A Little Spice to Make Food Nice

I don't know when Afif will be interested to learn to cook. I just hope he can live on sandwiches, cornflakes and Maggi noodles when he goes to Sheffield next year.Right now he is busy playing the XBox. Cooking is the last thing on his mind. Hopefully when he is on his own he will learn to cook simple meals from recipes in this blog when the time comes. Actually, we learn best when we are in need. Just like taking on another language in a foreign country. The Bangladeshi workers can speak good Malay now. They have to . If not how to survive? Now they can even flirt with the local Malay girls and get the latter's parents worried.

I found a few good tips in a recent newsletter. It is from Nestle Nutrition reproduced from Maggi's website. It is about adding a little spice to make food nice.

It says a pinch of cinnamon powder, a few bay leaves and a pip of garlic will enhance the taste and aroma of the dish. Of course, I agree with this statement. I use the sweet cinnamon and jintan manis (fennel seeds- top left picture) to add sweetness and avoid using sugar.I have yet to learn to use bay leaves which I bought sometime ago. But using kaffir lime ( daun limau purut) leaves and turmeric leaves (daun kunyit) and torch ginger flowers ( bunga kantan- centre picture) is no stranger to me as I love the flavour they add to a particular dish.

For best results the article on spices suggests these little "secrets:

• Buy spices in small amounts as aging robs their flavour and aroma.


• To test the freshness, rub a bit of spice between thumb and index finger and breathe in the aroma. If it is not present, discard it as it is no longer fresh.

• Store spices in airtight containers in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight.

• Less is best. Start with a small amount of spices and add more if insufficient. To much makes the food bitter instead of enhancing its flavour.

• Cooking releases the aroma and flavour of spices. So if you stew, add spices in the last hour. However, if using in cold dishes, you need time for the spices to release their flavour.

• Spices like bay leaves, lemon grass, ginger and peppercorns can do with a bit of crushing to release their flavour. That is why they are crushed with the pestle before being thrown into the pot.

• Spices like mustard seeds, aniseed, curry leaves, cumin and fenugreek needs to be fried lightly to release their aroma and flavour

• One can experiment with the different spices to see their suitability.For example, fenugreek (halba- top right picture) is great at masking the fishy smell of seafood, while nutmeg is usually used in baked foods,beverages and puddings.

• To keep soups clear, bag up the spices in a small muslin pouch (bunjut) before adding to the soup before boiling.

Now we understand why our grandmother's freshly ground spices in curries, korma and the like tasted so good, unlike the spices we buy from the Mamak store and keep it for months before using.