© Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Index Page 2 – Introduction Page 3 – Roasting & Grinding Page 4 - Curry Powder (India) Page 5 - Garam Masala (India) Page 6 - Pumpkin Spice Mix (USA/Everywhere) Page 7 - Baharat (North Africa) Page 8 - Chinese Five-Spice Powder (China) Page 9 - Ras El Hanout (Moroccan) Page 10 - Sambhar Powder (Tamil Nadu) Page 11 - Tandoori Masala Powder (India/Pakistan) Page 12 - Quatre-Epice (France) Page 13 - Cajun Seasoning (USA) Page 14 - Berbere (Africa) 1 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Introduction Welcome to “Spice Blends From Around The World”. A collection of 11 tried and trusted spice blends from all corners of the world. Some are simple, some are a bit more complex, but all will do wonders for your cooking and are sure to impress your guests! Please share this book with your friends. But please don't sell it or change it in any way. Best Regards, Jason Pitcher http://www.bespokespices.com/ Disclaimer: This book is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, nor should it be interpreted as such. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease. Always work with a qualified health professional before making any change to your diet, prescription drug use, exercise, or lifestyle activities. The reader assumes all risks from the use, misuse, or non-use of this information. In this book I hope to give you some ideas, info, tips and guidelines you can use to make your own decisions about eating tasty food. 2 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Roasting & Grinding Whole Spices To get the most flavour out of your whole spices, you need to lightly roast them first and then grind. This roasting and grinding releases the essential oils which greatly intensifies the flavours and aroma. Step 1: On a low to medium heat add the spices to a dry pan and gently toast the spices. Keep the spices moving by stirring or shaking the pan, this will evenly toast them. This only takes a few minutes and when you can really smell the aroma, they're ready. Step 2a: Let the spices cool and get ready to grind. You can either use a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. If I want to make my food more traditional and authentic, I'll use my mortar and pestle (right), and grind the spices whilst cooking. But for convenience and speed... Step 2b:...I tend to use my coffee grinder (right). Apart from speed this also grinds the spices finer than a mortar and pestle. I recommend buying a separate coffee grinder just for grinding your spices or you risk ending up with some unusual tasting coffee! Step 3: Next step is to sieve the spices, I find this is more important when using my mortar and pestle as it's a bit harder to get a really fine powder than when using the coffee grinder. And if you want you can regrind the bits of spices and sieve again and so on. Step 4: All you need to do now is store in an airtight jar out of direct sunlight. Also for maximum taste and freshness it's best to make enough for your immediate recipe, but making a larger batch is fine and will keep its goodness for quite a while. (Photo of ground cumin & coriander seed) 3 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Easy Homemade Curry Powder Recipe Here's what I would call a good all-round homemade curry blend. Ingredients: (makes about 9-10 tbsp) 3tbsp coriander seeds 2tbsp cumin seeds 1½ tbsp black peppercorns 2tsp ground paprika 1tsp ginger powder 1tsp ground turmeric 1tsp chili powder 10 green cardamom pods ½tsp salt (preferably sea salt) tbsp = tablespoon tsp = teaspoon Directions: Crack open the cardamom pods and remove the seeds, discard the husks. Lightly dry roast coriander, cumin, peppercorns and cardamom seeds. Once cool, grind these four to a powder (see page 3). Combine with the rest of the spices. Stored in an airtight container this curry blend will last up to 18 months, but I recommend making up a fresh batch every 3 months. 4 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com A Quick And Easy "Make Your Own" Garam Masa a Recipe The amount of ingredients for this can range from as little as five or six up to fifteen plus spices! This standard garam masala recipe uses only seven spices and is the one I use if my curry powder recipes need it. Ingredients: (makes about 7-8 tbsp) 10 dried bay leaves 10 green cardamom pods 10 cloves 3 tbsp coriander seeds 2 tbsp cumin seeds 1½ tbsp black peppercorns Stick of cinnamon tbsp = tablespoon tsp = teaspoon Directions: Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and discard the husks. Roast and grind them along with the coriander, cumin, cloves and peppercorns (see page 3). Grind the bay leaves and cinnamon and mix with the roasted spices. Store in an airtight jar out of direct sunlight and use within 2-3 months. 5 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Pumpkin Pie !pices "or #asty Pumpkin Pie ! ices This easy-to-make mix of pumpkin pie spices only needs six ingredients and is sure to transform even the blandest desserts. Ingredients: (makes about 5-6tbsp) 2tbsp ground cinnamon 1tbsp ground ginger 2tsp grated nutmeg 2tsp ground cloves 2tsp ground allspice 1½ tsp ground mace tbsp = tablespoon tsp = teaspoon Directions: Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight jar out of direct sunlight. That's it! Simple. But if you want your desserts and dishes to "come alive", I recommend buying whole allspice and cloves and roasting and grinding them first (see page 3). And, with the cinnamon and mace, to really extract the flavours, I also recommend that you grind them whole first before blending with the other spices. And I always grate whole nutmeg, these tough seeds can easily break the blade on your grinder. Fresh ginger is too difficult to grind so using pre-ground stuff is fine. 6 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com $a%arat &'orth A(rica) This mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season fish, beef, chicken, lamb, and soups. Additionally, it may be used, like salt or pepper, to add more flavour after a meal has been prepared. Ingredients: (makes about half a cup) 3 tbsp coriander seed 3 tbsp ground paprika 2 tbsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp cumin seed 1 tbsp allspice 10 green cardamom pods 10 cloves 2 tsp dried red chili powder 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 cinnamon stick (approx 4 inches) tbsp = tablespoon tsp = teaspoon Directions: Crack open the cardamom pods and remove the seeds, discard the husks. Lightly dry roast coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, allspice and cloves. Once cool, grind these 6 spices to a powder (see page 3). Grind the cinnamon stick and then combine all spices together. Store in an airtight jar out of direct sunlight. It's best to make a fresh batch every 2-3 months. 7 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Chinese "i*e+!pice Powder &China) All of the five flavours - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty - are found in five-spice powder. It is used in stir fried vegetables and this blend is commonly used to flavour, chicken, fish and greasy meats like duck and pork. Ingredients: (makes about half a cup) 4 tbsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp fennel seed 6 star anise 1 tsp. whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick (approx 4 inches) tbsp = tablespoon tsp = teaspoon Directions: Lightly dry roast black peppercorns, fennel seed, star anise and cloves, let cool and then grind along with the cinnamon stick to a fine powder(see page 3). Mix together and store in an airtight jar out of direct sunlight. It's best to make a fresh batch every 2-3 months. 8 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com Ras E Hanout &Moroccan) Ras el hanout - “head of the shop” - is a popular blend of spices that is used across North Africa. There is no definitive set combination of spices, but over 20 different ones is not uncommon! Ingredients: (makes about half a cup) 1 tbsp coriander seed 1 tbsp mustard seeds 1 tbsp cumin seed 1 tbsp allspice berries 1 tbsp black peppercorns 1 tbsp paprika powder 2 tsp turmeric powder 2 tsp dried lavender 1 tsp grated nutmeg 1 tsp dried rose petals 1 tsp galangal powder 1 tsp cubeb 1 tsp ginger powder 1 tsp mace powder 1 tsp caraway seeds 3 inches cinnamon stick 15 whole cloves Directions: Lightly roast and grind the whole seeds (Page 3). Combine with the ground spices and mix well. Store in an airtight jar out of direct sunlight. 9 © Copyright 2011 – Jason Pitcher Bespoke Spices.com !am,%ar Powder &#ami 'adu) Used in South Indian cooking, Sambhar powder is mainly used for vegetable dishes, sauces, soups and bean/lentil based recipes. Ingredients: (makes about 15 tbsp) 1 tbsp urad dal 1 tbsp channa dal 4 tbsp coriander seeds 3 tbsp cumin seeds 1 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi) 1 tbsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp asoefetida (hing) powder 1 tsp mustard seeds 10 dried red chillies 10 peppercorns 1 sprig dry curry leaves 1 tbsp oil for roasting dal Directions: Dry roast the whole spices (see page 3) till they give off their aroma. Let cool and add asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Fry the dal until they darken, let cool and add to the other spices. Mix together and grind to a fine powder.