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Spicing Up Your Cooking: A Guide to Some Spices

June 2, 2012 By Delia

After dealing with some essential herbs in one of my previous posts (Herbology Part 1), I thought it would be helpful to take a look at spices. Spices come from all over the world and can be made from almost every part of a plant. In this post, I’ll be highlighting some common spices that are made from a plant’s seeds.

ANISE or ANISEED

This aromatic spice is most commonly used to sweeten things up in the kitchen. It has a distinctive flavor, reminiscent of licorice. Anise is sometimes used in Indian cuisine in their braised dishes and pilafs. It’s also used to give cookies and cakes that added sugary taste.

CARAWAY SEEDS

More popular in European cooking, caraway seeds have an interesting taste that you’d either love or hate. They are best used on pork and other fatty meats and are added to rye bread. You may also opt to sprinkle some over salads, cream cheese on breads, and coleslaw.

MUSTARD

Everyone knows mustard as the sauce but dry mustard can also be used to heat up soups, potato dishes, curries and chilies. Because of its hot and biting taste, brown mustard seeds are often used as flavoring in Indian food. Mustard seed can also be used to enhance meat, fowl and fish dishes as well as additives to sauces and dressings.

NUTMEG

  • Another sweet spice, nutmeg is often used in eggnog, pumpkin pies, custards and alike. But, it’s also versatile enough to be added to curry mixes. It is better when freshly grated though it is sold in its ground form. If you want a stronger flavor to your savoury meat dishes, substitute nutmeg for black pepper. Use nutmeg sparingly, though, as too much of the spice can cause nausea and stomach pains.

Filed Under: Kitchen Smarts Tagged With: anise, aniseeds, caraway seeds, mustard seeds, nutmeg, seeds, spices

Spice Mixes

April 4, 2011 By Delia

 

Spice mixes are  usually used as spice rubs for meat -beef, lamb, chicken and even fish. It is also added to soups, stews and pilafs to make them more flavorful. It is a good idea to prepare the mixes ahead of time, so that they are ready to use when needed. Just make sure to keep them in a sealed bottle or airtight container. Do not make too much because the spices lose their potency after a few months.

Combine the spices and blend them in a food processor or spice grinder. A mortar and pestle works just fine as well.

 

Arabic Baharat

2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

 

Turkish Baharat

2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoons ground mint

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

pinch of ground cinnamon

 

Levant Baharat

1/4 cup black peppercorns

1/4 cup allspice berries

 

Syrian Baharat

2 teaspoons allspice

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons cloves

 

Tunisian Baharat

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried rose petals

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

Gulf Baharat

1 tablespoon red pepper

1-1/2 teaspoon cumin

1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoon ground (dried/black lime or lemon)

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground galangal (blue ginger)

 

Dukkah (Egyptian spice blend)

2/3 cup toasted white sesame seeds

1/3 cup toasted coriander seeds

2-1/2 tablespoons toasted ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon toasted black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup roasted and peeled pistachios

1/4 cup roasted and peeled hazelnuts

 

Chinese Five-Spice

2 tablespoons ground star anise

2-1/2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cassia

1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan or black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

 

Mandy Spice (Arabic spice blend)

2 tablespoons cardamom pods

2 tablespoons cloves

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground galangal (blue ginger) or ginger

4 bay leaves

 

Za’atar (Middle Eastern spice blend)

1/4 cup sumac

2 tablespoons thyme

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons marjoram

2 tablespoons oregano

1 teaspoon coarse salt

 

Harissa

1/4 cup dried chili or red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons dried mint leaves

1/3 cup olive oil

 

Ras-el-Hanout (Morroccan Spice Mix)

1 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

 

Photo Courtesy Of: Zak Greant

 

Filed Under: Make it Yourself, Recipe Tagged With: arabic baharat, baharat, chinese five-spice, dukkah, gulf baharat, harissa, levant baharat, mandy spice, moroccan spice mix, Ras-el-Hanout, spice blends, spice mix, spices, syrian baharat, tunisian baharat, turkish baharat, za'atar

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