LETS SPICE IT UP {A-B}

by SM - January 17, 2016

LETS SPICE IT UP {A-B}

ALLSPICE

ALLSPICE

Allspice is a berry that has combined flavors of pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add it to stews, soups, and desserts for depth of flavor. Allspice comes from Jamaica, Guatemala and Honduras.

Medicinal Uses:

Rheumatism
Flatulence
Toothache
Muscle aches
Digestive aid

Culinary Uses:

Soups, Stews and Curries
Pickling Spice
Spiced tea Mix
To flavour Cakes, cookies and Pies
To flavour Ketchup and Sausages

AJWAIN/CAROM SEEDS

Ajwain is a seed similar to caraway in texture. It is also called carom seeds, thymol seeds and bishops seeds. It is used in baked goods for depth of flavor.

Medicinal Uses:

Flatulence
Digestive aid
Nausea and vomiting
Anti-spasmodic
Colic

Culinary Uses:

Used in many Indian snacks like Murukku.
To season lentil curries.
Pickling Spice.
To Flavour pasta sauce.
To Season soups and stocks.

ANISE

Anise refers usually to the seeds of a plant with aromatic leaves and stems that taste like licorice, fennel or tarragon.

Medicinal Uses:

Indigestion
Flatulence
Breath-sweetener
Coughs
Sore throat
Wards of epileptic attack

Culinary Uses:

Used in baking
For spicing Fish and shell fish
Used in Mediterranean cooking
For making tea

ARROWROOT

It is a plant based starch obtained from rhizomes that is usually used as a thickening agent. It is made into a light white powder and is usually odorless but has a faint odor when mixed with water.

Medicinal Uses:

Cure gangrene
Cure septic wound
Treats Spider bite or scorpion bite
Used in treatment of Small Pox
Used against indigestion discomfort
And for diarrhea
Improves bowel movement

Culinary Uses:

Used in baking
Used as a thickening agent
Used in making jellies and puddings
For making Ice creams & Biscuits.

ASAFOETIDA

It is a gum that is from the sap of the roots and stem of a giant fennel that exudes a vile odour. It has a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur. When cooked, it adds an onion-like flavour.

Medicinal Uses :

Flatulence
Treats respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis and whooping cough.
Deterrent to germs.
Calms hysteria
Cure for alcoholism.

ASAFOETIDA POWDER

For Recipes which use ASAFOETIDA, Click here...

Culinary Uses :

Used mostly in Indian Vegetarian cooking.
Used in many lentil dishes (often to prevent flatulence).
Flavour vegetarian soups and pickles.
It is also used while cooking Fish & certian Meat dishes.
It is used while preparing South Indian Curries like Sambar & Rasam.
It is widely used in South Indian Pickles.
Some Pappadams are seasoned with Asafoetida.

BASIL

Basil is a bright green, leafy plant, which is in the mint family. Basil is widely used in Italian cuisine and is often paired with Tomatoes. It is also used in Thai cooking.

Medicinal Uses :

Anti-bacterial
Anti-inflammatory
Antioxidant
Anti-aging properties
Treats diabetes
Respiratory disorders
Allergies
Impotence and infertility.

Culinary Uses:

Used in Italian cooking
To spice up tomato and pasta dishes
Spice baked lambs, chicken and fish
Used in Thai cooking.
To garnish soups and curries.

BAY LEAVES

BAY LEAF

Bay Leaves come from the sweet bay or laurel tree. The elliptical leaves of these Bay Trees are green, glossy, and grow up to 3 inches long. Bay Leaves are pungent and have a sharp, bitter taste.

Medicinal Uses :

Astringent
Diuretic
Appetite stimulant properties
Soothe stomach ulcers
Relieve flatulence and colic pain
Treatment of arthritis, muscle pain
Treats bronchitis and flu

For Recipes which use BAY LEAF, Click here...

Culinary Uses:

Used widely in Indian cooking
Used for making Biriyanis, Puloas and Kormas.
Used in the preparation of court bouillon.
Used in flavouring classic sauces.
Used in flavouring Lamb, chicken, fish.
Flavour sweet breads, custards, creams etc.,

BLACK CUMIN/KALONJI/NIGELLA SEEDS

Prophet Mohammad reportedly said that seeds of the black cumin plant could cure anything but death itself. Black Cumin have remarkable healing and health properties that make it one of the most powerful medicinal plants known to man. They have an aroma reminiscent of oregano. They have a slightly bitter and peppery taste with a crunchy texture.

Medicinal Uses :

Headache
Carminative
Digestion aid
Stimulant
Treat bowel disorders
Induce post-natal uterine contraction
Promote lactation
Flatulence
Toothache
Asthma
Allergies

Culinary Uses :

Used in India and the Middle East as a spice and condiment
Used in Europe as both a pepper substitute and a spice.
It is widely used in Indian cuisines.
Used in Mughlai cooking
Used in mildly braised lamb dishes such as korma.
It is also added to vegetable and dhal dishes as well as in chutneys.
The seeds are sprinkled on to naan bread before baking.
It is an ingredient of some Garam Masalas.
Used to flavour meat, chicken and biriyanis
To flavour Lassi, Kebabs, Indian breads.
It is one of the five spices in panch phoran. (A Bengali spice mix)
In the Middle East nigella is added to bread dough.
Used in Middle Eastern cuisines-Yemeni zhoug & Saudi Arabian baharat

BLACK PEPPER

PEPPERCORNS

Black Pepper is a berry that has a distinctive spicy taste. Add it to nearly any savory meal for some subtle heat. It is processed in different ways to yield different kinds of Peppers( from white to black). The cooked and dried unripe fruit is black pepper, the green pepper is from the dried and unripe fruit, and white pepper are the seeds from the ripened fruit of the plant.

PEPPER POWDER

Pepper Powder can be ground out of Pepper corns. Just a sprinkle of Pepper Powder can converts the dishes into a tasty treat with its subtle heat and aroma.

Medicinal Uses:

Digestive system tonic
Rheumatism
Nausea
Flatulence
Laxative
Relieves cold and cough
Prevents Cancer
Enables weight loss
Improves skin
Anti-depressant

For more Recipes with PEPPERCORNS & PEPPER POWDER, Click here...

Culinary Uses:

Used in Indian cooking.
Flavour vegetables, chicken, lamb, fish etc.,
Used in soups and Rasams.
Used widely in south Indian dishes.
Flavour Fried Rice and Ven Pongal etc.,
Can make tea with pepper powder(good to treat sore throat).

Tags : GLOSSARY

LETS SPICE IT UP {A-B}