With more and more ingredients appearing on supermarket shelves, it’s hard to keep up.

I asked around, and found out that there were quite a few people buying a whopping great tub of tahini for an Ottolenghi recipe which required a teaspoon or two…and then being puzzled what to do with the rest of it. So I put together this series to help contextualise the ingredients washing up on our shores, from azuki to za’atar

A-Z of Unusual Ingredients

A is for…Azuki Beans
and a recipe for tsubuan anko

B is for…Buttermilk
and recipe for sodabread

C is for…Coconut Oil
and recipe for Keralan fish curry

D is for…Dukkah
and Claudia Roden’s dukkah recipe

E is for…Espelette Pepper
and a recipe for piperade sauce

F is for…Fernet Branca
and a recipe for a Classic Toronto

G is for…Gochujang
and a recipe for bokkeumbap

H is for…Harissa
and Paula Wolfert’s recipe for harous

I is for…Ikan Billis
and a recipe for ikan billis

J is for…juniper
and a recipe for juniper salt with pigeon breast

K is for…konnyaku
and a recipe for konnyaku with miso

L is for…liquid smoke
and a recipe for Cowboy Beans

M is for…Matcha
and a recipe for matcha tea ice cream

N is for…Nori
and a recipe for nori pesto

O is for…Oxtail
and a recipe for Oxtail Stew with Prunes & Pancetta

P is for…Pasilla
and a recipe for Pasilla Chilli Beef

Q is for…Quinoa
and a recipe for quinoa, roasted broccoli and beetroot salad

R is for…ras el hanout
and a recipe for lamb shank tagine

S is for…Szechuan peppercorns
and a recipe for Szechuan Feather Blade Steak

T is for … Tahini
and a recipe for Beetroot & Carrot Tahini ‘Slaw

U is for…Umeboshi Plums
and a recipe for Hinomaru Okayu

V is for…Verjus
and a recipe for Chilli Loin Pork Chop

W is for…White Balsamic Vinegar
and a recipe for pancetta and white balsamic oysters recipe

X is for…Xanthan Gum
and a recipe for gluten-free clementine and polenta biscuits

Y is for…Yuzu Juice
and a recipe for prawn salad with a loose yuzu mayonnaise

Z is for…Za’atar
and a recipe for Mini Maneesh