Herbs, Spices, and Seeds...

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HumbleHomeCook

HumbleHomeCook

Embrace your knifesculinity!
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Tonight I pulled my remaining whole spices/seeds out of the storage bin I'd had them in and got them into designated jars.

On hand I have:
- Star Anise
- Cassia Cinnamon
- Coriander Seed
- Cumin Seed
- Nutmeg Seed
- Peppercorn (Black)
- Szechuan Peppercorn

Going through them showed me I need to buy some more mustard seeds and I'm thinking of getting some cardamom pods.

This got me thinking, what whole spices/seeds do you like to keep on hand? What should I get?

What ground stuff that isn't so mainstream do you like to have? For example, I'm thinking about getting some sumac.

Do you buy blends (herb and/or spice)? I prefer mixing my own. If you do too, got any you favorite mixes you want to share?
 
Chilies of all kinds
Herbs of all kinds
Peppercorns of all kinds
Cloves
Ginger
Galangal
Fennel Seed
Cardamom
Caraway
Sesame Seeds
Onion Seeds
Wasabi Powder
Mace
Allspice
Mustard Powder
Turmeric

Blends I buy:
Zatarains Blackened Seasoning
Badia Adobo
Herbs de Provence
Chinese Five spice
Garam Masala
Madras Curry
Togarashi
Montreal steak seasoning

Stuff I came across working in an Indian restaurant and would now feel naked working without:
Fenugreek (has a sweet maple syrup smell/flavor, used in many curry powder blends)
Ajwain (small seed that smells and tastes like thyme)
Asafoetida (pungent stinky goodness)
Mango Powder

PXL_20211022_010428575.jpg
 
I have a lot of those things and have really been on a Garam Masala kick lately.

But, there's a number of items you listed that I don't have and some I've never heard of which is exactly what I was hoping for!

Fenugreek is one I keep thinking I need. I had no idea onion seeds were a thing.

Za'atar?
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
I have a lot of those things and have really been on a Garam Masala kick lately.

But, there's a number of items you listed that I don't have and some I've never heard of which is exactly what I was hoping for!

Fenugreek is one I keep thinking I need. I had no idea onion seeds were a thing.

Za'atar?
Click to expand...

Fenugreek, aka Methi, is great. You can buy fresh leaves, dry leaves, seeds, or powder. They all have very different textures and all have the same maple-y taste. The powder is the strongest/most concentrated.

I'm not as familiar with Middle Eastern stuff as Indian. I almost worked for a fufu pizza place where the chef made his own Za'atar from local organic herbs that he dried himself and yada yada but it fell through.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
Okay @stringer aside from salt and pepper...

- Your favorite herb?

- Your favorite spice?
Click to expand...


Herb - I'm a big fan of tarragon

Spice - chilies and peppercorns are both extremely important to me and the way I cook. But if I had to pick a non-chili/peppercorn spice it would be cumin.
 
stringer said:
Herb - I'm a big fan of tarragon

Spice - chilies and peppercorns are both extremely important to me and the way I cook. But if I had to pick a non-chili/peppercorn spice it would be cumin.
Click to expand...

Cool.

I'm not a huge licorice fan. I like it in moderation in the right things so fennel, tarragon, etc. get used around here but sparingly.

For an herb, hands down mine would be sage. Love the stuff.

For a spice, cumin and smoked paprika would be in close contest.

How about you @BillHanna ?
 
O man, I will need to sit down next to the spice cabinets and write all the stuff down.

Kaffir lime leaves, young Ginger and Laos (Galanga) I keep in the freezer, ginger and tumeric I buy fresh, Thyme, Bay and Rosemary from the garden.
Fermented garlic
Pul biber
kashmiri chilli pepper
various types of black and sichuan pepper
marniquette pepper
poppy seed
nigella seed
allspice
saffran
ground porcini mushroom
paprika: regular, smoked and spicy smoked paprika
vadouvan
kemiri nuts
foil (the outer shell of a nutmeg seed)
musterd seed (black and yellow)
juniper berries
tonka beans
 
It might be boring, but basil and mint are big for me. Thai or Italian basil. Thyme has been coming on strong, with chicken in particular.

I would leave my wife for anthropomorphized ginger or garlic. I would eat garlic ice cream. I would use ginger toothpaste. I would love to try and grow ginger, to see what’s up with the rest of the plant.

In the spirit of KKF, I’ll go off topic. Honey is a mainstay in this house as well. THAT I can get local at a price I don’t mind.
 
Yeah, sumac's good--bright, dry, citrusy. Good in salad dressing with dried mint, olive oil, and lemon. Good in yoghurt sauces. Good on red lentil soup. Good on cukes. If you're near a middle eastern restaurant but don't have access to a middle eastern market, just see if they'll sell you a bag. It's inexpensive stuff. Otherwise, Ziyad is a decent brand. But it's best if you can find freshly ground.

If you want to experiment a little, long pepper is fun, as is black cardamum. Dried mint for middle eastern, dried basil for southern french cooking.

Quality makes a huge difference--especially since a lot of the spices go such a long way--and so does storage (I used to buy from a place that sold everything in airtight mini-cans...).
 
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long pepper, indeed!
same for black cardamom.

Try a good Indian cookbook (tthe type with an arms long list of spices for each step...and you'll learn about spices in a jiffy.
 
BillHanna said:
It might be boring, but basil and mint are big for me. Thai or Italian basil. Thyme has been coming on strong, with chicken in particular.

I would leave my wife for anthropomorphized ginger or garlic. I would eat garlic ice cream. I would use ginger toothpaste. I would love to try and grow ginger, to see what’s up with the rest of the plant.

In the spirit of KKF, I’ll go off topic. Honey is a mainstay in this house as well. THAT I can get local at a price I don’t mind.
Click to expand...

Gotta say, ginger toothpaste don't sound too bad!
 
MarcelNL said:
O man, I will need to sit down next to the spice cabinets and write all the stuff down.

Kaffir lime leaves, young Ginger and Laos (Galanga) I keep in the freezer, ginger and tumeric I buy fresh, Thyme, Bay and Rosemary from the garden.
Fermented garlic
Pul biber
kashmiri chilli pepper
various types of black and sichuan pepper
marniquette pepper
poppy seed
nigella seed
allspice
saffran
ground porcini mushroom
paprika: regular, smoked and spicy smoked paprika
vadouvan
kemiri nuts
foil (the outer shell of a nutmeg seed)
musterd seed (black and yellow)
juniper berries
tonka beans
Click to expand...

Sigh...I have to admit that upon seeing nigella seeds I immediately thought of Nigella Lawson and thought of several things to say...

Sorry KKF...



:p
 
BillHanna said:
Sumac and za’atar are on my list to try. I just need to find a good source, preferentially local.
Click to expand...

i suggest:

https://www.eatzaatar.com/collections/frontpage/products/sumac
https://www.eatzaatar.com/collections/frontpage/products/zaatar-authentic-blend
i have not had better zaatar outside of lebanon. their sumac is good too but can't claim there aren't better sources. haven't looked as hard for sumac, and i don't eat it daily (unlike zaatar).

superior to crap i've gotten from middle eastern grocery stores in the US.
free shipping btw.
 
Oh, geez. My cupboards are packed with spices. Depends on what I’ve been cooking as to what spices are priorities.

Here’s what I brought with me to Hawaii for this trip. I spent a lot of time considering what are important spices to have.

Survivalist spice kit:
Asafoetida
Turmeric
Coriander seeds
Panch Phoran
Garam Masala
Japanese curry powder
8CA140EE-F560-42D7-8ED4-68C39B19A012.jpeg
 
DitmasPork said:
Oh, geez. My cupboards are packed with spices. Depends on what I’ve been cooking as to what spices are priorities.

Here’s what I brought with me to Hawaii for this trip. I spent a lot of time considering what are important spices to have.

Survivalist spice kit:
Asafoetida
Turmeric
Coriander seeds
Panch Phoran
Garam Masala
Japanese curry powder
View attachment 148078
Click to expand...
What does Japanese curry powder contain?
 
stringer said:
What does Japanese curry powder contain?
Click to expand...
Here’s the ingredients of S&B—pretty clean ingredients compared to Japanese curry roux cubes which have a tonne of things, like cheese, apple, stablizers, msg. I bring this along because it’s pretty good for making Hawaiian style curries.
9FDAC2AF-E35B-4F31-89A3-F5D30DD71CFC.jpeg
 
We have a pretty good spice collection... quite a few of the ones mentioned here. If I am feeling frisky... maybe i'll write them up later.

HumbleHomeCook said:
smoked paprika
Click to expand...

🤤

Probably my favourite...


Perhaps this belongs in the unpopular opinions thread... but I believe dried herbs have a place...

fresh herbs > dry herbs > no herbs at all!

I use fresh herbs when I am planning out a meal - particularly if I want it to be nice. The bunches of fresh herbs are often a little to large for us. Unless we drown our meals in fresh herbs, there is a risk of some wilting and being unused (though occasionally I save it for stock). So fresh herbs are not an ingredient we routinely stock. I would prefer to have dried herbs than no herbs if I am improvising a meal with whatever is in the cupboard.
 
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Luftmensch said:
We have a pretty good spice collection... quite a few of the ones mentioned here. If I am feeling frisky... maybe i'll write them up later.



🤤

Probably my favourite...


Perhaps this belongs in the unpopular opinions thread... but I believe dried herbs have a place...

fresh herbs > dry herbs > no herbs at all!

I use fresh herbs when I am planning out a meal - particularly if I want it to be nice. The bunches of fresh herbs are often a little to large for us. Unless we drown our meals in fresh herbs, there is a risk of some wilting and being unused (though occasionally I save it for stock). So fresh herbs are not an ingredient we routinely stock. I would prefer to have dried herbs than no herbs if I am improvising a meal with whatever is in the cupboard.
Click to expand...


I routinely use dried herbs. Especially sage, basil, oregano, and thyme. I have others of course but those see a lot of uses.
 
LostHighway said:
Great thread!
Almost everything I use has been mentioned at least once with these exceptions:
Coriander seed has been mentioned but no leaf, am I the only one who loves cilantro?
Epazote
Curry leaves (Kaffir/Makrut lime leaves are a good substitute but not quite the same)
Click to expand...

I love cilantro but my wife is one of those folks who is sensitive to it so if I use it in something we're sharing I have to be very conservative with it. As a result, I nearly always use fresh.
 
we're also using these Bormioli jars, but have been keeping them in drawers with stickers on the lids for quicker access during cooking. Right now they sit in trays as our current in between rental home has a flea sized kitchen
 
My ethnic grocer stocks frozen Kaffir lime leaves, they freeze very well.

Here is the sorry state of my spice drawer - I organize it regularly, but it somehow always ends up a mess 🤷‍♂️
IMG_2932.jpg
 
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