Uwajipedia

A glossary of common, and not-so-common, Asian ingredients and terms.

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Sesame Balls

Transliterated from Chinese as jiandui (and known by other names in different regions of China), these sesame balls are...

Rice Paper

“Rice paper” can refer to a handful of different types of edible sheets of “paper” made from...

Taiyaki

Popular in Japan and around the world, taiyaki are filled pancakes shaped like a tai fish and...

Nurungji

Nurungji might have the record for greatest ratio of simple to delicious. This Korean snack, also known...

Matcha

Unlike traditional green teas, which consists of whole leaves, matcha is made of green tea leaves milled...

Bao

Although bao are Chinese, it’s tricky to describe them in modern times as “just” Chinese — just...

Korean Rice Cakes

Korean rice cakes, called tteok, come in a few different shapes and sizes and are core ingredients...

Turmeric Illustration | Uwajimaya

Turmeric

Actually belonging to zingiberaceae, the same family as ginger, turmeric is native to South and Southeast Asia....

Shokupan Illustration | Uwajimaya

Shokupan

Eaten almost daily by many in Japan, shokupan is Japanese milk bread (also called Hokkaido milk bread)....

Lotus Seeds Illustration | Uwajimaya

Lotus Seeds

Also called the lotus nut, these seeds come from the beloved lotus plant — scientific Latin name:...

Sesame Seeds Illustration | Uwajimaya

Sesame Seeds

Not only are sesame seeds and their oil used in many Asian cuisines, they’re used in almost...

Tapioca Starch Illustration | Uwajimaya

Tapioca Starch

The starch of the cassava root, tapioca is native to South America but has now spread throughout...