When I worked as a hospital dietitian, my patients often asked questions about spices. They would ask if spices can make bland, healthy foods more delicious, since many of them were trying to lose weight and cut out calories. Spices have few calories, which makes them an awesome enhancer of healthy foods for people with healthy goals. Not only that, the flavor they add also enables us to use less salt. Spices also create strong memories of the foods we enjoy. How many times have you tasted something delicious and it triggered a memory from your past?
Spices are versatile; they can change the whole food experience. Take, for example, ginger; ginger adds a pick-me-up to a stir fry, yet it can intensify sweetness and complexity in a spice cookie. Ginger can also relieve nausea.
Spices can:
Define the direction of a food: either sweet or savory
Add heat to a bland dish
Help us use less salt
Add more than one flavor at a time (in blends)
Bring excitement and change to a usual dish
Keep us interested in cooking and baking
Add color, complexity, or aroma
One question that came up a lot was, “Should I use fresh or dried spices?”
It depends: if you have the fresh herb or spice, then use it, but it can get expensive and limit you from making a recipe if you are out of the fresh spice. Dried spices are a nice substitute.
Nonetheless, fresh spices and herbs have such a nice clean flavor. You can use more of a spice or herb if it is fresh, too. A good rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of a fresh herb = 1 teaspoon dried. But as always, this depends on your personal taste and how you want to finish the dish. Always start with a smaller amount, because you can always add more, but it is hard to take away too much of a good thing.
When doubling a recipe, don’t double all the spices. Start with one-and-a-half times the spices and work up to the desired flavor. This is especially important for pepper, salt, thyme, oregano, curry, celery seed, and garlic. These particular spices can overpower a dish quickly and if that happens, the flavor of the dish can be ruined.
If you are trying a new spice in something you are creating, then take out a small amount of the dish you are making and add the herb or spice to it. If it smells or tastes off, then you have not ruined the whole dish. I know this because I have ruined a few recipes in my time.
Another thing that can help with a time crunch are pre-made seasoning combinations. My favorites are:
Seasoning Salt (I like Johnny’s or Trader Joe’s brands)
Old Bay Seasoning is great on fish for fish tacos or other seafood dishes. Also sprinkle it on biscuits; it is surprisingly tasty!
Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning
Spike (the flavor in the bottle with the red top) enhances the flavor in egg dishes, quiche, and Mexican food
Italian seasoning is great in soups, Italian dishes, and spaghetti sauce.
Lemon pepper is yummy in stir frys and on grilled vegetables and meats.
Pumpkin pie spice is great for anything with pumpkin flavor, or to make your own pumpkin-spice latte.
Taco seasoning for any Mexican food (and it is a nice rub for grilled chicken)
Allspice is great in spice cake or cookies. Many cultures use it in lamb or vegetable dishes.
Five-spice powder is yummy in stir fry and Asian dishes
Hot sauce is great on many foods if you like your food hot and spicy
One time when I was in a hurry because our guests were en route, I used taco seasoning on chicken like a rub and grilled it. It made Mexican-flavored chicken for our taco salad and it’s sienna color contrasted nicely with the green lettuce leaves in the salad. I love color combinations in food; it really adds to food appeal.
Also watch your timing when you add some herbs and spices, like garlic. Garlic should be added later in cooking, because if it is over-cooked, it becomes bitter. So, saute your onions for the desired time and add the garlic towards the end.
Here’s a guide for spice measurement conversions:
A pinch =⅛ of a teaspoon or less
3 teaspoons =1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons=¼ of a cup
8 tablespoons =½ of a cup
12 tablespoons =¾ of a cup
16 tablespoons =1 cup
Fun facts:
Why does cilantro taste like soap to some people? It is genetic! Four to fourteen percent of people have an allele of the gene (OR6A2) that processes aldehydes in cilantro so that it tastes like soap or bubble bath instead of cilantro. Some other tastes from the aldehyde family, such as vanilla and cinnamon, can taste off to some people for the same reason.
There are 5 tastes. They are sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. The tongue has taste buds that sense the five different flavors and help you to distinguish what you are eating. The nose also is a big part of taste. When your nose is stuffy, you have a hard time tasting foods. So the tongue and nose work together to help you enjoy your food.
Here is a recipe featuring ginger that was created by my Mom and a friend of hers. They created it together over the phone and shared the final version with their mutual friends at a luncheon. Many of the guests asked for the recipe.
Stir-fry chicken and pea pods
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp cooking sherry or dry white wine 1 tbsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dry ginger 1 clove garlic or ¼ tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp poultry seasoning 1 tsp lemon pepper ½ tsp salt
3 large chicken breasts (or 1 pound) - chopped into bite sized pieces 4 diced green onions 1 cup fresh button mushrooms sliced
2 cups fresh or 1 pkg frozen pea pods
1-2 tbsp. oil for stir frying (I use avocado or sesame)
Blend together the soy sauce, ginger, wine, garlic, poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, and salt in a bowl. Mix in chicken pieces and marinate for 30 minutes. Next put the oil in a hot skillet or wok and add the chicken with marinade. Saute for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is done. Add green onions, mushrooms and pea pods. Stir fry the vegetables until they are tender-crisp (4 minutes or less).
Serve with white or brown rice.
My next blog post will be a cooking demo of this recipe!
If you want a great guide to spices, I recommend "A Busy Cook’s Guide to Spices" by Linda Murdock. It has endless ideas for flavors, spices, recipes, and herbs, and you will be inspired to cook in no time! It will also help you experiment with flavors in a guided way as you learn more about the zesty world awaiting your taste buds!
Ciao!
Jamie
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