Showing posts with label Garam masala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garam masala. Show all posts

Star Anise

Best known in America as a component of Chinese cooking, star anise is also used in Indian and other nations's cookery. In India star anise may be part of a garam masala or chai. Here is a recent article by a British foodie.



Star performer: Chicken poached in a stock full of Asian flavours makes for a succulent, heady main course. And the leftovers make a great sandwich filling. Photograph: Colin Campbell




Although star anise has been around for more than three centuries, in Europe our use of it has been largely confined to cordials, syrups, confectionery and drinks such as pastis. In its native China and Vietnam, however, as well as in its adopted countries of India, Japan, Cambodia and the Philippines, it is much more widely used.

Star anise is both an essential component of the classic five-spice powder and one of the most commonly used spices in Chinese cooking, where it's simmered with, rubbed into and dropped into marinades for pork, chicken and duck. In Vietnam, it's added to the national dish, pho, that tasty beef and noodle soup. And in Indian, it's pounded into garam masala and sprinkled into chai.

Here's some more:

Natural Treatment and Remedies For Heartburn

By: Chaand Sristy

Certain natural remedies are listed here which can be used by you when you have acid reflux or heartburn. Try not using antacids as they have proven to have serious side effects and they have also seems to contain aluminium, which with prolonged usage can lead to senility and Alzheimer's disease. Prepare a tea with Anise, peppermint, and lavender as ingredients which can really help in solving with your acid reflux or heartburn problem. This goes a long way in reducing the amount of acid that is developed in your stomach. Take equal amounts of aniseed, peppermint and lavender and mix them together. Prepare infusion of this tea:



* 2 ½ cup distilled water is to be boiled

* Take a teaspoon of this herbal mixture and pour this boiled water over it

* 3- 5 minutes is the time this tea is to be kept idle

* then filter the tea and mix few drops of honey to make it sweet.

* Keep this in a hot thermos and drink 8 oz of the same in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before dinner to get natural relief from heartburn or acid reflux.



Aniseed or anise – has lot of nutritional values for your body as well as helps in keeping your digestive system perfect. Green anise is the herb that we are talking about here otherwise called European anise or sweet anise. Star anise and caraway are also other types of anise, but they are not the ones to be used here.



Peppermint – is a great healer in heartburn or acid reflux condition. It helps in digestion, stomach distension, cramps, ulcers, and gas.



Lavender – which is famous for it fragrance has great healing purpose for your body. It is another excellent stomach aid. It reduces acids in the stomach to give relief from heartburn.



Betain, Pepsin, and Papaya have digestive properties. When you grow older, the stomach looses its capability to generate hydrochloric acid for digesting protein. This protein which remains undigested leads to heartburn or acid reflux. Try using digestive enzymes which has Betain, pepsin, or HCl along with each meal so as to ensure you digest all of your protein.



Papaya digestive enzymes containing papain, can be great in aiding protein digestion try using them in every meal. Take atleast 500 mg of papaya enzymes with each meal.



Pineapples are considered to be a store house of enzymes and has bromelain, an enzymes that reduces protein. Pineapples also aids digestion, thereby reducing inflammation, and helps in healing wounds. Acid reflux can also be reduced with the help of fresh juices which has high concentration of enzymes. Bromelain can also be taken as tablet but keep it to the limit of 200 – 500mg per meal.



Chicory is part of a family of bitter herbs which contains endive and escarole. Boil 1 ½ cup of chicory root for 5 - 10 minutes. The cool is to room temperature but dont freeze it and drink this tea get rid of acid reflux or heartburn.



Add all of these herbs in the daily salad routine thereby giving different benefits in stopping acid reflux or heartburn. Eat foods with lot of alkaline so as to avoid acid reflux and heartburn. The natural treatment remeides with the help of herbs that we have listed in this article can go a long way in treating your heartburn or acid reflux condition. One of the most important factors is adding lot of green salad in your meals and reducing food with lot of cream and oil, this can be one of the important factor in reducing your pain from heartburn or acid reflux.
Find more info about author and his heartburn cure tips at his Acid Reflux Diets Recipes site or subscribe to his posts at his acid relux relief through acupressure Blog
Article Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/230768/natural-treatment-and-remedies-for-heartburn

Garam Masala

Homemade garam masala. Photo taken in Kent, Oh...
Image via Wikipedia
Garam masala is a dry spice mixture used throughout India. In India, masala refers to any kind of spice, while garam suggests heat or warmth (could Indian spice be any other way?). Putting two and two together, garam masala means “hot spice.”

A true garam masala mixture is not hot in the way that chili spice mixtures are hot, although it usually is aromatic and pungent. It adds a definite kick to whatever dish it is added to, and its advocates assure us it creates a sense of happiness and well being. It also unmistakably adds a sense of fullness: it makes the consumer feel full.

Like other crucial elements of Indian cuisine, garam masala has been used for centuries and adopted by neighboring nations. Variations of garam masala to suit varying regional cuisines and palates can be found all over southeast Asia. Northern Indian and Punjabi cuisine use large servings of garam masala. Pungent curry mixtures are used in southern India. Most cooks in Pakistan, who are heavily influenced by Punjabi cuisine, also use garam masala in traditional foods.

Garam masala mixes are found in many markets, although most cooks insist that garam masala tastes best when it is made fresh--using spices the cook grew, picked and dried him- or herself. Traditional garam masala includes cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, chili powder, mace, cardamom, fennel, fenugreek, and coriander. Depending on the region, the dish, and the cook, the time of year, the mixture will vary. To prepare garam masala, the spices are ground, then toasted on a hot griddle [called a tava in India]. Pre-ground spices can be used, although are usually not be as pungent. The toasted mixture is used quickly, and any leftovers are tightly sealed and kept for no more than six months.

Unlike other spice mixes and curries, garam masala is usually added at the end of the cooking process so the pungent, spicy flavor survives. It is also added to fried dough and batter to give them an extra note of spicy texture. In both cases, it is used in small quantities because garam masala can be overwhelming in large quantities. Non-Indians may joke, but there are limits to the quantity of spice Indians enjoy per dish.

When India and Asia began to be explored by Europeans, many of the spices used in garam masala were brought to Europe and incorporated into the cuisines of curious nations. Without this addition, native European cooking would be deadly dull. Garam masala makes an excellent dry rub for meat, and can also be used in sauces and marinades. Adventurous cooks might want to experiment with this piquant, flavorful, and flexible spice mixture, which can easily be made to taste at home.
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Garam Masala

Spices and Indian cuisine go hand in hand. The traditional Indian curry is seasoned with an array of delicious spices. Some of these flavors appear in desserts too, which goes to confirm that `spicy` isn`t always `hot` in the usual sense. It`s no wonder that in per capita consumption of spices, India is at the top.





Indian cooks use lots of seasonings in varied colors and shapes. Black mustard seeds; cinnamon; cardamom; golden turmeric; gingerroot; chilies are among the most common. In many countries the closest you can get to all these spices comes in the form of curry powder, which is a poor substitute for the combinations of spices – called masalas – used in India.


Depending on the particular dish of foods such as vegetables, fish, chicken, and red meat, individual spices are combined right at cooking time. Even different flavors can be extracted from the same spice by roasting it, grinding it, dropping it whole into hot oil, or combining it with other seasonings.


Garam masala is a warm and versatile mix of spices used in a range of Indian dishes. It isn`t all that hot (in the chilli sense), but consists of spices that warm the body, such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.


Besides the major division of North Indian and South Indian cuisine, the country’s regional cultures, such as Bengali, Goan, Gujarati, and Punjabi, have their own unique preparations. Religious beliefs also affect the taste of the food. Thus, in the state of Gujarat, a person might have a traditional Hindu vegetarian meal, but in the northern part of India he might enjoy a meaty Mogul meal. You could dine on different nights with Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, and Christian families may result in no duplication of meals.


Well Suited to Spices

India produces more spices than any other country-over 60 different kinds. And it exports spices and spice products whole and in powder form to more than 160 countries. South India leads in the country’s spice production. Cochin, on the Arabian Sea, provides direct access to the spices that have long thrived in the lush, tropical climate along the Malabar coast.


In the past, black pepper, known as the “king of spices,” was the initial prize sought by traders. It originated in the monsoon forests of the Malabar coast in southwest India. Not only was it a food seasoning but it was also a vital preservative for meats and other perishable foods. By adding spices, foods that would otherwise spoil and be useless could be preserved for a year or more without refrigeration.


More Than Just For Food Flavorings

Generations of Indian girls have utilized the bright golden root of a plant related to ginger, called turmeric. A turmeric paste is rubbed on the skin for improving its condition. Today, the perfume and cosmetics industries use oils from allspice, caraway, cinnamon, cassia, cloves, nutmeg, mace, rosemary, and cardamom in the blending of volatile and fixed oils to make dozens of alluring perfumes. These ingredients are also added to soaps, talcum powders, after-shave lotions, colognes, mouth fresheners, and countless other items.


In medicine, spices are also used. Ginger, turmeric, garlic, cardamom, chili, cloves, and saffron are among the spices recommended by Ayurveda, the science of medicine propounded in the Hindu Sanskrit writings, the Vedas. In many Western lands, Ayurveda is viewed as an ‘alternative medicine’ today. An Indian pharmacy today will likely stock a turmeric salve for cuts and burns, and many other spice products for varying ailments.


Geoff Cummings owns the site at http://www.kitchenandhousewares.us which sells many cooking-related products at discount prices.

Article Source: EzineArticles Expert Geoff Cummings

One Garam Masala Recipe

Spice mixture Indian Garam Masala
Spice mixture Indian Garam Masala (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
3 Tblsp grated Coconut (Nariyal)
1 Tblsp Sesame seeds (Til)
2 Tblsp Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarson)
1/4 tsp Saffron (Kesar) threads
1/4 cup green Pepper corns (Kalimirchi)
1/4 cup White Pepper corns
2/3 cup Green bruised Cardamom (Elaichi) pods
3/4 cup Cumin Seed (Jeera)
1/4 cup ground Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
How to make garam masala:
  • Roast all ingredients in a dry pan (preferably non-stick) over a very low fire, shaking the pan from time to time.
  • When the spices give off fragrance, allow to cool slightly.
  • Grind finely in an electric grinder.
  • If an electric grinder is not available, grind by hand and press through a fine sieve.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
  • Be sure to always close the lid tightly after each use.
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