been used for non-kosher food.
Kulich
This is a ceremonial bread served for Easter in Russia. Kulichi
are baked inside large cans, its'' not a bread, and thus has
to be a unique form, usually tall & rounded. The topping
of the Kulich, by mixing confect. sugar with water and a squeeze
of lemon. This glaze is placed on the Kulich once it cools down.
Also, instead of using flour after buttering the inside form,
you should use bread crumbs. Once you serve the Kulich, you
should serve it with Paskha and painted eggs for Easter celebrations.
Kumquat
A small citrus fruit originating in central China but now cultivated
in the Far East, Australia and America. Kumquats - sometimes
called Chinese oranges - can be eaten whole, including the skin,
or used for pickling and preserves. They're as sharp in taste
as lemons. Choose small, shiny fruits. Wash and eat them whole,
poach them in sugar syrup and serve with ice cream, or use in
a fruit salad. They're particularly good in stuffings for poultry.
