Quick Guide To Asian Spices

To satisfy an Asian palate, I use some spices in dishes I prepare everyday. There are at least 25 spices I know that are in regular use to create some amazing blends and textured pastes so favoured nowadays.Today I will introduce some spices I often use and teach you ways to incorporate them into your cooking.

Do you know that until the modern methods of food preservation were devised, spices were used, together with salt as the main preservative to prepare foods for storage for varying periods of time? It was generations later that an appreciation of taste and texture of individual roots and seeds came into being. Exponents of Chinese medicine had recommended the use of ginger and turmeric, among others, from very ancient times. India too, had supplies of the most spices from the earliest days including cardamom, coriander, cumin and sesame and the medicinal values of these seeds were entailed in old Hindu writings.

Over the centuries, the spice trade had operated throughout the Eastern hemisphere with ships voyaging thousands of miles, often under one sail alone, to discover the new sources of these priceless commodities. As these spices are grown in damp tropical regions, their value was immense in the Northern Hemisphere as Marco Polo returned from his epic twenty-five years journey to the East in the thirteenth century with valuable quantities of rare spices and silks.

Ginger is the most commonly used in dishes form Chinese through Malay to Indian cuisine. It has a pungent fresh taste that compliments both fish and meat equally. Whenever possible, use only fresh roots as the dry powder has less flavour and will not give your dish a distinct aroma. I had my fair share of ginger based dishes during confinement months after child birth. I was taught by my Grandfather, a famous Chinese physician that the warming properties of ginger help dispel "wind" trapped in stomach and help mothers regain their pre pregnancy shape faster.

Coriander is much loved in Asian cooking for its seeds and leaves. It imparts a peppery sweetness to many dishes. In olden days, the seeds were also used as soporific in sleeping potions. If you visit Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, you will find small fine stalks of Chinese parsley used as garnish or in soups.

Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and a root that is easily grown in pots and local gardens. It is more valued for its dyeing properties than for its rather bitter taste. It is commonly used in curries to give a rich golden yellow colour or in pickles. Powdered turmeric can be used instead but be careful not to be too heavy handed when you use them.

Chillies is the hottest of all spices and utilised most in Asian cooking. If dried chillies are specified in a recipe, they should be soaked in warm water to soften prior to grinding. Chillies can be used fresh to garnish dishes or with fish sauce for dipping or pounded to form paste for cooking curries.

As there are many varieties of spices around, it is impossible for me to cover all in one post. I promised to talk more in future and remember to check out the super recipes and new ideas I have for you!