Vegetables (View Fruit)

Capsicum

Also known as

• Bell Pepper
• Sweet Pepper

Capsicums are frequently used both chopped and raw in salads, or cooked in stir-fries or other mixed dishes. They can be sliced into strips and fried, roasted whole or in pieces, or chopped and incorporated into salsas or other sauces. They are suitable for stuffing with fillings such as cheese, meat or rice. Red and yellow peppers are riper and more flavourful than the more common green variety.

Chillies, Dried

Also known as

• Chili Peppers
• Chiles

The term chili in most of the world refers exclusively to the smaller, hot types of capsicum. Dried varieties include Ancho, Cayenne and Habanero. Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red peppers.

Chillies, Fresh

Also known as

• Chili Peppers
• Chiles

Fresh chili peppers generally all belong to only a few commonly used species, but cultivars and methods of preparation have a variety of names for culinary use, including: Anaheim, Cayenne, Cherry, Fresno, Guero (hot yellow), Habanero, Jalapeno, Poblano, Scotch Bonnet, Serrano, Thai.

Chinese Okra

Also known as

• Luffa
• Silk Squash
• Silk Melon

These can either have a smooth surface or deep ridges. Uses include stews, curries and soups. The can also be deep fried or pickled.

Substitutes

• Zucchini

Cucumber, English

Also known as

• European Cucumber
• Hothouse Cucumber

English cucumbers can grow as long as 2 feet (0.6m). They are nearly seedless, have a delicate skin which is pleasant to eat. They have a mild, sour-bitter flavour and a light melon taste. English cucumbers are generally packed with plastic wrap to help retain the moisture and preserve shelf life.

Substitutes

• Japanese Cucumber
• Garden Cucumber

Cucumber, Garden

Also known as

• Market Cucumber
• Common Cucumber

Garden cucumbers tend to have thicker skin, stronger flavour and are not as long as English cucumbers. They also contain seeds which should be scraped out.

Substitutes

• English Cucumber
• Japanese Cucumber

Cucumber, Japanese

Japanese cucumbers (kyūri) are mild, slender, deep green, and have a bumpy, ridged skin. They can be used for slicing, salads, pickling, etc, and are available year round. Like English cucumbers, they don't have to be peeled or seeded.

Substitutes

• English Cucumber

Eggplant, American

Also known as

• Globe Eggplant/Aubergine

This is the common, purple, "elongated ovoid" variety widely grown in Europe and North America. The fruit contains numerous small, soft seeds, which are edible. Eggplant can be baked, grilled or sautéed.

Substitutes

• Italian Eggplant
• Japanese Eggplant

Eggplant, Apple Green

Also known as

• Green Apple Eggplant

This variety is rounder in shape, with a pale green skin, white flesh and mild flavour.

Eggplant, Chinese

Chinese eggplants have a long, thin shape and purple colouring. They have thinner skins, a more delicate flavour than American eggplants, and not as many of the seeds that tend to make eggplants bitter.

Substitutes

• Japanese Eggplant

Eggplant, Indian

Also known as

• Brinjal

These are small, bulbous eggplant, smaller than the size of an apple. They are commonly used in curries.

Substitutes

• Japanese Eggplant

Eggplant, Japanese

Like other Asian eggplants, Japanese eggplants have thin skins, and a sweet, delicate flavour.

Substitutes

• Chinese Eggplant

Eggplant, Thai

Also known as

• Baby Eggplants
• Makua Puong

These are the most common eggplants in Thai cooking. They are round, about the size of a golf ball, and white or green in colour. Thai eggplants are essential ingredients in curry dishes. In red curry, Thai eggplants are quartered and cooked in the curry sauce where they become softer and absorb the flavour of the sauce.

Substitutes

• Pea Eggplants

Eggplant, White

This eggplant has a tough skin but a more delicate flavour and firmer flesh than the American eggplant. It has white to cream or pink-flecked skin. Smooth, firm, shiny eggplants with no bruises are best.

Melon, Bitter

Also known as

• Bitter Cucumber
• Bitter Gourd
• Balsam Pear

Bitter melons are seldom mixed with other vegetables due to the strong bitter taste, although this can be moderated to some extent by salting and then washing the cut melon before use. They are widely used in South East Asian and Indian cooking, typically in stir fries and soups.

Substitutes

• Winter Melon

Melon, Winter

Also known as

• Ash Pumpkin
• Winter Gourd
• Wax Gourd

Winter melons are used in stir fries or to make winter melon soup, which is often served in the scooped out melon. The word "melon" in the name is somewhat misleading, as the fruit is not sweet. In South Indian cuisine it is used to make curries. The winter melon can typically be stored for 12 months.

Substitutes

• Bitter Melon

Pimento

Also known as

• Cherry Pepper

Pimento is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper that measures 3 to 4 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. The flesh of the pimento is sweet, succulent and more aromatic than that of capsicum. Some varieties of the pimento type are hot. Sweet pimento peppers are the familiar red stuffing found in prepared Spanish green olives.

Substitutes

• Capsicum

Pumpkin

Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking, including boiling, baking, roasting, purees, with pasta, curries and pies. Pumpkins can also be eaten mashed or incorporated into soup.

Substitutes

• Buttercup Squash
• Sweet Potato

Squash, Acorn

As the name suggests, its shape resembles that of an acorn. It is most commonly baked, but can also be sauteed and steamed. Colour ranges from dark green to bright yellow, with sweet, yellow-orange flesh.

Substitutes

• Buttercup Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Banana Squash

Squash, Banana

This is a very large, tasty winter squash. Its creamy textured golden flesh is fruity and buttery.

Substitutes

• Buttercup Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Pumpkin

Squash, Buttercup

The buttercup squash has a turban shape, with a flattish top and dark green skin. It is heavy with yellow-orange flesh. It can be roasted, baked, and mashed into soups, among a variety of filler uses, much like pumpkin.

Substitutes

• Butternut Squash
• Acorn Squash
• Pumpkin

Squash, Butternut

Butternut squash has a sweet, nutty taste that is similar to pumpkin or sweet potato. It can be roasted and also be puréed or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins.

Substitutes

• Buttercup Squash

Squash, Chayote

Also known as

• Mango Squash
• Vegetable Pear

This mild-flavoured squash is roughly pear shaped, with coarse wrinkles, ranging from 10 to 20cm in length. It has a thin green skin fused with the white flesh, and a single large flattened pip. The flesh has a fairly bland taste, and a texture described as a cross between a potato and a cucumber. The fruit does not need to be peeled and can be eaten raw in salads. It can also be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or pickled.

Substitutes

• Zucchini
• Carrots

Squash, Delicata

Also known as

• Sweet Potato Squash

This is a winter squash with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like sweet potatoes.

Substitutes

• Butternut Squash
• Buttercup Squash
• Sweet Potato

Squash, Kabocha

Also known as

• Japanese Squash
• Japanese Pumpkin

Kabocha is hard, has knobbly skin, shaped like a squatty pumpkin, and has a dull coloured deep green skin with some white stripes, and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside. In many respects it is similar to the buttercup squash, but without the characteristic cup. It is similar in texture and flavour to a pumpkin and a sweet potato combined and is a common ingredient in vegetable tempura.

Substitutes

• Butternut Squash
• Acorn Squash

Squash, Scallopini

Also known as

• Summer Squash

Good-quality scallopini is firm, smooth-skinned and small in size. The surface will shiny and light green in colour. Scallopini can be baked, steamed, pan fried, grilled or used in stir fries.

Substitutes

• Zucchini

Squash, Spaghetti

Also known as

• Vegetable Spaghetti
• Calabash

The fruit can range either from ivory to yellow or orange in color or green with white streaks. Its centre contains many large squash seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow or orange or white for the latter variety. When cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti. It can be baked, boiled or steamed, and served with sauce as for pasta.

Substitutes

• Butternut Squash

Squash, Sweet Dumpling

Sweet dumpling squash are fairly small, so you can cut them in half, bake them, and serve each half as an individual portion. The flesh is sweeter and drier than that of other winter squash, and the peel is soft enough to be eaten.

Squash, Yellow

Yellow squash comes in straightneck and crookneck varieties, and has a bumpy, yellow skin. The skin is thin and tender and doesn't always need peeling. The flesh is midly sweet and watery.

Substitutes

• Zucchini

Squash, Zucchini

Also known as

• Courgette

Zucchini can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as souffles. It also can be baked into a bread. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and is a delicacy when deep fried as tempura. The zucchini has a delicate rather than strong flavour requiring little more than quick cooking with butter or olive oil.

Tomato, Cherry

Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from being spherical to slightly oblong in shape. They are often sweeter than standard tomatoes. They are perfect for salads, platters or grilling on skewers.

Substitutes

• Teardrop Tomato

Tomato, Globe

Also known as

• Slicing Tomato

These large tomatoes are generally used for sandwiches, grilling and commercial applications. Varieties include the beefstake tomato and oxheart tomato.

Tomato, Grape

Grape tomatoes are small and typically oblong fruits with the sweetness of cherry tomatoes. They were introduced to the world market in the 1990s and have become popular, due to their higher sugar content compared to regular tomatoes, and their smaller, bite-sized shape.

Substitutes

• Teardrop Tomato
• Cherry Tomato

Tomato, Green

Green tomatoes are picked unripe and usually served fried in thick slices, coated with breadcrumbs or flour.

Tomato, Plum

Also known as

• Sauce Tomato

This tomato isn't as juicy as other tomatoes, which gives it a more concentrated flavour that works well in sauces and stews. It is also the best tomato for drying, and generally has an oval or cylindrical shape. Roma (Italian) tomatoes are a variety of plum tomato.

Substitutes

• Globe Tomato

Tomato, Teardrop

Also known as

• Pear Tomato

Like cherry tomatoes, these are ideal for platters and salads. They are available in red and yellow varieties.

Substitutes

• Cherry Tomato

Tomato, Vine-ripened

Also known as

• Vine Tomato

Vine ripened tomatoes have the best flavour and a deeper red colour, compared with artificially ripened tomatoes that are picked green for better shelf life.