Glossary of terms - K

Kachri

Kachri: a sour, cucumber-like vegetable from the melon family. It is sliced and stored dried. It acts as a tenderizer for lamb dishes and provides tanginess to the dishes.

Kasseler rib

A term of German origin used when referring to a cured and smoked pork rib, either left whole or sawn into chops. The whole rib is oven-roasted or cooked in foil while chops are cooked over coals or under a pre-heated grill.

Kebab

A dish of small pieces of meat or vegetables threaded on skewers and cooked over coals or a grill. Usually associated with Middle Eastern cookery.

Kedgeree

Traditional British breakfast dish, originally from India, mainly consisting of rice, cooked flaked fish and hard-boiled eggs. The fish is usually smoked haddock.

Ker

Ker: a berry found on the desert trees. When fresh it is used to make pickles and in its dried form, is combined with sangri as an authentic vegetable preparation.

Ketchup

A thick, slightly sweet sauce, with one flavour predominating, often used as a cold accompaniment to meals. The best known type is tomato.

Ketjap manis or kecap manis

Similar to soy sauce but sweeter, this extremely rich, dark and thick sauce is used in marinades or as a condiment in Indonesian cooking. The sweetness comes from palm sugar and other flavourings include garlic and star anise.

Kirsch

A liqueur distilled from crushed cherries and their stones, often used to flavour fruit salads and sponge cakes.

Kiwano

An exotic fruit, also known as horned cucumber or jelly melon, with a spikey orange skin. The kiwano's pulp is a pale yellow-green colour and jellylike in texture with a sweet-tart flavour reminiscent of bananas and cucumbers.

Knead

To work and stretch dough either by hand or an electric dough hook. The process makes the mixture smoother and softer or more elastic and evenly incorporates air or additional ingredients at the same time.

Kohlrabi

Pale green or purple coloured bulb-shaped vegetable of the cabbage family. It cooks like a turnip and is said to taste of asparagus. Popular in German cookery.

kosher

Food prepared according to Orthodox Jewish law.

Koulibiac

A Russian pie filled with fish, vegetables, rice and hard-boiled eggs. European cooks have adapted and varied the recipe in many ways, making it with brioche dough or puff pastry and filling it with rice, chicken and mushrooms or with salmon, onions, pars

Kumquat

Small citrus fruit originating in central China but now cultivated in the Far East, Australia and America. Kumquats can be eaten whole - including the skin - or used for pickling and preserves. They are particularly good in stuffings for poultry.