Photo by Monkey Business Images.
Everything heats up in the summer, from the weather outside to the fireworks happening overhead on Independence Day--why should your taste buds be left out? Cooking with spices is a great way to heat things up at the summertime table. Of course, you have your familiar spices, the ones grandma will ask for and the nouveau spices your edgy aunt will include, but everyone knows the best fireworks involve some level of danger. This is where exotic spices come in. It takes a bit of playing to find the right one for each particular palate, and the right one will take granny’s breath away!
Familiars
Keeping with the 4th of July theme, familiars are the sparklers of the spice world. These are widely available, familiar spices such as sesame seed, sea salt, garlic, and black pepper. Like sparklers, they come in different varieties.
Let’s look at black pepper. While peppercorns are the fruit of the pepper plant, black pepper is processed differently. Peppercorns that are sun-dried until the outer layer turns black are our black peppercorns. (Makes sense, right?) The process creates a hot taste that is biting with woody, piney, and sharp flavors all at the same time. While it is salt’s constant companion (like ants and picnics), it is not a flavor enhancer, but truly a spice in its own right.
Experimentals
When it’s time to try something new, experimental flavors like ginger, lemon juice solids, and paprika are the roman candle of the kitchen. These ingredients expand the flavor complexity of foods.
We use lemon juice solids which:
- Provide a strong citrus taste
- Cleanse the palate
- Leave a fresh taste in the mouth
The sunny freshness of lemon is bright, and the vitamin c packed into lemons makes it a powerhouse for fighting off summer colds.
Exotics
Go big or go home! Turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds, garam masala, fenugreek, and red chili pack a big taste into your summertime meals! Treat these like the gunpowder in your spice cabinet, but don’t be afraid to use them for some show-stopping dinners.
Garam masala is a mixture of toasted cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods that are ground to a powder to create garam masala. Masterclass.com says “the name for this blend translates to ‘warming spices.’”
Photo by Pixabay
Even though we can’t enjoy the 4th of July by socializing, everything else about the holiday is still happening. The weather is hot, the BBQ is going, and everyone expects fireworks. Don’t disappoint! Social distancing is the perfect opportunity to play in the kitchen. Mama’s Masalas is excited to share our blends of familiar, experimental, and exotic flavors. Mama’s experience lets you prepare something special in 30 minutes. Try Lahori chicken tikka BBQ to take your grilling skills to the next level or put on a real culinary show with our special offer. Three make-in-minute meals that will impress your aunt, leave grandma wanting your recipe, and keep the oohs and ahhs coming well after the grand finale of fireworks in the sky!
Have you enjoyed Mama’s Masalas already? Let us know at feedback@mamasmasalas.com. Getting ready to place your order? Remember to tag us using #mamasmasalas at @MamasMasalasUSA on Facebook or @mamasmasalas on Insta!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Renée Clare-Kovacs is the Director of Marketing & Strategy at Mama’s Masalas. A mama herself, she spent her parenting years working to instill the things that are important to her and her husband--culture, justice, and wonder--into their children. With both in college now, she is learning to love them from afar, hoping they become the best versions of themselves they can be.
Renée grew up in Flint, Michigan and got to the South as quick as she could. In Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised into Southern traditions of hospitality, Southern and coastal foods. While getting this education, she also earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Central Michigan University and her master’s degree in Digital Content Strategy from the University of Kansas.