Well, i've only been experimentating with herbs, but i'm kind of unsure when it comes to spices, as of i have no idea of amount i should use, and what spices should be used with what.
Any ideas where should i begin?
A pinch here, a PINCH there.
Pinch...
Pinch...
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well when you cook, it tastes different when still hot, and different when it has cooled. i found some of my dishes (well when i'm not using curry, i got a good taste at that) to be overspiced/"under"spiced when i eat them at normal somewhat warm temperature, not hot directly from the pan.
Cumin is useful for adding a Mexican flavor to just about anything.
Say you're making a cheap bachelor-style quesadilla with just some store-bought tortillas and cheddar cheese, maybe a diced onion or something. Not bad, but a little dash of cumin makes it taste less like a snack and more like a meal.
Try a few recipes from books then experiment. Have a stock of spices and try them out. I like Indian. I find whole spices freshly ground much better than powdered. I use a pestle and mortar. Here's Tarka Dal for example, which illustrates a good starter collection of spices for Indian food:
About 6 handfuls of orange split lentils cooked in twice as much water with salt, ground turmeric and paprika, 1 or 2 teaspoons each
Fry lots of finely sliced onion in lots of sunflower oil with a cinnamon stick and 2 or 3 bayleaves
Stir the lentils to stop them sticking
When sliced onion transparent, add more lots of finely chopped onion, 4 or 5 chillies (de-seeded unless you like very hot), ground coriander seeds 3 teaspoons when whole, an inch or so of fresh ginger scraped and finely chopped, 4 or 5 whole cloves and 5 or 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
Stir the lentils to stop them sticking
When chopped onion transparent and sliced onion brown add ground whole cumin and fennel seed 2 or 3 teaspoons each
When spices just warmed mix with lentils which by then should be a thickish sauce. Garnish with torn fresh coriander, a handful or so. Serve with rice or chappatis and a vegetable curry
Yummy
Good Eats did a show about spices, in which Alton recommends you buy tins and velcro them to the inside of your cupboards, to save space. That's a neat idea, except you need nice, flat tins, where the lid stays on if you suspend it on the door sideways. I can't find any. The closest I found were some where the lid fell off after a few minutes. Luckily all I had in there were sesame seeds. If i had had asafoetida in there, I probably would have been evicted.