#i added some dried herbs (oregano basil etc) and reduced the red pepper flakes a bit but otherwise followed the recipe

[honeysuckle-venom]

I've been cooking a lot lately and I have really discovered the joys of vegan recipe sites. I'm a vegetarian, but I don't like the taste of eggs or milk or most types of cheese and I'm lactose intolerant, so while I'm not giving up the occasional pizza when it comes to cooking myself I tend to find things on vegan sites waaaaay more appealing than vegetarian or omnivorous sites. I made the most amazing dish tonight and it called for cashew cream and it was my first time making that and it was sooo good. It made the dish really rich and creamy without the gross milky flavor in actual cream based dishes and without upsetting my stomach. I feel like I have solved the secrets of the universe lol.

[foodorwhatever]

Flavorbomb Extravaganza

Marinades, spices, and herbs, oh my.

I keep intending to do this and silly things like doctoral studies and Denmark keep distracting me. I think I’ll break down my favorite blends by geographical region. Notice I don’t include salt here, because in practice I put salt in fucking everything. Salt to taste, and do it slowly (you can always add more).

Sincere hat tip to my adopted international family for teaching me most of these. My biological family can’t cook for shit, and welp that’s what created the kitchen beast you see before you. All measures in ratios; I suggest pairing with melodic death metal.

Internet, are you ready to spice tornado?

FAR EAST

Thai Curry Blend We’ll start with Thai mum’s first lesson in Southeast Asian magic. This is lovely blended into anything requiring coconut milk (soups & curries etc), but could also flavor a biryani protein nicely. If pairing this with rice, I suggest tossing a bay leaf into the pot while it simmers down to compliment the flavor. Pictured above^.

3: Turmeric, ginger, cumin

2: Black pepper, coriander, chilli powder (or cayenne, and recall that my kitchen is a spicy one... feel free to spare your anus and reduce to 1)

1: Lemongrass & cloves

Japanese Togarashi Use this on grilled/roasted meat or veggies; makes a lovely marinade as well when combined with soy sauce (try blenderizing with fresh garlic/ginger, and perhaps a splash of toasted sesame oil). First encountered at an ESN (Erasmus Student Network) international dinner, and shamelessly exploited to impress colleagues from Hokkaido University. The proper thing to do is grind it all together, but I’m generally too lazy to be bothered. All roughly equal volumes in this one.

Red chilli flakes

Dried lemon peel

Toasted sesame seeds

Poppy seeds

Garlic (fresh or powdered)

Ginger (also either fresh or powdered)

Crushed nori seaweed

AFRICAN

West African Suya Marinade It’s made with fucking peanut butter (traditionally ground, roasted peanuts). I have substituted toasted almond meal to see how the ground nuts hold up against pre-made nut butter, and found I just need to blend with a bit more oil to make a sticky paste. I’m very much attached to living la vida low carbon emissions, but I just cannot imagine this on anything besides grilled beef. Pictured above^, blend into your jar of nut butter/ground (and lightly toasted) nuts:

2: Paprika & Onion powder

1: White pepper & cayenne

Garlic to taste 

Optional drizzle of oil (enough to make a paste that will hold to your meat; my standard is olive, but I think the best suya I ever made was with toasted sesame oil).

Moroccan Ras el Hanout Learned from Moroccan refugees in Athens, we used this on grilled fish and I pretty much died. Also Moroccan Arabic confused the fuck out of me; we had to talk foodie things in French, and this is a big spice mix. Once mixed, you can toss it in the blender with a few chillies, roasted bell pepper and tomato, caraway seeds, garlic cloves and olive oil for a quick (and niche flavored) harissa paste.

4: Ginger & cardamom

2: Cinnamon, coriander, allspice, nutmeg, turmeric, paprika

1: Black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, cloves, anise

Optional dash of mint (this was a source of fiery debate)

Tanzanian Pilau Mix Blend this into freshly made rice with a splash of coconut milk, + bell pepper and toasted cashews. Also wonderful on chicken. 

3: Cumin

2: Ginger, garlic, coriander, cardamom

1: Black pepper, cinnamon, cloves

Optional pinch of turmeric (also a source of fiery debate, I think the idea is just to give the rice a brilliant yellow color; saffron does the same job with milder flavor).

EUROPE

Greek Garlic Herb Marinade Incredible on chicken and any fish I’ve ever made. Super easy if you throw it all in a blender (using fresh garlic) but you can also use powdered garlic and enough olive oil to make a paste. Add some liquid (or don’t) to make a wicked salad dressing. Warm it up for lamb or moussaka by adding cinnamon + nutmeg and omitting the lemon. Pictured above^, blenderized. Special thanks to Greek mum, Eri.

A few full cloves of garlic

Equal volumes: oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram

Black pepper and lemon to taste

Enough olive oil to make a saucy paste

French Quatre Épices Take your Herbes de Provence back to wine country; this one is for autumn vegetables, ground meat, soups, and ragoût de boulettes. Learned in Paris from some darling vegan leftists, we used this in a tomato-based veggie stew.

2:.White pepper

1: Ginger, nutmeg, cloves

Levantine & Middle East

Za’atar Levantine topping for flatbread (mana’esh), salads, labneh, and basically anything. There are a few characteristic blends, and mine is generally considered green za’atar. Pictured above^ and learned from Syrian refugees in Greece.

3: Toasted sesame seeds

3: Thyme (and try toasting it lightly)

1: Marjoram 

Optional salt to taste

Baharat Literally means “spices” in Arabic; also called Arabic 7 spice. Probably my favorite blend ever for chicken, pork, and roasted vegetables. Pictured at the top of this post. Also learned from Syrian refugees, my blend is probably appropriately characteristic. You can find baharat all across the Arab world, and each locality (even small town) will have it’s own twist.

6: Allspice (yes there’s a lot of allspice here)

3: Black pepper, cinnamon

2: Cardamom, cloves

1: Nutmeg, ginger

Pakistani Biryani Blend Best on chicken and stir-fried veggies by my measure. This can also be blended with Greek yogurt for a bomb ass marinade or dipping sauce. Pakistani mum always scolded me for being too heavy-handed with the chilli; adjust heat to your surrogate mum’s rigorous standards. I suggest pairing with rice boiled with a few saffron threads, and maybe a bay leaf and extra dash of cumin.

4: Garlic

3: Cumin, turmeric, chilli (or cut it with paprika you fairy)

2: Ginger, cloves, cardamom

1: Cinnamon & black pepper

Arabic Coffee Spice Blend this with your coffee grounds; trust me.

3: Cardamom

1: Cinnamon & cloves

The Americas 

Central American Chipotle This is one firecracker marinade, dip, sauce, etc. It’s one I’ve neglected since my Mexican friend moved out of Joensuu, but it goes great with just about any protein, grilled or roasted. Pictured above during an evening of alcohol and merriment. Easy in the blender, but if you sub powdered garlic for fresh you could easily just blend with a bit of oil (+vinegar if you’re marinating meat) to make a paste. Blender recipe:

A few cloves of garlic

3: Smoked paprika

2: Cumin & oregano

1: Black pepper & onion powder

Chilli powder to taste

Enough oil to make a paste

Louisiana Creole The best fucking thing on fish. You can make this into a spectacular Caribbean jerk marinade by using fresh garlic and ginger, and combining in the blender with a fruit puree and/or brown sugar syrup. Another option is to use it in my remoulade sauce recipe here because this post is getting lengthy and I’m tired of typing.

3: Smoked paprika & onion powder

2: Garlic, oregano, basil, thyme

1: Scallion flakes, cayenne, white pepper

Optional warm it up with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon (or some wicked hot chilli peppers)

New York Buffalo Wing Blend For gloriously crispy bomb-ass buffalo wings. I’ve actually taken to tossing things like savoy kale and cauliflower in coconut or olive oil and then sprinkling dousing them with this before roasting to sate my vegan buffalo cravings.

2: Cayenne pepper (spice weenies, cut with paprika)

1: Baking soda & salt

Pumpkin Pie Spice Last but not least. Also perfect in baked anything alongside apples, blueberries, or simple spice cake. Bonus round: cream cheese or mascarpone frosting (blend your soft cheese of choice with powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla).

4: Cinnamon

2: Ginger & nutmeg

1: Cloves and allspice

Optional dash of cardamom 

YOU ARE NOW A SPICE TORNADO.

And this post has taken me 2+ hours and 3 (rather large) cups of coffee. Go forth in the world and flavor it well.