Oriental ingredient used to be rather short
I believe the answer is:
wasabi
'oriental ingredient' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'used to be rather short' is the wordplay.
'used to be' becomes 'was' (eg 'he was...' means 'he used to be...').
'rather' becomes 'a bit' ('a bit' can mean rather or to some extent).
'short' means to remove the last letter.
'abit' with its final letter taken away is 'abi'.
'was'+'abi'='WASABI'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for wasabi that I've seen before include "condiment? Japanese actually" , "Pungent green paste used in Japanese cuisine" , "Hollyhock" , "Flavouring used in Japanese cuisine" , "Japanese horseradish" .)