little used spices,herbs

[tryska]

I absolutely love the flavor of black pepper, and white pepper just tastes nothing like it to me.  If somehow I happened upon a bad batch of white pepper maybe I need to go pick another tin up, or perhaps some white peppercorns and grind my own to see if I can tell the difference...

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i've found white pepper tastes like nothing too, but it let's a cream sauce look pristine.

i still prefer rustic with freshly cracked black or multicolored pepper tho.

[phifly04]

Well by the majority of unused spices it look,s like a lot of people should/need to learn some good Indian cooking(me included!)Im on it

Dave s

Edited for stupidity***

Edited December 9, 2004 by phifly04 (log)

[Abra]

Use marjoram with corn. I think it's the best and highest use - really a lovely flavor combination.

I don't think the landscaping juniper is the same as the edible berries. At least, they look a lot different, being very dark, plump, and round in the jar, but that gorgeous silvery-blue wrinkly thing on the bush.

I use ras el hanout a lot too, and sambar. I love those sweet-hot flavors.

I never "got" white pepper either, until I was having lunch at Shanghai Gardens, having some sort of black fungus soup. The server told me that the correct Shanghainese thing to do was spice it up with white pepper, which is provided on the table. The soup lit up right away. It's a weird sort of taste, but it's perfect for some things.

[Pan]

I would think caraway seeds could be used in some Indian dishes, too. Probably not a bad substitute for ajwain; what do you think, tryska?

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actually i don't know pan. i'm embarassed to say i have newver used ajwain for anything. i think it might be a north indian spice.

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Yeah, I guess you're right about that.

[Pan]

On the fenugreek - yes, you need to grind it to a fluffy powder to use it.

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It's often used whole in Indian cooking.

[Abra]

Oh, interesting. I've never seen a recipe that called for whole fenugreek. Doesn't it stay really crunchy if left whole?

Edited December 10, 2004 by Abra (log)

[ludja]

I dont think that cardamom i bought for those afghani cookies will be used again anytime soon. i really dont even want to know WHAT i have in there.

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you can use cardamom to make chai with.

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a few people mentioned star anise above--also good for chai.

(In fact I just cleaned out my spice shelf a month ago and made chai for awhile using star anise, cardamom and other spices I hadn't used in awhile).

As NulloModo and others mentioned, marjoram is similar to a mild oregano. It's very common in Austrian cooking (instead of oregano) in stews, goulashes, etc.

Edited December 10, 2004 by ludja (log)

[Susan G]

Technically, not a spice or an herb, but: rosewater.

Marzipan gets made maybe once every three years, and I no longer like it as an addition to my mango lassis....................so it sits there in my cupboard, getting dusty.

[liamsaunt]

I have a tin of asafoetida also, never cooked with. It's at least two years old, and not powder, but chunks. I don't know why I bought it, since I almost never cook indian food at home. The only time I take it out is when I can't get my niece and nephew to stop rummaging through my spices (they like to take all the lids off and smell, and grind things in the mortar and pestle). Once I say I am going to open the asafoetida, the threat of "the stinky one" gets them out of the spice cabinet.

Other never-used spices in the cabinet include nigella seeds, onion powder, star anise, and orange extract.

[Pan]

Oh, interesting.  I've never seen a recipe that called for whole fenugreek.  Doesn't it stay really crunchy if left whole?

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It's pretty small, but yes, it's crunchy, much as cooked cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds are.