Regional Spices (Part 3)

(The third part of 灶王 [zao wang] - The Kitchen God Series)

In my last chapter about common spices, we discussed what actually spices are and which of them should be kept on the Spicy Cook´s Emergency Spice Shelf. Now, I believe that as the time passes by, the muse of most of you will whisper one day about the other spices out there, that you haven't tried. Having woken up your curious eye, let us have a closer look at the most famous ones:

• A few spices commonly used in THAI cuisine:

Thai meals are rich in flavor, aroma and colors. This is achieved by using preferably fresh spices, such as:

• Galanga - from the ginger family, yet milder and more peppery in taste. Together with garlic, chili and shallots makes the base for pretty much any curry paste used in Thailand.

• Lemon grass - long, hard stem with strong citrusy aroma. Commonly added to soups or stews. If using the whole spice, bruise the stem in order to release its flavor. Only the white part is used in curry pastes. When chopping, take your time to do a really good job, otherwise, the hard parts will itch your throat. You can puree bigger amounts of lemon grass with few drops of peanut oil and store in airtight container for up to two weeks in the fridge. One tablespoon of the ready made paste equals to 1 lemon grass stem.

The famous Thai trio: lemongrass - the three long stems on the right, kaffir lime leaves on the bottom and galangal of ginger family in the middle...

• Palm sugar (jaggery) - made from cane sugar and coconut palm sap. Sold as solid balls that crumble easily. It is less sweeter than the regular sugar, but dark brown sugar is a good substitute.

• Tamarind - widely used as a souring agent in curries. Sold as fresh bean-shaped pods, dried cubes, pastes or concentrates. Dissolve in water and strain to utilize its juice. Can be substitute by lemons or limes, but you should use double as much, for lemons are less sour than tamarind.

• Some more spices commonly used in INDIAN cuisine:

Indian cuisine focuses mainly on harmonizing dried spices together with the common fresh ones, such as onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes.

• Asafoetida - also referred to as the ´devil´s shit´, thanks to its sour atrocious smell. Commonly used in vegetarian dishes of Indian cuisine, because it helps against flatulence, which is why it is widely used with legumes. It smells of garlic an onion, which are two ingredients strictly forbidden in certain Hindu castes. Asafoetida is therefore highly praised within e.g. Brahmans or Jains.

• Cardamom - harvested manually, therefore it is, together with saffron and vanilla, the most expensive spice. The cheaper powdered version is made from pods that have cracked while frying out, thus released their unique aroma).

• Cumin - the most favorite spice in Indian or Middle Eastern cuisines. Highly addictive for its wonderful smell, increases appetite and speeds up digestion process No wonder it is proclaimed to be a symbol of fidelity.

• Coriander seeds - together with cumin makes the base for most curries in India or Middle East. Strongly valued for its pharmaceutical usage: digestion and skin friendly with a pleasant smell, therefore added to perfumes or liquors and gin. The seeds can be grounded to a paste and used to cure sore cold or rash. Back when there was no toothpaste in the world, chewing on coriander seeds was a common mouth refreshing activity.

• Fennel seeds - Taste very similar to aniseed. Some cookbooks even mention aniseed in their recipes, but it is actually fennel they are referring to. Aniseed is not used in Indian cuisine at all.

• Fenugreek seeds - very aromatic, used in any curry spice mix. As one of a very few spices, it is rich in iron. The seeds are irregularly shaped and very hard to grind. A quick dry fry will help them release their flavor, but once they brown, they taste bitter. Sometimes they are soaked overnight (to become softer and gooey), so it is easier to mix them with a curry paste. The leaves are called methi and are usually combined with spinach or potatoes.

• Mustard seeds - there are three types of mustard seeds, differentiated by their color: white (alba), brown (juncea) and black (nigra). The seeds themselves do not smell much, but once crushed and mixed with water they activate an enzyme that gives out the characteristic aroma. When dry frying them, cover the pan with a lid, because mustard seeds like to jump around.

• Nigella seeds (kalonji) - tiny triangular black seeds, commonly mistaken for black onion seeds. Once crushed, they give out a peppery-like aroma with oregano aftertaste. Widely used as garnish on naan breads or in pickles.

• Turmeric (curcuma) - the magic ingredient that gives the specific yellow color to any curry or masala powdered mix. Often, it is used as a cheaper substitution for saffron.

Indian spices starting from turmeric (the bright yellow pile up top) clockwise: green cardamom pods and their powdered form (the pile on the left closer to the camera), coriander powder, curry leaves, nigella seeds, yellow mustard seeds, asafoetida, fennel seeds on the right closer to the middle and the last one up top is cumin powder.

• A few unique spices used in CHINESE cuisine:

• Cassia bark - very similar to cinnamon, which is though in Chinese cooking considered inferior. Sold in long strips, outer layer is dark brown, while the inside is more of caramel color.

• Sechuan peppercorns (anise pepper or sansho) - widely used in China, particularly in Sechuan region (guess why it is called Sechuan pepper then)... Famous for its numbing, tingling feeling and mouth-watering side effect. When dry fried, it releases its wonderful aroma.
  

• Sesame seeds - usually added roasted as a garnish, particularly for its nutty flavor. Commonly available as oil, paste (called tahini). The black variety is widely used in Thailand mostly in sweets, drinks or deserts.
  

• Star anise (badyan) - called 八角 [ba jiao], translated as 8 corners (referring to its shape). Badyan has a distinguish deep aniseed fragrance and is widely added to mainly pork stews, pickles or sweet dishes, not only for its beautiful shape, but also fr its medical impacts. Badyan is said to relieve stomach pains, bladder problems or constipation.
  

Additionally, you might consider a few extra non-spice ingredients:

• Coconut - mainly used for its liquid. The flesh is usually grated and soaked in water for 30 minutes to extract coconut cream (or for its thinner version, coconut milk). There are several substitutions available, such as tinned cream of coconut, dried shredded coconut, frozen or powdered. The flavor of the fresh one is undoubtedly the best, though. When buying fresh coconut, shake it well to see whether it has some liquid in it. This indicates, that the fruit is still fresh. I sometimes use soy milk as a substitution.

• Dried shrimps - Used as garnish or grounded in curry pastes. Should be soaked in hot water prior to using.

• Fish sauce (nam pla, nuoc nam, patis) - made from fermented fish (similarly, oyster sauce is made from fermented oysters). Widely used around Southeast Asia in sauces, marinades or dressings, ... just like its vegan version - Soy sauce.

• Oil - There are way too many varieties of oil used in cooking. The choice mainly depends on the region of a desired spice mixtures. Generally, olive oil is popular in European cuisine, rapeseed oil in oriental cuisine, mustard oil in some savory dishes of India, thicker oils from seeds or nuts (walnut oil, sesame oil, ...) in Chinese cooking, ... etc. There are also a variety of flavors involved, such as chili, ginger or pepper oil. These all can be made at home by adding certain spices to the plain oil and let sit for couple of days.

• Peanuts - usually roasted and grounded coarsely or into a paste (which is then similar to peanut butter) or simply added as a garnish.

• Shrimp paste (kapi, ngapi, trassi, terasi, blachan, belacan...) - widely used in curry pastes around Thailand or Myanmar. Made from dried fermented salted shrimps. Usually sold in blocks, should be cooked prior to eating. The best way to prepare shrimp paste is to wrap it in aluminum foil and dry fry it from both sides for about 3 minutes.

• Soy sauce - Typical Chinese ingredient in any savory dishes you can think of (as innevitable as salt in Western cuisine). There are several varieties, particularly in neighbouring Japan, such as Shoyu - milder version of Chinese soy sauce, or Tamari, which is darker and stronger.

• Sugar - I always use dark brown sugar or palm sugar (if available). The main reason of using sugar is to mild down the hotness of chili peppers, so the amount is pretty much up to you.

• Tomatoes - used in Indian curries as a souring agent (avoid then the Spanish sweet variety) or to thicken sauces. Cherry tomatoes are mainly used as garnish.

• Vinegar - mainly used in dips, marinades or dressings. Special flavored vinegars (chili, garlic, ginger, apple...) are also widely available. The Chinese Rice vinegar is milder in taste.
  

• Wine - generally, red wine is more popular in European cooking, while in Asia, white version is lot more popular, particularly Rice wine. Made by fermenting rice, there are many varieties to choose from. Dry sherry is generally a good substitute to Chinese cooking wines. Japanese Mirin is a milder sweet sirupy-like wine that is used in marinades or dipping sauces. 1 tablespoon of Mirin can be substituted for 1 teaspoon of honey.

And, of course, we should not forget about all the wonderful edible herbs out there...