sel et sucre

Tag: spice mix

  • Garam Masala

    garam masala

    I know I post a lot of spice mix recipes, but they’re really an easy way to get the most flavorful food out of your kitchen. The same basic spices (which will stay good for years when stored whole) can be recombined into many distinct mixes. Garam masala is one of my favorites. A staple of North Indian cuisine, the recipes can vary widely from one household to the next, but always involve some “warming” spices (such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper). So this is a great mix to adjust exactly to your liking, whether its changing the proportions, omitting some ingredients, or adding others (allspice, star anise, or a couple bay leaves would all fit nicely here); I like mine a little heavy on the cumin and chili peppers. The resulting mix can elevate a simple stew, help to recreate authentic North Indian dishes, or even be added to cookies or hot chocolate for an unusual twist.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Ethiopian Berbere

    ethiopian berbere

    Growing up in DC (home to the largest Ethiopian population outside of Ethiopia), I’ve gotten used to a city with a plethora of cheap and delicious Ethiopian restaurants. My favorite place is a mere half mile from me and offers up a vegetarian platter big enough for two or three people for ten dollars. So it’s understandably difficult for me to motivate myself to try cooking Ethiopian food. But I might not be in this city forever, and the flavorful filling stews and spongy sour bread has become somewhat of a comfort food for me so I recently decided to try my hand at making them. The very first step in cooking delicious Ethiopian food is the spicy and fragrant spice mix known as berbere. This deep red mixture is vaguely reminiscent of Indian garam masala with warm sweeter spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg playing a role on top of spicy chiles, cumin, fenugreek, cardamom, and coriander. Berbere adds a large amount of paprika to these spices for a unique and unmistakable flavor that serves as the base for many different Ethiopian stews.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Madras Curry Powder

    madras curry powder

    The more I cook, the more I love customizing the dishes I make. And one of my favorite ways to customize my food is by making my own spice mixes. Madras curry powder is the perfect example for this. No two versions of this South Indian blend are alike; every brand, every family, every person adjusts the spices to their liking. Making your own curry powder gives you the opportunity to get exactly the combination of flavors you want (not to mention the amazing difference using freshly ground spices makes). My personal blend is heavy on coriander and cumin with warmth from curry leaves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. But everything here can be easily adjusted, so soon you can have your own perfect curry powder. And after you have your own blend, come back to see the two simple recipes I’ll be posting on Wednesday and Friday that really showcase the curry powder’s flavor.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Cajun Spice Mix

    cajun spice mix

    I’ve mentioned my love of smoked paprika before, so when I realized that this cajun spice mix was mostly smoked paprika, I knew I had to make it. Besides the paprika, there are a lot of different flavors going on here, including basil, oregano, and a good dose of cayenne pepper, and together they’re the perfect combination for any gumbos, jambalayas, or other cajun dishes you might wish to make. I’ll be posting two recipes of my own using this mix on Wednesday and Friday.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Homemade Zaatar

    homemade zaatar

    Food has always resonated with me, in part because of its amazing cultural weight. Growing up in America with a Lebanese father and a Polish mother, I’ve long felt most connected to my heritage through food. Eating pizza and hamburgers makes me feel like a true American, while pierogies and kielbasa are standard inclusions for special occasions, and my dad almost always manages to sneak hummus, tabouleh, fattoush, or kibbe into our meals. And DC is a truly global city so I’ve been peering into other cultures through their food for my whole life. So I feel excited to post this recipe for zaatar, a simple Lebanese spice mix, and share a little bit of my culture with you. This is the most basic version of zaatar, but some variations include additional spices such as oregano, marjoram, and savory, so feel free to play around a bit. I’ll be posting two great recipes using this mix on Wednesday and Friday, but it’s incredibly versatile and easy to use. You can mix it with olive oil and/or yogurt for a simple dip, sprinkle it on vegetables before roasting, use it to flavor eggs, or add it to soups and stews.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Chaat Masala

    Chaat Masala

    I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the first in a series of three. See post 2: Date Tamarind Chutney and post 3: Palak Chaat.

    Chaat masala is a classic Indian spice mix with some unusual ingredients. Along with the more familiar coriander and cumin, black salt features prominently in the mix, adding an interesting mineral taste, while amchur, a powder made from dried unripe mangoes, imparts a tartness. The resulting mix is sour, spicy, and very flavorful. It is great on nuts or fried chickpeas, mixed into yogurt, on a salad, or over fresh fruit.

    (more…)

    Related Posts: