Spices

About spices

Fragrant barks and peppers of the tropics, the chilli and vanilla pods of Central America, the dill and juniper of Scandinavia, the mustard of France, or Australian wattleseed. Spices are often seeds - as is the case of coriander, cumin and star anise. Some, such as allspice, sumac and pepper, are berries. Others, including turmeric, ginger, and horseradish, are derived from roots. Flowers give us saffron and cloves, trees give us cinnamon and cassia bark. Nutmeg on the other hand is the nut of a fleshy green fruit, and mace is the outer flesh of the nutmeg.

The spice trade is one of the world's oldest professions, inspiring some of the world's key voyages of exploration and making merchants in cities such as Venice extraordinarily wealthy and powerful.

Spices have always been valued for their ability to add flavour, colour and aroma to dishes, but before the advent of refrigeration they were also an important means of food preservation, and in some cultures their medicinal and antiseptic characteristics are revered.

Choosing and storing spices

Dried spices are an asset in the kitchen because (unlike fresh ingredients) they last for several months. It's important to store them properly and discard any that have become stale.

Kept in an airtight container away from direct sunlight and heat, whole spices will keep for about 12 months, and ground spices for about six. Glass jars may be commonplace but the traditional metal Indian spice box is better because it keeps the spices dark and cool. Some experts recommend storing ground spices in a plastic container in the refrigerator.

It's a good idea to have a clean out at the same time every year and replace any old packages with new ones. And better to buy small amounts frequently than to buy bulk bags that will take you a long time to get through.

Good brands of spices will have a strong aroma and the packets will be free of stalk, leaf, dust and other debris.

Preparing spices

Ready-ground spices are convenient, but their aroma and even their colour can quickly fade. Many experts insist that the best flavour comes from toasting and grinding whole spices yourself just prior to cooking.

Toasting spices enhances the aroma and makes them easier to grind. Some also believe it makes the spices more digestible. All you need to do is place the spices in a small pan over a low heat and toast gently, stirring to prevent scorching. As soon as the spice is fragrant it should be transferred to a mortar or grinder and allowed to cool before grinding.

There are various styles of mortar and pestles available for grinding spices. The mortars that work most efficiently have a rough interior that helps to break down the spices quickly. Alternatively you can use an electric spice or coffee mill, or a food processor's milling attachment. If you choose to use a coffee mill, keep it just for spices or you will end up with strangely scented coffee.

Classic spice blends

Ready-made spice blends are useful to have on hand for adding an instant characteristic flavour to dishes of various cuisines, but it's easy to make your own 'house blends'.

India's garam masala, which means 'warm spices' is a mild spice mix for which there is no exact recipe, and in India it will vary from household to household. Typical inclusions are cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Many recipes will ask you to add it at the end, rather than at the beginning of cooking, to give the dish a final fragrant lift.

Chinese five-spice powder is a powerfully scented mixture in which star anise and cinnamon dominate. It will also include spices such as fennel, cloves, nutmeg, Sichuan pepper and ginger (the name five is symbolic rather than literal). Keep it on hand for making Vietnamese as well as Chinese dishes.

Ras-el-hanout is a classic spice mixture of Moroccan cuisine. The name means 'top of the shop', which reflects its expensive ingredients. Good mixtures will contain more than 20 different spices, including various peppers, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, rose buds and lavender.

France's key spice blend is known as quatre-epices. It is used for charcuterie and baking cakes such as gingerbread. For sweet recipes it will contain allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves - with the allspice replaced by white pepper for savoury dishes.

The 'mixed spice' of British cookery is primarily used in sweet baking and is a fragrant reminder of Christmas recipes. Very similar to sweet quatre-epices, it typically incorporates cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves or allspice. You might want to consider adding caraway, cassia, coriander, dill seed or even pepper for a change.

Indian spices

Many people associate Indian food with chillies but chillies were only introduced to the country in the 15th century, following their discovery in the New World. Prior to that, black pepper was the chief form of heat in Indian cuisine.

Indian cuisine is highly regional and overall uses a wider range of spices than almost any other - not least because so many varieties, including ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, grow there. For someone new to cooking Indian food at home, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, garam masala, plus fresh ginger, garlic and chillies, is a good starter kit.

Curries of India and South-east Asia usually incorporate a souring agent, which might be citrus juice, yoghurt, vinegar, or tamarind, a brown sweet-sour tropical fruit. Tamarind is available fresh, semi-dried, and as a concentrate or ready-prepared liquid. For occasional cooking, the semi-dried product is superior, and stores well. To prepare it, take a lump of tamarind and soak it in hot water for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to help it break down. Use a ratio of one part tamarind to four parts water unless the recipe specifies otherwise. Sieve the mixture before use to remove any seeds and fibres.

South-east Asian spices

The regional cuisines of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia rely a great deal on fresh spices, many of which are grown right outside the kitchen door along with local varieties of herbs. Spices mixes are important, but these will often be in fresh paste form rather than a dried mix of spices.

Some of the authentic ingredients, such as the galangal (a member of the ginger family) of Thai red and green curry pastes, may need to be tracked down in specialist retailers, but other typical ingredients such as fresh chillies, lemongrass, garlic and ginger are readily available in supermarkets. In South-east Asia, many households rely on convenient ready-made curry pastes purchased at the local market, so you should not hesitate to use them, especially authentic brands from specialist stores.

Dried spices typically used in the region include cumin, coriander, and dried red chillies, with cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, chilli powder and star anise useful for specific dishes. Other characteristic flavourings of South-east Asian cooking include shrimp paste (blachan or kapi), fish sauce, soy sauce, shallots, and jaggery or palm sugar.

Sauces and condiments

People wary of the fish sauces and strong fish pastes of South-east Asian cooking should bear in mind that traditional British Worcestershire sauce relies on fermented fish for its full savoury, salty taste. In Mediterranean cooking, anchovies perform a similar function.

Thai fish sauce (nam pla) and Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam) are made by the same basic method: small whole fish are fermented in brine, then the liquid is drawn off, matured and bottled.

While fish sauce can be used without further cooking, shrimp pastes such as blachan (which also give savoury saltiness to dishes) are always cooked. Typically they are fried or grilled, either alone or as part of a spice paste, until fragrant before combining with other ingredients.

Ketjap manis is a thick, sweet Indonesian version of soy sauce containing sugar and spices. Look for it in specialist oriental stores. Chinese and Japanese soy sauces are not in themselves suitable substitutes; as the dish would need additional sweetening.

Horseradish is characteristic of British cookery. It is derived from a root that looks a bit like a very thin parsnip. If you can find horseradish fresh, try it peeled and grated, either directly onto dishes or combined with cream to make horseradish sauce. Although wasabi is often described as Japanese horseradish, it is a different plant, though it does have a similarly powerful pungency.

The sauces we think of as mustard are made from mustard seeds. A favourite in Europe, Britain and its former colonies, mustard seeds can be white/yellow, black or brown, and are derived from three different plants. Its fieriness is dependent on the addition of water, so whole mustard seeds added to a stock, made into a wholegrain sauce, or fried at the early stages of preparing a curry are much mellower than a paste made from ground seeds and water.

Extracts

Extracts are a convenient way of adding an intense flavour in liquid form to (usually sweet) dishes. They need to be added carefully to recipes because too much can easily be overpowering.

Vanilla extract is derived from the vanilla pod and is produced by combining it with alcohol. Although it's more expensive, it's important to buy natural vanilla extract rather than vanilla essence, which is a cheaper chemical imitation.

Almond extract is distilled from the essential oil of bitter almonds, a variety that contains poisonous prussic acid and can only be consumed in very limited quantities. It is used to boost the almond flavour of cakes and desserts, often in conjunction with whole or ground sweet almonds.

Flower waters can be made from a variety of blossoms. Most common are the rose and orange flower waters used in Moroccan and other North African cooking and Middle Eastern dishes. In Thailand jasmine extract is used in syrups and custards, and in India kewra is a herby-vanilla extract derived from the padanus or screwpine leaf.

Salt and pepper

Salt is a mineral essential to the human body, yet we tend to think of it as a spice essential to cooking. It sharpens flavour and stimulates the tastebuds, helping make other food tastier and more appetising, and is an important preservative. In countries where salt is not added directly to food, other ingredients (such as soy sauce and other fermented pastes and liquids) add a salty component.

Common table salt is derived from rock salt and has magnesium added to it to make it free-running. Sea salt is often heralded as the premier salt for cooking. It is sold as loose crystalline flakes, chunky crystals, and in granulated form.

Pepper has been salt's partner on Western tables for hundreds of years. A spice indigenous to southern India, it stimulates the appetite and gives food a gentle warmth. The flavour diminishes during cooking, so it's best added towards the end (hence the phrase 'season to taste' at the end of most recipes) and/or added at the table. Whether it is white or black pepper being used, it's best freshly ground. Remember: ready-ground and cracked pepper will eventually go stale, just like other ground spices.

Fresh flavourings

Fresh spices and herbs often have a distinctly different flavour from their dried counterparts, so it's important not to think of them as potential substitutes for each other.

Ginger is a prime example. The fresh, juicy root has a sweetly pungent taste and a perfume-like scent that makes it suitable for sweet or savoury dishes, whereas the dried ground root is much more fiery and biting to taste. Fresh ginger can be used finely chopped, grated, crushed to give a ginger juice, or simply sliced.

Similarly, there is a great difference between the taste of fresh green chillies, dried red chillies or flakes, and chilli powder, and some dishes will incorporate more than one type. Mexico, the home of chillies, has myriad varieties. For authentic flavour you should use the type specified in the recipe. In general, the smaller the chilli, the hotter it will be. When preparing fresh chillies, it is important to avoid skin contact with the pith as this can create a painful burning sensation on cracked or tender skin. In particular, avoid rubbing your eyes during or after preparing chillies.

Lemongrass is a tropical variety of grass with a sweet lemony scent. It is particularly associated with South-east Asian cooking. Most of the flavour is in the thicker bulb end, which can be peeled then crushed or chopped for adding to dishes. Stalks of lemongrass are also sometimes simply bashed and added whole to dishes. They also make fragrant kebab skewers and basting brushes.

Garlic is technically neither herb nor spice but a member of the allium family and related to onions and leeks. The bulbs usually found on sale are actually dried, though we tend to consider them fresh. Powdered and granulated varieties and garlic salt don't have the juicy perfume of bulb garlic but have their uses in making spice rubs.

Recipes

Vietnamese-style chicken salad by Sophie Grigson (video recipe)

Garam masala by Madhur Jaffrey (video recipe)

Red curry paste by Madhur Jaffrey (video masterclass)