Banana leaves infuse a delicate flavor and aroma to foods and are used as wrappers when steaming or grilling dishes, or as little trays to hold food when cooking. Soften the leaves slightly in boiling water before use to prevent them from cracking when folded.
Candlenuts are waxy, straw-colored nuts that are ground to add texture and flavor to spice pastes and curry mixtures. Raw almonds, cashews or macadamia nuts may be substituted.
Cardamom pods areused to flavor curries and desserts—giving foods a heady, sweet scent. The fibrous, straw-colored pods enclose 15-20 pungent black seeds. The pods should be bruised lightly with a cleaver or a pestle when used whole. Do not substitute ground cardamom as it is virtually flavorless compared to the pods.
Chilies are indispensable in Indonesian cooking and many different varieties are used. The large, red finger-length chili is the most common and is moderately hot. Dried red chilies of this variety are ground to make chili flakes or ground red pepper. Tiny red, green or yellow-orange bird's-eye chilies are very hot and are used in soups, curries and sauces. They are also available dried.
Chinese celery is much smaller and has thinner stems than the normal Western variety, with a ver) intense, parsley-like flavor. The leaves and sometimes the stems are added to soups, rice dishes and stir-fried vegetables. Use Italian parsley or celery leaves as a substitute.
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