Blending Your Own Spice Mixes

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Blending Your Own Spice Mixes

A sea of spices in a Turkish market!

An easy and fun way to perk up the flavours of your cooking is to blend your own spice mixes. It is very much like playing in a sandbox: you take a bit of this, a pinch of that, a handful of this and a scoop of that, then smoosh it all together!

Start with very fresh spices, not the dusty jars of spice powder sitting in your pantry for the last decade. Buy whole spices where possible, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, whole peppercorns, mustard seeds, star anise, etc. For maximum flavour gently toast individual spices in a hot, dry skillet very briefly JUST until they release their fragrance and JUST START to change colour. Remove toasted spices from the skillet right away because spices can go from aromatic to bitter and burnt in a nanosecond. Let spices cool and then grind them in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.

Coriander Seeds

Let me introduce you to a lusty all-purpose spice mix called Bone Dust, from BBQ guru Ted Reader's newest book "Napolean's Everyday Gourmet Grilling". Use this bold seasoning on everything from scrambled eggs to steaks to grilled vegetables to stews.

Bone Dust

1/2 cup paprika; 1/4 cup chile powder; 3 tbsp. kosher salt; 2 tbsp. sugar; 2 tbsp. ground coriander seeds; 2 tbsp. garlic powder; 2 tbsp. curry powder; 2 tbsp. hot dry mustard; 1 tbsp. ground black pepper; 1 tbsp. dried basil or oregano; 1 tbsp. dried thyme; 1 tbsp. ground cumin seeds; 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper. Combine spices together and store in a jar in the pantry.

I have been making my own Mexican Chile Powder for years, buying deeply hued dried Gaujillo, New Mexican, Chipotle, Pastilla, Ancho and Puya chiles from La Tiendona Market on 36th St. SE in Calgary. You can combine different types of chiles for depth of flavour and for varying amounts of heat. Gently toast chiles on all sides in a hot, dry skillet, pressing down on their skin with a spatula to try to toast the rumpled surfaces until fragrant. Remove chiles immediately from the skillet. Let them cool. Grind chiles into a powder. Combine 1/2 cup ground ancho or pastilla chile, 2 tbsp. ground cumin seeds, 2 tsp. dried oregano (Mexican oregano if possible), 1 tbsp. paprika and 2 tbsp. ground coriander seeds. Yield: about 1/2 cup. This deeply aromatic spice blend is subtly sweet and hot at the same time, the sweetness from the paprika, the hotness from the chiles.

Ancho Chile Peppers

Another one of my favourite blends, also from Napolean's Everyday Gourmet Grilling, is Jerk Spice Rub, a Carribean inspired mix that is fabulous on grilled chicken pieces or pork loin. Using lots of assertive allspice, dried thyme and ginger, your nose will transport your mind to a faraway place with swaying palm trees and white sand beaches. Combine 2 tbsp. onion powder, 2 tbsp. ground allspice, 2 tbsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp. dried thyme, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. ground black pepper, 1 tbsp. dried granulated garlic, 1 tbsp. kosher salt, 1 tbsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. mustard powder, 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Makes about 1 cup.

Once you start blending your own spices you will never buy commercial curry powder again. Try this beautiful blend, called South Indian Curry Spice Mix: 1 tsp. canola oil; 1 tbsp. coriander seeds; 1 tbsp. fennel seeds; 1 tsp. cumin seeds; 4 whole cloves; 2 green cardamom pods; 1/2"-piece cinnamon stick; 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns; 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric; 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper. Put a small frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add oil. When oil is hot, add coriander, fennel, cumin, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and peppercorns. Cook the spices, stirring, until they just release their aromas and just begin to change colour. Immediately transfer spices to a spice grinder or mortar. Let the spices cool and grind to a powder. Add turmeric and cayenne and mix well. This recipe is from www.finecooking.com.