Fifty Shades of Spices I

[smoothbores]

St George’s Castle.
Barring salt (~ 6 types) and pepper (~20 types), I keep the following herbs and spices on hand at all times:
nutmeg (whole),
macis/ nutmeg mace/ mace/nutmeg flower (whole),
turmeric powder & fresh turmeric,
coriander seeds & fresh coriander,
cumin seeds, сumin's BFF ~ Coriander!My mom hates cumin and doesn't understand it, but that's because she doesn't like cooking. Cumin is cooking ,
green cardamom pods,
green cardamom powder,
black cardamom pods,
white cardamom pods,
angelica/golpar,
fennel seeds,
celery seeds,
caraway seed (German recipes!),
allspice,
bay leaf,
Indian bay leaf/Malabar leaf/ cinnamon tree leaves (simply substitute for bay leaves whenever you want some authentic Caribbean or Indian flavour in your dishes),
cinnamon sticks whole (2-3 types),
ground cinnamon (2-3 types),
mustard seeds (2 types),
mustard powder,
whole cloves,
sumac ("a life without sumac is not a life worth living", in my humble Middle Eastern opinion),
dried lime/noomi basra/loomi,
garlic powder & fresh garlic (they have distinct uses and I really need both),
ground ginger & fresh ginger,
juniper berries,
star anise,
anise seeds,
vanilla,
saffron,
asfoetida,
gum mastic,
marjoram,
dried dill weed,
dried oregano & fresh oregano,
dried rosemary & fresh rosemary,
dried sage & fresh sage,
fresh borage,
fresh parsley,
dried hyssop,
dried tarragon/estragon,
dried thyme,
dried savory,
dried mint & fresh mint (they have distinct uses and I really need both),
dried hibiscus roselle,
fresh chervil,
curry leaves & fresh curry leaves,
fresh Thai lime leaves,
fresh galangal,
fenugreek,
garden cress seeds,
sesame white and black,
dried basil (dried basil is super weird and ground basil is not a substitute for the fresh) That quiet wraps up my list.

And I don't know if it can be considered a spice but grounded dry shiitake makes everything better.
Also: I couldn’t live without rose petals. If I’m making a Persian dish, I crush them into the garnish for lamb, for example.

 

Comments

[colonela]

Very. Very controversial topic!!!! You’re brave)

[smoothbores]

The gateway to Africa. It's so beautiful there... "Tare them down, tare all of those blasted slave castles down..." But I felt like I was HOME.

[colonela]

That just stopped me in my tracks.That makes everything clearer to me - now I understand why ...
Thanks very much for the explanation.
Sorry!

[bambr1]

I love back in the day stories!! 🍯 🔥

[smoothbores]

Thank You sir. I remember this well.
Always got to have a back-in-the-day story ... Those are the stories that stick with you.

[colonela]

Very informative but admittedly, I was unfamiliar with some of your spices. Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us.

No spice minimalism for me either.

[smoothbores]

I make no apologies about my giant "spice collection" (and I do use them all.)

Precisely!

[colonela]

I just counted mine and there are over 30 herbs, spices, spice blends and pastes...And I just booted out 1...which was mixed herbs... Oh dear!

[smoothbores]

Honorable mentionings:
I Curry powder. I have at least three curry powder blends at any given time. Bangladesh curry and we have Ghana curry powder and Japanese curry powder. There's a distinct and noticeable difference between the two.

[colonela]

Why not an Indian curry?

[smoothbores]

Curry powder isn't actually used to make indian recipes with, it's used to add a sort of generic Indian flavour to stuff.
Btw some Indians outside of India associate the term "curry" with colonialism (again)) They are like that: "What is curry powder? Born and raised in India, nothing here is sold as "curry powder." The gravy type dishes themselves are known in many names depending on the type of preparation or the base. For example, sambar could be called “curry” for a non-Indian audience but nobody calls it that in India. Oddly enough, "curry" likely entered the English language by way of Portuguese. In 1498, over a century before the British arrived in India, the Portuguese came (again)) through and introduced chili peppers to the subcontinent. This forever changed South Asian cuisine, and multiple Indian dishes, notably vindaloo, have Portuguese roots. At the same time, Portuguese in the Tamil-speaking region likely encountered the term "kari," which they transliterated as 'caril' or "caree."
The secret of every great Indian dish is the Garam Masala!

[colonela]

Thank you very much! Interesting read.
Would you please share your Garam Masala recipe.

[smoothbores]

Indian dishes are usually freshly cooked and/or raw ingredients blended.t🤪😄
"Curry" can best be summed up as a dish with some kind of spiced sauce or gravy... qorma for example. See how tasty it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nvCsUnSfKE
Ingredients list:-
Chicken -750 gm
Onions-4 medium size
cooking oil+ ghee- 150 ml
Green cardamom -4
Cloves -3
Cinnemon stick -1
mace-1/2
Ginger Garlic paste -2 tbsp
Red chilli powder -1 tsp
kashmiri red chilli powder -1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Coriander powder -3 tbsp
Garam masala powder -1/2 tsp
Curd -1/2 cup
Cream -3 tbsp
Khoya-3 tbsp
Almond -10-12
Cashew nuts -15-20
Poppy seeds -2 tbsp
milk -1 cup
saffron -3 pinch
Kewda water -1/2 tsp
khushbu ka masala powder -1/2 tsp (Green cardamom, Mace, nutmeg of powder)

Chicken -750 gm
Garam masala powder -1/2 tsp
khushbu ka masala powder -1/2 tsp (mace, nutmeg of powder, green cardamom, )

Homemade Garam Masala:
Garam masala powder I
Nutmeg-1 piece
Mace 10 gm
Green cardamom 20 gm
Cloves 7-8
Cinnemon stick 1 medium size

Garam masala powder II
1 bay leaf Indian Bay leaf (Cinnamomum tamala)
1 Tsp Cubeb or tailed pepper or Java pepper
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp green cardamom
2 black cardamom
1 Tbsp cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick between 1.5 and 2.5 grams
1 Tsp fennel seeds
1/4 Tsp mace
1/4 Tsp nutmeg

Shahi Garam Masala |
Black Pepper= 5 tbsp
Caraway Seeds= 4 tbsp
Fennel Seeds= 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds= 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Stick= 10 gm
Mace Flower= 4
Star Flower= 4
Coriander Seeds= 2 tbsp
Black Cardamom= 10
Green Cardamom= 40
Cloves= 40
Bay Leaf (Cinnamomum tamala)= 10
Whole Red Chilly= 11
Kasuri Methi= 3 tbsp
Crushed Nutmeg= 1 tbsp

Do try and let me know :)

[colonela]

I can't think of a good word to describe this! To me it's inspiring! That's it! INSPIRATIONAL!
Will def try this out...I can see me making those)
Thanks a lot!

[smoothbores]

I hope you enjoy it.

[colonela]

So happy that I could buy all the ingredients here! This is outstanding! I'm making this asap ! Thank you!!!

[bambr1]

Wow!!! I’m glad you didn’t get rid of the channel! i hope you had agreat weekend. have a blessed one from Tehran!

[smoothbores]

Amen and Amen bro showers of blessings we need.... thank you soo much

[bambr1]

With all those spices you would have bought a castle 300 years ago.

Edit: oh my God! Ohh sometimes I... But now I understand!

[colonela]

)) Tasting History with Hhunt))

[bambr1]

i'm very impressed.

[colonela]

https://smoothbores.dreamwidth.org/428594.html#comments

[bambr1]

Awesomeee.... Thank you!

[belowolk]

interesting... architectural solution)

[smoothbores]

I know.. How unconventional, how brave, how how pure, nothing that we've (I & YV) ever seen before! I just love the shape , the emOtion behind it, I can't look at it without crying, it's something else!
Back in the day, they were built with passion...

[bambr1]

I know what you mean!