5 Techniques for Mastering Your Spice Cabinet
I didn’t realize just how much I loved spices until I started working on this story. They were in so many of the dishes I grew up eating: pomegranates my grandfather sprinkled with golpar (ground angelica seeds) and salt, rice stained with saffron-infused water. These tiny seeds, roots, herbs, and powders are magical. They lend sweetness, heat, nuttiness, grassiness, or sourness to a dish in an instant, perking up your mouth, ears, and throat. A little spice can do a lot of things.
As I began cooking in restaurants and traveling on my own, I dove deeper into spices. I learned how cinnamon sticks and star anise were essential to good pho; I experimented with the grind of spices to add texture, not just flavor. All these memories and experiences came flooding back as I began developing recipes for this story—reminding me that even though my cooking fluctuates constantly, spices are always a big part of it. Especially now, at the end of winter, when the produce selection can be rough, I’m relying on my spice rack more than ever. (On that note: Keep in mind that where you buy spices is just as important as how you use them.) Here are the meals I’m making—and the techniques (and products) at their core.
Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio1/11Bloom in Fat
Combining spices in a fat and heating them up until they sizzle results in a super versatile oil. This cooking method is found in several dishes across many cultures, from cacio e pepe to salsa macha to dal. In this chicken recipe, I bloom paprika, coriander, and cumin in oil, which seasons a garlicky yogurt marinade and tops off borani, an Iranian cucumber-and-raisin-studded yogurt, served alongside. For more on this technique, check this out.
Photograph by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio3/11Infuse! Infuse! Infuse!
Dropping spices into liquid is clutch and there are a couple of ways to do it. When I want a light infusion, I’ll keep the spices whole. But if I want a more concentrated flavor, I’ll grind them. “This destroys the structure of the spice so it’s easier for the liquid to penetrate,” explains my friend, cookbook author and molecular biologist Nik Sharma.
For this hybrid soup, which borrows elements of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese soups, I’ve done both. Simmering whole cinnamon and star anise in the tomato broth adds a light sweetness, while finely ground black pepper gives it some heat.
Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio5/11Not All Spice Blends Are Created Equal
Typically, I avoid spice mixes; they get stale fast and can’t compete with making your own. One exception is chaat masala. This Indian blend has coriander, cumin, and black pepper, but it’s the amchur—a dried mango powder with an acidic, lip-smacking quality—that keeps me coming back for more. I love to scatter it over crispy potatoes, tropical fruit, and whitefish. For this dish I season a snapper fillet with grated garlic, ginger, and chaat masala, then pan-sear it until the skin gets crispy. Then I finish it off with a little more chaat masala. That’s what you do with chaat, the category of Indian snacks that rely on this spice mix—it’s the perfect final touch.
Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio7/11Use Spices Like a Condiment
This is something I do often: Take a spice and turn it into a dry, savory sprinkle. Unlike a liquid condiment, this introduces texture as well as flavor. For this nut-free riff on Egyptian dukkah, I toast coriander seeds and sesame seeds, then crush them in a mortar and pestle with shredded coconut flakes and dried chiles. This lends heat, sweetness, and crunch to these tender coconut-braised carrots. And it lasts for a few days, so I dust it on everything: soups, stir-fries, oats.
Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio9/11Dried Herbs Can Be Spices Too
The key to using dried herbs is hydration—the liquid brings them back to life but in a more intense way, with a stronger scent and a more bitter taste. I bloom dried mint in hot oil, which gets a zingy spiciness, then stir into yogurt, or throw dried tarragon into pickling liquid for a funky anise-forward flavor. But one of my favorite ways to cook with dried herbs is by making ghormeh sabzi, one of the most celebrated Iranian stews. I brown hunks of lamb shoulder and onions and add tons of fresh herbs and some punctured dried limes, as well as dried fenugreek leaves, which are sweeter than the fresh kind. Simmering coaxes out the celery-like flavor of the fenugreek and the astringent pop of the dried limes. It’s unlike any other stew, which is why I love it.
11/11Three spice company founders explain the benefits of purchasing high-quality, thoughtfully sourced, single-origin spices:
They Taste Great
Just like with any ingredient you buy, the way spices are grown, harvested, and produced matters. Ethically sourced single-origin spices pass through few to no middlemen compared to some spices, which can change hands up to 10 times and take years to reach the consumer, losing flavor along the way. “[Our spices] get to customers as early as three months from harvest,” says Sana Javeri Kadri, the founder of Diaspora Co.It Benefits the Farmers Who Grow It
Zameen founder Rushi Sanathra built his company around addressing the financial insecurity farmers face. Companies like his and Javeri Kadri’s go straight to the farmer (or a trusted farm network) to share how their business works from packaging to payment. They pay significantly above market price, and some, like Diaspora, are finding ways to offer health insurance, an industry rarity.You Get More Bang for Your Buck
You might feel sticker shock when you see the prices of the spices recommended here. A faster production cycle and equitable pay for farmers costs more. But a little goes a long way. “Ours are a bit more expensive,” explains Atef Boulaabi, owner of SOS Chefs, “but because they’re well-sourced and more flavorful, you end up needing less to cook. That’s value.”
