Vermicelli. Thin, fried, string-like preparation made from gram flour. At "eeds" this is often as part of a celebratory breakfast dish called senvaya in which it is cooked in syrup until the liquid evaporates, becoming sweet and slightly crunchy. Spiced and dried, it is served as a snack.
Black caraway, the seeds of which have a warm odour and an aromatic, pungent and slightly bitter flavour.
Water chestnut. The corm of a type of a water grass or sedge. They are used in Thai and Chinese cookery to add crunch and are also used to make desserts and drinks elsewhere in South East Asia. They are available fresh or tinned and can be used raw or cooked. They retain their shape well during cooking.
