Cooking with herbs and spices bring out the flavor of the food. It not only enhances but also gives it a rich, aromatic, exotic taste to our palette. Spices are also beneficial to health such as garlic and ginger. Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, start anise are exquisitely aromatic and a mixture of these spices added to any soup warms up the body on a cold winter evening. Herbs create the aroma that dazzles our senses.
Cooking should be an experience. Both in taste as well as in smell, texture and nutrition. Spices and herbs are essential part of cooking. But not all spices can be used for every dish. Some is suitable for specific herbs and spices and some aren’t. Some dishes need more spices for a strong spicy taste and some need subtle taste but enhanced flavor.
Experiment with variety of spices and see which are your favorite go to spices. Do you have a spice box in your kitchen cabinet or a spice rack? if not, why not? I can guide you on buying the basic spices to get started.
Have a few main spices and use it sparingly at first to get a feel for how much to use. I cook mostly without measurement, its eyeball and intuition that works most of the time for me. You can do that too with practice.
I was born in a family where great cooking was a skill me and my siblings inherited from our parents. My mom used to cook mostly, my Dad also cooked few specialty dishes but he had an excellent sense of taste so he guided mom on the subtleties of her cooking that she worked on to perfection over the years. When I was growing up, I didn’t pay much attention on the art of cooking.
My mom was my inspiration as she domesticated me during my summer break from school. Even though I complained but she wouldn’t hear of it. She used to say, “A lady must know how to manage a home and know how to feed her family.” I didn’t pay attention to what she used to say back then, it was all a chore for me as I’d much rather be hanging out with my friends or chase butterflies in the garden but years later while living alone, I have discovered that I actually enjoy cooking.
When I stated out, I was trying to replicate my mom’s cooking so I’d visualize how I want the dish to come out after its cooked. I’d imagine the taste and then the rest came naturally. You have that too in you. And when you are able to visualize the look and the taste of what your dish will be like after you cook it, you will be able to achieve it and you’ll discover the joy of cooking and the fulfillment it provides when you can share your cooking with your loved ones as much as I do.
Knowing how to use variety of herbs and spices will help you get curious in cooking experimentation that you and your family will love. Its a lot of joy seeing your family and friends enjoy when they taste your cooking. You can schedule a time with me and I can show you step by step on how to use all these spices and share my herb growing tips. You can cook with me in real time where you can see how I’m using the spices and all my cooking techniques where I can give you feedback as you cook. You will be cooking amazing food with herbs and spices in no time.
Start eating healthy home cooked food, nothing beats this. Cooking is a lifetime skill. It is well worth the investment in learning how to cook. Enjoy your new culinary adventure!
