Author Archives: admin

We know that seaweed and sushi are synonymous to Japanese cuisine. But ever since the meteoric popularity of sushi hit the globe, seaweed has evolved from being just a healthy snack to becoming a versatile, all-purpose healthy super-food.

Japanese people have been consuming this edible saltwater plant for hundreds of years with their dinner, their lunch, and even for breakfast. What makes seaweed so flavorful lies in the combination of certain ingredients. For example, the Japanese combine seaweed with salt, sesame seeds and a little sugar to make furikake, which is used to sprinkle over rice and to make rice balls; it is also used as a table condiment. Sometimes wasabi (the hot green stuff you taste in sushi) is also added to the seasoning to create a fiery kick. Continue reading →

I just love summer fruit, especially apricots. This golden fruit is related to the plum and the peach and is native to northern China and other areas of Asia where temperate weather conditions support the propagation of these fruits.

InIsrael, where I grew up, it is believed that the apricots were abundant there by the year 3000 BC. I guess through the centuries, the apricot made its way along the trade route like many other precious commodities did during those ancient days.
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I love sharing what I have discovered about certain spices and blends, and the myriad ways in which to use them. One such spice I find quite unique is ajwain (pronounced AHJ-a-wahn).

Ajwain or ajwan (also referred to as Bishop's weed and or carom seeds) looks like small caraway or cumin seeds, but tastes like a pungent version of thyme. While thyme is floral and sweet,ajwan is much stronger with a bit of a kick.
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I am so fascinated with galangal,which is a rhizome similar to ginger, and is used much in the same way, only galangal is harder and denser than ginger.

There are two types of galangal: Greater galangal, which is native to Indonesia; and lesser galangal, which mostly grows on the southeast coast of China and in India.Although the name might be unfamiliar to most westerners, galangal had been imported in large quantities to Europe ever since the Middle Ages to be used as a medicine and a spice. Continue reading →

The summer months ahead will bring us gorgeous seasonal vegetables, an abundance of colorful fruit and a wonderful palate of summer herbs and spices. For me, I love this time of year when I can try out a few new recipes on my boys. It is a time when I like using certain herbs and spices during the changing of the seasons, and one particular herb I have my eye on, is savory, sometimes called the "love herb".

Savory comes in two main varieties: summer and winter (not to be confused with the actual seasons).Summer savory (satureja hortensis) is an annual herb with slender, leggy-like branches that can grow up to 18 inches long. And winter savory (satureja Montana) is a shrubby-like perennial with woody branches that grows to about 12 inches. Both are members of the mint family, and both have a somewhat peppery flavor with a minty background similar to thyme. These plants produce slender leaves and tiny, delicate pale-lilac flowers, which are, by the way, a huge attraction for the bees we need to keep the bees happy and healthy! Continue reading →

Shichimi togarashi (pronounced schh-CHEE-mee toh-guh-RAH-schee), can be quite a tongue-twister for most Westerners but when translated into English it simply means,"Seven Spice"-- now that's easy.

Japanese Seven Spice is a mixture of seven flavors that delight the palate and tickles the nose, comprised mostly of chile peppers and various ingredients. And no, Japanese Seven Spice is not Chinese Five Spice with two more ingredients -- they couldn't be more different. Being that both, the Chinese and the Japanese, have created their own distinct spice versions native to their cuisines, the 5 spice powder is more fragrant with sweeter overtones of anise flavors; and the Japanese seven spice is well, spicier with chile peppers bringing in the heat factor.
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I am such huge fan of spicy food, especially Latin cuisine; it is so diverse and multi-faceted, Im sure it has a lot to do with the right combination of spices and herbs used in creating unique and exotic blends. One spice blend in particular has really caught my fancy and that is Adobo Seasoning.

Adobo comes from the Spanish term adobar which means to marinate. It was a way to preserve meat long before refrigeration came into existence. The use of adobo seasoning not only preserved the meat making it tender, it also added great flavor; thus, its use has since been continued to this day. You will find the Spanish-inspired adobo seasoning in many Mexican and Filipino signature dishes like chicken adobo or pork adobo - a result of the Spanish occupation in both countries hundreds of years ago. Continue reading →

Sometimes we get used to cooking with certain spices, but every now and then its good to break out of our normal culinary box and embark on a culinary adventure by trying a new spice or spice blend. You will be amazed at how much excitement can happen in the kitchen!

Take for example, ras el hanout,some of you may have heard about this exquisite spice blend and some of you might have even used it, but if you haven't, then you are in for a real treat.

Ras el hanout, loosely translated in Arabic means head of the shop which refers to the best spice the store has to offer. This king of spice blend reigns supreme in most North African cuisine, particularly Moroccan food. I recall as a child when I used to accompany my mother to the spice bazaar where each shop had their own unique ras el hanout. Continue reading →

Most of us are familiar with the sweet, tartness of a delicious tasting mango? But have you ever used mango as a spice?

If you have ever traveled to India or browsed around in any Asian specialty market, you may have seen amchur spice. But what you may not have known is amchur is none other than an unripe green mango.

The spice, amchur, am meaning mango and chur meaning powder, is made from raw green mangoes, which are sliced and sun-dried, then ground to a powder. The powder has a slightly fibrous texture and beige in color with a similar taste to tamarind. Continue reading →

Love potion, talisman, magic spells, herbal cures, these are just a few of the many applications in which oregano has been used since ancient folklore times. In fact, people still use oregano much in the same way as they did hundreds of years ago. Did you know that just one tablespoon of oregano packs the same amount of antioxidants as a medium-size apple. Oregano contains thymol and carvacrol, which are strong antiseptics used in mouthwashes that inhibit growth of bacteria and fungi. Dont you just love that nature has always provided us with such a beautiful array of life-promoting herbs and plants?

Botanically known as Origanum vulgare, which in Greek means joy of the mountains, oregano is a small shrub with many stems covered in green oval-shaped leaves, and when in bloom, it is covered with small pale-purplish or pink flowers. Oregano is native to the Mediterranean region where it grows as a perennial plant, and in the intemperate climates of North America it grows as an annual plant. This hot flowery herb is a staple in Italian, Greek, and Mexican cuisines. Continue reading →