On the bottom of each storage jar is a row of numbers, written in black felt-tip pen, that marks the best-before date of the contents. Sometimes, I tear the date from the packet instead and tuck it inside the jar. It’s like finding a hidden message in your ground spice, a secret note that tells you the turmeric is getting on a bit or that the allspice berries have been there since before the pandemic.
I sorted out the spice jars this week, popping their air-tight seals and breathing in deeply. It’s a succession of smells which, in a heartbeat, will take you to Scandinavia or Kerala, Lebanon or Provence. I tossed the elderly aniseed and the ancient caraway, struggling to remember when I last made biscotti or seed cake. Others sent me straight to the kitchen – whole cumin seeds, chilli flakes and ground coriander found their way into a tomato sauce for fried florets of cauliflower; whole coriander seeds and turmeric (the latter a little past the date of its predicted demise) into a coconut sauce for shiitake mushrooms.
I prefer to use my nose rather than adhere to a forecasted sell-by date. If a sniff of the spice jar stirs nothing in you, then it is probably time to say your goodbyes. Tightly sealed – by which I mean air-tight and in a jar that has been kept away from warmth and sunlight – most spices will be good for months. The exception, to my nose at least, is ground cardamom, which I always feel is a mere shadow of the freshly ground seeds from green pods. Coriander seeds lose their citrus edge, but the base notes remain.
All I need now is something to do with the three jars of ground ginger I have somehow accumulated, all in good nick. I see a batch of dark and sticky cakes coming in the next few weeks.
Cauliflower with tomato chilli sauce
Serves 3. Ready in 50 minutes
cauliflower 1, medium
plain or gram flour 3 tbsp
paprika ½ tsp
sunflower oil for frying
For the sauce:
onion 1
garlic 2 cloves
ground coriander 1 tsp
cumin seeds ½ tsp
tomatoes 4, medium
tomato purée 2 tbsp
chilli flakes 1 tsp
water or vegetable stock 375ml
mint leaves 12
Put a deep pan of water on to boil and find a steamer basket or colander that will sit in the top without touching the water. Break the cauliflower into large, plump florets and, when the water is boiling, put it in the steamer, cover tightly with a lid and leave to steam for about 7-10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender to the point of a metal skewer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the sauce, peel and finely chop the onion. Warm the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and stir in the onion. Leave it to cook, with the occasional stir, until it starts to turn golden. Peel and crush the garlic to a paste (most easily done with a pinch of sea salt flakes and pestle and mortar), then mix in with onions. Stir in the ground coriander and cumin seeds and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
Roughly chop the tomatoes, then stir them into the softening onion and let them cook down a little before mixing in the tomato purée, chilli flakes and a good seasoning of salt and black pepper. Continue cooking, stirring now and again, for 7-8 minutes, then pour in the water or stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, remove the cauliflower from the steamer and tip into a bowl. Season the flour with the paprika and a little black pepper, then toss the cauliflower gently in the flour – you don’t want the florets to break up.
Warm enough oil in a sauté or frying pan to shallow-fry the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower and let the florets cook until the crowns turn pale gold – about 8-10 minutes. Tear the mint leaves to release their fragrance, then stir them into the sauce. Spoon the sauce on to plates, then add the cauliflower.
Shiitake, soba and coconut
Serves 2. Ready in 30 minutes
For the spice paste:
red chillies 3, small, hot
garlic 3 cloves
ginger 1 x 40g piece
coriander seeds 1 tsp
coriander leaves 12g (a large handful)
ground turmeric 2 tsp
vegetable oil 3 tbsp
shallots 6, medium
shiitake mushrooms 250g
vegetable stock 500ml
spinach 150g
soba noodles 100g
coconut milk 400ml
coriander and mint leaves to finish
Cut the stems from the chillies and, if you wish, remove the seeds, then put them into the bowl of a food processor. Peel and add the garlic. Peel the ginger, roughly chop it, then put it in the bowl with the coriander seeds and leaves and the turmeric. Pour in a little vegetable oil – a couple of tablespoons to start with – then process to a fine, thick paste.
Peel and halve the shallots. Warm the spice paste in a wok or large frying pan over a moderate to high heat. Once it starts to sizzle, stir in the shallots and the shiitake. Let it cook for a minute or two, moving the paste, shallots and mushrooms around the pan. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes with the occasional stir. Wash the spinach, removing any tough stalks. While the leaves are still wet, put them in a shallow pan over a moderate heat, cover tightly with a lid and let them cook in their own steam for a couple of minutes until the leaves have softened and wilted. Lift the lid, turn them over with kitchen tongs, then cook for a further minute or two. Lift out, drain in a colander and set aside.
Put the kettle on. Put the noodles into a heatproof bowl, pour over the boiling water, let them soak for 5 minutes, then drain. Pour the coconut milk into the mushrooms and continue simmering for 5 minutes, then add the spinach, coriander and mint leaves. Divide the drained noodles between 2 deep bowls, check the seasoning of the sauce, then ladle over the noodles.
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