I can’t be grateful enough to have grown up in a country where the knowledge of ‘exotic’ spices seems like second nature. Even though I almost never cooked in India, I know my spices. These flavor enhancers add another dimension to food, almost like painting highlights and shadows to a still life that would seem flat otherwise.
Different cultures have their own way in which spices are used to cook food and this is how spice blends evolved. People in warmer regions of the world (closer to the equator) tend to use more spices to preserve meat because of its antimicrobial properties. This is why spice blends seem to have more complex flavors in regions like India or Africa versus Iceland or Norway.
There are two things about blending spices that can be deal breakers (apart from the quality of ingredients):
- Proportions – Each blend will have one (or a couple) primary ingredient and then a few secondary ingredients. The art of using these in the right proportions is crucial in the process of making a good blend.
- Dry Roasting – This is something I learned over time but individually dry roasting whole spices and then blending them makes a huge difference than roasting them all at once. One of the reasons could be that some spices take longer to roast than others.
My very first savory blend is predominantly made using coriander seeds and whole black peppercorns. Other secondary ingredients that make up the blend are Black Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cumin, Green Cardamom, Clove and Star Anise.
Coriander, black pepper, cumin, clove, cinnamon and cardamom are carminative spices, which means they help combat flatulence and aid in digestion.
Indian Coriander (Dhania), the primary ingredient in this blend has a strong spicy aroma with citrus notes, its very commonly used in Indian cuisine. This very interesting study – Antimicrobial Functions of Spices: Why Some Like it Hot by Jennifer Billing and Paul Sherman focuses on patterns of spices used across different countries and cultures. It shows a frequency-of-use-histogram with meat based recipes that called for each spice in various countries along with the different mean annual temperatures. In countries such as Indonesia and India with ‘hot’ climate, the consumption of coriander is at a much higher level and negligible in Ireland or Hungary.
This blend has a smoky and spicy black peppery after taste and is great when used as a meat rub or even on potatoes.
MELT #1
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Coriander Seeds
1/4 Cup Black Peppercorns
4 Green Cardamom
1 Black Cardamom
6 Cloves
2 Inch Piece of a Cinnamon Stick
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
Method:
First roast the coriander seeds over medium heat.
Then roast remaining ingredients.
Blend all ingredients to a fine powder.
* Roast whole spices in a dry skillet and toss over medium heat until they smell fragrant and look toasted but not burnt.
* Let the spices cool before grinding them.
* I use the Vitamix dry jar to blend the spices, you can use any spice grinder.
Recipe Ideas
Pair it with curry leaves to make ghee roasted chicken
Roasted Salmon with Creamy Cabbage
Hello, yes this piece of writing is actually pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it regarding blogging. thanks.|
Outstanding story there. What occurred after? Take care!|
I do not even know the way I stopped up right here, but I assumed this put up was great. I do not understand who you’re but certainly you’re going to a well-known blogger if you are not already. Cheers!|
I think everything said was very logical. However, what about this? what if you wrote a catchier post title? I am not suggesting your information is not solid., however what if you added something to possibly get folk’s attention? I mean BLOG_TITLE is kinda vanilla. You ought to glance at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they create article headlines to get people to open the links. You might add a related video or a related pic or two to grab people interested about everything’ve written. Just my opinion, it would make your website a little livelier.|
When you find it, could find this is very good.
First off I would like to say awesome blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts before writing. I have had trouble clearing my mind in getting my ideas out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or hints? Thank you!|
Hello There. I discovered your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to learn extra of your helpful information. Thanks for the post. I will definitely return.|
This info is priceless. When can I find out more?|
Wow, that’s what I was looking for, what a material! existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this website.|
Thanks for finally writing about > blog_title < Loved it!|
Quality posts is the secret to be a focus for the viewers to go to see the web site, that’s what this website is providing.|
Stunning story there. What happened after? Good luck!|
It’s truly very complex in this active life to listen news on TV, therefore I simply use internet for that purpose, and take the newest information.|
Bắt cá Bắt cá Trò chơi sòng bạc trực tuyến bằng tiền thật , Đăng ký người dùng mới tặng 78000, Mỗi ngày đặt cược hoàn trả 2.0 . Hoa hồng đại lý nhận được thấp nhất 50 . Rút tiền nhanh , Phúc lợi tốt , Trò chơi nhiều , Thương hiệu 10 năm , Bảo đảm yu tín
ph777- World’s Top Online Casinos, new user welfare register bonus 66₱, daily Betting Rebate 2. fast withdraw, good bonus, variety of games, World brand is trustworthy. Slot games, Card games , Live Casino, Animals(Cockfight games), fishing.
cock fighting- World’s Top Online Casinos, new user welfare register bonus 66₱, daily Betting Rebate 2. fast withdraw, good bonus, variety of games, World brand is trustworthy. Slot games, Card games , Live Casino, Animals(Cockfight games), fishing.
Esenyurtta hurda alanlardan biri olmanın sevincini paylaşmaktayız. Tonajlı hurda eşya ticaretlerinde yüksek fiyat fiyat teklifleri vermekteyiz. Esenyurt hurdacı firma olarak hizmet veriyoruz. Esenyurt ta hurdacıları arasındayız.
This is the perfect blog for anyone who hopes to find out about this topic. You know so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic that’s been written about for ages. Great stuff, just excellent.