Ivy gourd. A small crunchy gourd reminiscent of a gherkin, green ripening to red, popular in the cuisines of India, Thailand, Indonesia and other South East Asian countries. The shoots and leaves can also be eaten.
Safflower. A thistle-like plant which is a major producer of a high polyunsaturated, flavourless, colourless oil which is good for deep frying and in salad dressings. The flowers are reddish-orange and the styles are sometimes sold as saffron.
Mud fish or snakehead fish, native to India, South East Asia, China and Africa. It is believed to be able to "walk on land". In fact, it has a rudimentary lung which enables it to live out of water, but it is unable to go wandering around the neighbourhood. This helps it through the sometimes long dry seasons of India and South East Asia. It can survive in the mud when other fish have perished. They are often fished from the mud rather than from the water. They are kept in fresh water for a while to clean them before eating. This fish is reputed to have an excellent flavour and is much used in Laos, Thailand and neighbouring countries. The colour is dark green, almost black and the fish is firm and relatively boneless. The head is often used for soups.
