3 Mistakes You're Making with Spices

Is your cooking bland despite all of the spices you incorporate? Are you searching for garlic or cumin flavor? Chances are you’re making some of these mistakes when cooking with spices.

And if you’re not cooking with spices at all, well then, you are definitely making a mistake.

Mistake #1 Waiting too Long

When your sauce or sauté is nearly done, it's too late to infuse it with the power of curry, garlic or berbere. Add fresh aromatics, ground spices and dried herbs early to ensure they bloom in the oil and flavor the entire dish. Since the flavor and aroma compounds of spices are fat soluble, they need to be added to the cooking oil to make them available to your palate.

Photo by Copper Spoon Collective

Mistake #2 Skipping the Toast

When you toast spices (in a dry skillet until they take on a bit of color and become aromatic), their volatile oils are brought to the surface, offering dimensions of flavor and texture. Use immediately, grind into spice blends or coarsely crush. Toasting is especially valuable if the spices won't be cooked into the food, like cumin seeds in fresh raita. Bonus: your kitchen will smell amazing.

Mistake #3 Using Old Spices

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but spices have a shelf life. Don't worry, you won't get sick from old spices in your pantry, but you will miss out on their flavor potential if they are older than 6 months (ground) or 1 year (whole). Tips: Buy spices in small quantities, get whole to grind yourself, and store in a cool dark place in tightly sealed jars. Before you throw away those spices from 2019, conduct a toast test (Heat a little bit in a sauté pan and check for aroma. If nothing, you might need to replace them or use more than a recipe calls for.)

Put your questions in the comments below about cooking with spices. I’d be happy to answer them.

Pumpkin Mole Bisque

I’ve been making this bisque for so long that I’ve since forgotten my initial inspiration for pairing mole sauce with pumpkin. It’s possible it was unintentional, putting Pumpkin Mole Bisque in the company of genius accidental inventions like post-it notes, penicillin and play doh. More likely, however, the seasonal alignment and compatible flavor profiles of pumpkin and mole sung to me when I discovered both stashed in my freezer.

This Oaxacan-influenced mole is sweet with spices — cinnamon, allspice and cloves — normally found in pumpkin pie spice. But it’s also smoky from the dried chili peppers (I use ancho, guajillo and pasilla) and cumin seeds. If you’re making the mole from scratch, you’ll still have enough remaining after your pot of bisque for a meal of enchiladas, as well as some to store in your freezer. If you have an already prepared batch of mole (like the jar you froze after last May’s Margaritas & Mole class or paste you bought at a specialty market), this rich and decadent bisque comes together simply with just 5 plant-based ingredients. Simmer the whole roasted pumpkin flesh with coconut milk, vegetable broth and the smoky mole sauce. Blend this in your high speed blender (I use a Vitamix) to ensure silky smooth results. Top with a dollop of plain yogurt, coconut cream or sour cream and toasted pepitas and sesame seeds.

Pumpkin Mole Bisque

Yield: 18 cups or about twelve 12-ounce portions

What You Need:

• 2 cups of mole sauce (about half of recipe below)

• 1 medium pie or sugar pumpkin, or kabocha or buttercup squash

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided

• 4-5 cups water or vegetable stock or combination

• one 15-ounce can coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, optional

For complete instructions on how to roast a whole pumpkin and other ideas for how to use the flesh, see Possibilities for Fresh Pumpkin Purée.

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the stem of the pumpkin and then slice in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and set aside. (You can use the fresh pumpkin seeds in addition to or in place of pepitas for the mole sauce or garnish.)

2. Sprinkle salt on the cut side of the pumpkin, then place the pumpkin halves cut side down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until pumpkin flesh is soft and scoopable, about 45 minutes. 

3. While the pumpkin is roasting, make the mole sauce. See recipe below.

4. Remove pumpkin from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Scoop flesh from the pumpkin and discard the skin.

5. To a large soup pot, add the mole sauce, scooped pumpkin flesh, 4 cups water or vegetable stock, coconut milk, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the pieces of pumpkin. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is very soft. 

6. Transfer in batches to a high speed blender and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, use an immersion blender and blend until soup is consistently smooth and creamy. 

7. Transfer back to the pot, and add salt and maple syrup to taste. Serve or simmer on very low heat for up to 1 hour longer. 

8. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, sour cream, or coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds and pepitas, if desired.

Mole Sauce

Yield: about 4 cups

What You Need:

• 3-5 whole dried ancho chili peppers, stems removed* 

• 3-5 whole dried guajillo chili peppers, stems removed* 

• 3-5 whole dried pasilla chili peppers, stems removed* 

• ½ cup raisins

• 3 tablespoons raw almonds

• ¼ cup raw pepitas

• ¼ cup sesame seeds

• 2 whole star anise

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 6 allspice berries

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

• 10 whole cloves

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 stalk rhubarb, chopped** 

• ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

• 1½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes or canned chopped tomatoes or tomato puree

• 2-4 ounces Mexican or Icelandic chocolate, chopped

• 1-2 cups vegetable stock or water as needed

*for a milder sauce, remove the seeds as well as the stem

**if fresh rhubarb is unavailable, use 3-4 small fresh tomatillos, husks removed or 2 tablespoons dried rhubarb pieces. When using dried rhubarb, add it to the soaking liquid with the raisins. 

What You Do:

1. In a dry skillet, toast the dried chili peppers over medium heat, for about 1 minute per side. Transfer the chili peppers to a bowl and cover with hot (just boiled) water. Add the raisins. Cover and allow to soak for 20-30 minutes.

2. In the same cleaned out skillet, over medium high heat, toast the almonds for 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, toast the pepitas and sesame seeds for 30-60 seconds. Shake or stir the pan frequently to prevent burning. Transfer to a plate or piece of parchment to cool. Set aside with the almonds. Reserve about a teaspoon each of sesame seeds and pepitas for garnish.

3. In the same cleaned out skillet, over medium heat, toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, allspice berries and peppercorns for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat, until fragrant. Add the whole cloves, then cumin seeds and coriander seeds and toast for another 30-60 seconds or just until fragrant. Shake or stir the pan frequently to prevent burning. Transfer to a plate or piece of parchment to cool. Once cool to touch, grind the toasted spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. 

4. Wipe out the skillet and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion, rhubarb or tomatillos, and about ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Sauté until lightly browned. Add the garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add the ground spices and sauté about 1 minute until fragrant, Add the tomatoes plus another ⅛ teaspoon of salt and cook until reduced, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender. 

5. Strain the chili peppers and raisins. Do NOT DISCARD the liquid. 

6. To the blender, add the toasted almonds, pepitas and sesame seeds, drained chili peppers and raisins, and blend with the onion and tomato mixture until smooth. Add strained liquid from chili peppers and raisins as needed to thin the sauce to the consistency of spaghetti sauce or to add heat. Taste and add salt as needed.

7. Add the chocolate and puree until smooth. If needed, return to the heat and simmer until the chocolate has melted. Add stock or water 1 cup at a time if the sauce is too thick. Optional: transfer back to a blender or blend with an immersion blender to get a smoother sauce. Taste and add salt if desired. 

8. At this point, you can reserve unused sauce for another use. Store in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months.

photography in this post by The Copper Spoon Collective

Bengali Red Lentil Dal

Do you need an "I've been out of town all weekend and have nothing in my fridge but want to put a healthy meal on the table pronto and have lunch for the week" kind of dish? For me, that dish is my 100% plant-based and pantry-sourced dhal and rice. It also get cheers from every single eater in my family. We make different variations of dhal, changing up the lentils, spices, aromatics and even the oil, but this Bengali Red Lentil Dhal cooks up quickest and uses the fewest ingredients. If you have them handy, you can brighten it up with chopped fresh tomatoes, cilantro leaves and slices of serrano or jalapeno peppers, luckily all things available from the garden this time of year. But those additions are not even necessary.

I have my Bengali-American friend, Ritu, to thank for this recipe. She taught it to me years ago before [tear] moving West. This dish comes closest to replicating the staple meal I ate daily while studying abroad in Nepal, half a lifetime ago. My quest for mastering dhal-bhat ended when Ritu showed me the ropes and her mom's recipe. While I'm at it, I guess I should also thank Ritu for providing fierce competition in office cooking challenges, forcing me to step up my game, and ultimately propelling me to culinary school.

What is dhal exactly? The word dhal comes from Sanskrit meaning "to split" and refers to a wide array of lentils, peas and beans (or pulses) that can be used to make dhal. But what distinguishes dhal from any other lentil soup or stewed pot of legumes is the tarka or tadka. This hot aromatic oil seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, chilies, and toasted and ground spices is added to the cooked lentils toward the end of the cooking and adds dramatic flavor, color, digestive fire, and healing properties to the dish.

BENGALI RED LENTIL DAL

Yield: ~5 cups

What you need:

Panch Proon translates to "five spice" and includes equal parts fennel seeds, cumin seeds, whole fenugreek, black mustard sees and nigella (onion or black carraway) seeds. My panch proon blend is featured here with coriander seeds also used in this dhal.

The dhal:

• 2 cups red lentils

• 4 - 5 cups water

• ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

The tadka:

• 2 tablespoons panch proon (see left)

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

• 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil

• 1 onion, small dice

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons ginger, julienned

• 1 dried kashmiri chili, chopped, optional

• 1 tomato, chopped, optional

• Sea salt to taste

The garnish:

• Cilantro leaves

• 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, minced

• 1 tablespoon ginger, thinly sliced

What you do:

Soak the lentils in a large pot of cool water for a minimum of 20 minutes (optional). Rinse thoroughly until water runs clear (not optional). Return the lentils to the pot and cover with 4-5 cups water.

Bring the water to a rolling bowl, add the salt, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender.

In a separate sauté pan, toast the spices until fragrant and lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Allow to cool and then grind coarsely in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Make the tadka. In the same sauté pan, heat ghee or coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. When onions are soft, add the garlic, ginger, chili and ground spices. Sauté about 1 minute longer.

Pour tadka into dal. Add the diced tomato, if using. Simmer an additional 10 minutes or up to 2 hours. Thin dal with additional water if needed.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and jalapeno. Serve with spiced brown basmati rice.

Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

These spiced chickpeas are a staple of mine for a make-ahead snack on-the-go, main dish garnish, or salad topper. You can vary the spices to your taste and to pair with just about any other flavors. You can use whole and ground spices, or a combination. One of my favorite versions uses a blend of smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne that pairs nicely with Middle Eastern food, like on top of a tabouleh salad or with Indian food, adding crunch on top of a vegetable dish or dal. You can also serve them with this Shaved Brussel Sprout, Apple and Walnut Salad. If you’re game for cooking your own chickpeas, it’s not hard and here’s how.

Time saver tip: If you use a particular blend of spices often, make a batch and store it in reused spice jars. Often if I see a little bit of something left in a jar, I might add a few other spices to make a favorite blend. My funnels are re-purposed shields from my old breast pump. Great for solids! When making spice blends, I often leave off the salt so I don't end up adding extra!

What you need:

• 1 ¾ cups cooked (or canned and rinsed) chickpeas*

• 1 tablespoon oil (olive, canola oil, coconut, etc.)

• 3 pinches sea salt or kosher salt

• 3-4 teaspoons spices or dried herbs**

* you can make this in any quantity you desire, but I write this for 1 ¾ cups since that is what you get out of a standard can of chickpeas.

** the herbs and spices are up to you, but here are some of my favorite combinations:

• cumin + garlic powder + smoked paprika + cayenne

• oregano + basil + garlic powder + red pepper flakes

• cumin + coriander + garlic powder + ginger + turmeric

• coriander + cumin + fennel + chili powder + garlic

• Za'atar seasoning

Step 1:

Using a clean kitchen towel, pat the chickpeas dry. Homemade or canned work equally well (rinse canned chickpeas first.)

Step 2:

In a bowl, mix together your selected spices.

Step 3:

Add the olive oil to make a paste. It should pass the spoon test on left.

Step 4:

Add the chickpeas to the bowl and toss to coat.

Step 5:

Roast the chickpeas in one of two ways:

Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in oven at 425 degrees until lightly browned and toasted, about 15 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chickpeas and toast until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir or shake the pan occasionally.