Poppy seeds, from the seed of the opium poppy. They are improved by roasting and are used for thickening curries instead of cornflours or other starches.
Custard apple. Sitaphal. A tropical fruit which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. When buying choose very soft fruits indeed. The skin of all of them is green or purplish-green and scaly, almost fir-cone patterned, in appearance. Inside, the flesh is creamy in colour and consistency, but has to be sucked from the shiny black seeds. The flesh has a sweet-sour flavour, sometimes slightly custardy and larger ones have the luscious and complex taste of banana, mango and vanilla. They are often made into fritters, or sliced and steeped in wine. The custard apples include cherimoyas, sweet sops, sour sops and atemoyas.
Tropical almond. The fruit looks similar to the almond and is usually pale green, though it may be reddish-purple. There is a fibrous seed containing a pointed kernel, or nut. It can be eaten fresh and raw, or cooked. It is sometimes difficult to remove the fibrous seed without damaging the nut. There is a thin covering of skin on the nut, and it is worth removing it as it can be very astringent. It is much prized in the Moghul cooking of northern India, they are eaten fresh or used in badam barfi, fudge-like sweets, or used to thicken sauces in dishes such as korma. They are grown in Kashmir and Afghanistan as they do not grow well in tropical regions. Elsewhere, cashew and other nuts are substituted.
Sour dried plums (prunes). Used as a souring agent in stews. Some people describe them as dried apricots. Could you send details (and a picture) to queries@whatamieating.com if you know more?
