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Here’s to the herbs, spices and flavorings that have become familiar to me over the years and which I love to use. It’s easy in a city like Minneapolis to trek around and explore the street-party of international and specialty markets, which increases your odds of laying hands on some of these ingredients, some of which are not only exotic, but challenging to find (Minneapolis even has a stretch of Nicollet Ave, called Eat Street).
This is what God made the internet for. Most of the below items that I found over the past 20 year period are now often locally available. I like shopping for them in person, because you don’t have to pay increasing mail/shipping costs, or tap your foot as you wait for delivery trucks. Anyhow, combing your territory for these little treasure is always a much better adventure provided that you have the gift of time.
I’ll highlight more specialty ingredients sometime in the future (Africa, SE Asia, Central America), and if you think today’s list is exotic, just wait!
Asfoetida – a gum (tree) resin used in cuisines from India. It is a penetrating flavor and aroma – only use a small pinch and fling it into hot oil when frying pappadums. It actually has an startlingly unpleasant scent before you cook with it, but it is also a key ingredient in authentic Indian-style cooking with an exciting taste. For centuries, the non-physical and magical attributes of Asafetida have been- at the least -equal to to its health and aesthetic qualities.
Curry Leaf – another India item – I’ve used this herb both fresh and dried – just like the name says, it tastes like delicate curry spices. Look for it in either form at your local Indian grocery, which is likely one of the only places you’ll find it.
Epazote is an Indigenous herb with a pronounced flavor, with many uses in Central American tribal cuisines, as well as Southwest US tribes. It’s easy to grow (I’ve planted it in my garden many times) and I put it in various sauces and salsas, and it is a great addition to dry beans when you cook them, thought to have carminative properties. Having the virtue of being an antidote or preventive to flatulence. Easy to grow in your garden, which is good – I prefer using fresh over dried leaves when I have the choice. It has an indefinable, almost chocolatley presence on the palate and in the nose.
Galanga Root – I have this fascinating spice in my kitchen in its fresh and dried state (both sliced root and in powdered form) as well. It can be found in Asian markets in its fresh form, often labeled as Thai Ginger. The taste is difficult to describe, but it really doesn’t taste like ginger at all. Use it when you make Tom Ka, Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk and Galangal. Also known as Geing bot, and a couple of other perplexing names and spellings, it features regularly in Indonesian cuisine as well.
Grains of Paradise– A year or so ago I started searching for this peppery spice, and it took weeks to locate. It is related to the African Alligator Pepper. It has a spiky, pleasant flavor – unmistakably hotter than black pepper- and in the United States it found its way into the brewing industry, for craft beer. I later found out that this was one of the reasons it was scarce, as I began looking for it. It has heat, powerful floral citrus and warm spice notes.
Gumbo File – This is not an exotic spice, since it is a unique Indigenous North American ingredient derived from finely ground leaf of sassafras. This prominent ingredient in authentic Cajun and Creole cuisines around Louisiana has always been used by the Choctaw tribe (Five Nations) because of its thickening and flavoring virtues in cooking. You can probably find it in the spice and baking aisle of your local supermarket. It’s used as the name suggests in some preparations of Gumbo and is also sprinkled over a bowl of the stew at table to further enhance the flavor.
Juniper Berry – I love using this spice. It does come fromf juniper and is generally fairly easy to obtain, because in addition to use in Native American cooking, it has been employed for centuries in traditional European kitchens as well, often to balance the strong tastes in game. I always always always have this in my spice cabinet. In cuisine francaise, it is a familiar companion to a strong burgundy: A noble Rhône (Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge, a good 1981 if you can manage it).
Keffir Lime Leaves– Prominent in SE Asian cookery, Keffir leaves are becoming steadily more familiar in the US. I have found the dried leaf in my local co-op/natural food store. You can probably also find it- fresh or frozen- in larger Asian groceries and supermarkets. It adds a bright citrus fragrance to curries and stir fries and has numerous applications.
Yuzu Juice– Never heard of this before? Neither had I. And this amazing flavoring agent was a beast to find. I couldn’t even find it in the Japanese section of one of our major Asian super-marts. It is the juice of an inedible Japanese citrus fruit, used only in the juice or grated rind incarnations. Yuzu is one of the components for traditional sushi dipping sauce (Ponzu), mingled with soy sauce. Bartenders also have come to rely on the addition of yuzu to high-end cocktails to add an intriguing and deliciously aha-moment to beverages at the bar. The taste is often described as the love child of lemon and tangerine.
Res El-Hanout – Apparently like many curries, each family & household commands its own concoction for Res El-Hanout (الحانوت رأس), sometimes with up to a dozen or so individual spices. It is used in the Moroccan kitchen and throughout North Africa in one form or another. I love cooking chicken with this spice blend and it will transform any ingredient into a unique dish to place on your dinner table. This was another spice that took some searching on my part, until I rejoiced when I stumbled upon it in a Middle Eastern grocery four blocks away from me. I was whooping madly inside my head.
Szechuan Peppercorn – I was first introduced to this deliciously prickly spice when I was living in Taiwan. My landlord at that time taught me how to make Ma Po Dofu (an iconic Szechuan tofu and pork main dish); and when I first tried to make this recipe back in Minnesota, I had to find this ingredient. I don’t believe you can make Ma Po Dofu without it, it’s that essential. Part of the reason is flavor, and another is texture. This small peppercorn, which is small and reddish brown, has a woodsy, flowery personality, and a sensation on the tongue that is somewhere between heat and a tannic-bite. The crunchy kernel also retains its almost dinty character, even after you grind it and cook it! It is fairly easy to find in your Asian grocery.
Smoked Salt – Fortunately this aromatic item has moved out of boutique kitchen stores and is becoming easier to buy. It is usually made from sea salt (as opposed to mined) salt, and there are a number of interesting incarnations and applications. I first was introduced to Hickory Salt about 20 years ago, and more recently there are new smoked salts in a number of forms. This is a wonderful ingredient, and I love using it in the absence of smoked meats when preparing rice and beans, for example, or other recipes that feature smoked cured meats. It’s especially great to use when making vegetarian foods, adding a pleasant smokiness, but omitting the smoked ham, bacon or turkey leg. Include it in a rub for fowl, meat or fish, and vegetables, to give it a grilled depth. Team it up with smoked paprika (available in both sweet and hot powders) to develop complex flavors.
Sumac – another ingredient native to both North America and Africa, and historically used by peoples in both continents for many centuries. It’s used everywhere from the Bosporus and Mediterranean cuisines, to tribes around North America. It’s versatility can be grasped when you realize that it can be made into a refreshing cold beverage (like lemonade) or in soups, baked and grilled dishes, adding a puckery, fruity tone. In North America there are varieties of sumac that are inedible, and in fact poisonous. If you forage this wild food, you must know the difference. I bought mine at the Middle Eastern market.
About a year ago, you couldn’t find Grains of Paradise anywhere- I looked in several places, including a number of African groceries in our town. I live in a fairly large mid-western city, but I couldn’t find this spice anywhere, and in fact, it turns out that there was a widespread shortage exceeding all demand, which I think was reported on a national public radio cooking show last year.
Today I located a small jar of Aframomum melegueta seed at The Kitchen Window in Minneapolis. I’d been looking for it for 2 years- it was almost like finding the holy grail. I finally got to taste it, and it’s a very interesting flavor. Quite a few people say it’s like a combination of ginger-root, black pepper and cardamom- and that’s actually a pretty accurate description. The flavor is more pungent & complex than that, but this gives you a starting point to imagine it, if you’re not familiar with it.
It can be used in the same way as black pepper is used; and it is used in everything from Belgian artisan beers, to the ‘legendary spice mixture of Morocco (ras al-hanout)’- mentioned in The Africa Cookbook- Tastes of a Continent, by Jessica B. Harris. That Grains of Paradise should become a principle flavoring in Belgium isn’t too surprising- it was King Leopold of Belgium who oversaw the destructive 19th century colonization of central-west Africa. This spice was a cornerstone of the trade economies in the region among the west coast cultures.
I began learning some West African cooking about a year ago or so- Liberian, specifically- so I had to become acquainted with some ingredients I didn’t know at all. I learned how to make fried pepper sauce, made with a heap of habanero peppers; I learned how to use smoked dried fish as a spice, and used red palm oil for the first time. If you look around North and Central America, there are quite a few unknown, or little-known herbs, spices and flavorings that will probably not be found in your standard American recipe books. But there is an entire universe of African spices and flavorings that I have never heard of in my life- & I know a lot of weird, exciting & exotic ingredients.
I can’t wait to find out how to use the Grains of Paradise- if you’ve ever used it, or have a favorite recipe, please share on the blog! I’m searching through my cookbooks & online now.
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