It takes time to accumulate a decent dried herb and spice collection but a well-stocked cupboard is a useful thing indeed. The right combination will mean that curries are authentic, Thai soups are spot on, tagines are delectable and cakes are exceptional. Take a look at the herbs and spices that will always liven up dishes.
Show your assortment the love it deserves by storing herbs and spices in airtight glass jars away from heat and light – cool and dark is how dried goods like it. Buy small quantities if you can, as they go off after a year or so.
Dried herbs and spices can be used in place of salt to enhance dishes and can usually (though not always) replace fresh varieties – substitute every tablespoon of fresh with 1 teaspoon of dried. When cooking herbs, add to oil or water if they’re going in a no-cook recipe such as a dressing and leave for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Add them dry if they’ll be simmering in stews and sauces. When cooking spices it helps to dry-roast spices first to release the mouth-watering aromas.
Also known as Jamaican pepper (Jamaica is thought to produce the best), allspice is warming, peppery and aromatic and tastes like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg combined, hence the name. Used in both sweet and savoury dishes, it’s a key ingredient in Caribbean cuisine – jerk chicken isn’t the same without it – in Middle Eastern dishes and everything from sausages to pickling liquor to Christmas pudding. Try it in these recipes.
People often prefer fresh basil as it’s savoury and lightly spicy compared to dried basil, which is milder and less fragranced, but it needs a warm climate to grow and doesn’t last long once cut, which is why it’s worth having the dried version. Basil appears in pesto and lots of Mediterranean and Italian dishes (though it’s originally from India) and little goes a long way. Add to stews, sauces and roast veg.
Belonging to the laurel family, bay trees are easy to grow and the leaves dried at home, or bay leaves are easily obtained from supermarkets. Go for good quality unbroken, unblemished leaves and use to flavour stews, soups, sauces, roasting meat or to infuse potato dauphinoise, custards or rice pudding with a mellow herbal hint. Remove before eating.
Native to India but grown in other countries, black peppercorns are unripe green pepper berries that have been dried in the sun. Black pepper is sharp, lively and an integral seasoning used during and after the cooking process. It stimulates the appetite (the ancient Greeks knew this), boosts the metabolism and aids digestion. Quality fluctuates so it’s worth buying the best you can afford. These recipes showcase the spice at its best.
A mix of bay leaves, parsley and thyme (and other herbs depending on what the recipe requires) a bouquet garni is a ‘nosegay of herbs’ tied together with string when fresh and put into small sachets when dried. Add one to stews such as boeuf bourguignon and soups, then remove before eating.
If you’re partial to Asian, Middle Eastern or Scandinavian cuisine cardamom is an indispensable spice. Aromatic, warming and a little sweet it’s an appealing flavour that’s at home in cakes and biscuits, tea or coffee and Indian food, where it plays a substantial role. Green cardamom is milder than its black relation and the most utilised – crack a couple of pods and dry roast to release the aroma taking care to discard the pods after cooking, or use ground cardamom. Try using it in a blood orange sorbet or chocolate brownies.
Chilli powder is different from cayenne and paprika insofar as it’s a blend of chilli pepper, cumin, garlic and oregano, which makes it a versatile option. While cayenne and paprika have particular roles in certain cuisines, chilli powder is a good all-rounder. It comes in both mild and hot so choose according to taste.
Chinese five spice is so called not just because it contains five spices (sometimes it has more) but because the mix covers all five tastes – bitter, pungent, salty, sour and sweet. Though the blend varies slightly it has fennel, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan pepper and star anise in it though nutmeg, turmeric and other spices make an appearance. Its pungency works well with fatty meats such as pork and duck – it’s in Peking duck recipes – and it’s a punchy addition to marinades.
Cinnamon isn’t to everyone’s taste as too much can be sickly or even bitter, but used in moderation this spice – which is the bark of a tree native to Sri Lanka – is warming, welcoming, scented and sweet. In Europe it’s used in baking, desserts and hot chocolate, while in Asian cooking it acts as a seasoning for meat, fish, curries and rice. Use powdered, or sticks that are removed at the end of cooking. These are a few of our favourite recipes.
Cloves have a heady odour and sharply hot taste so use sparingly. While the piquancy adds depth to all manner of dishes from stews, stocks, curries, meat and game dishes, to drinks and desserts too much overwhelms. Get the balance right, however, and this versatile spice really enriches food. Cloves come as dried blossom buds or in powdered form and are also an ingredient in Chinese five spice, garam masala and quatre épices.
Coriander, which is also known as cilantro and Chinese parsley, is a memorable herb. Detractors describe it as overpowering and soapy but fans love its unique aroma and warm, citrusy, vaguely nutty flavour. Buy ground or whole coriander seeds (whole seeds ground when required will last longer) for the store cupboard and use in a host of cuisines including Asian, Brazilian, European, Indian, Mexican and Middle Eastern.
Cumin is reminiscent of caraway, an aniseed flavoured herb that was used in Europe for millennia but is less popular today. Cumin, on the other hand, has become a favourite spice – sold ground or as seeds it’s got a pleasing, bright and aromatic taste and is excellent for digestion. It’s found in Indian, Latin American and Middle Eastern cuisine and pops up in bread, cakes and boozy herbal liqueurs. Try this fig and date tart with cumin chocolate syrup.
Curry leaves are good to have if you have a penchant for South Indian, Sri Lankan or South East Asian cuisine. In these regions they’re used in the same way Europeans use bay leaves or they can be used in Western cooking to give a curry tang to dishes.
Making curry at home is rewarding especially if you use the right spices and dry roast them for an authentic tasting dish. Curries vary wildly (even the word is anglicised word and not used in India) but as a general rule the base dry spices are chilli powder, coriander seeds or powder, cumin seeds or powder, garam masala, turmeric – all of which feature here. Cinnamon, cardamom and fenugreek are also often added. You can use curry powder as a replacement for a freshly ground mix, but it’s not used in India so you’ll be making a Westernised version.
Garam masala – which roughly translates as ‘spices that warm the body’ – is an Indian spice blend that comes in powdered and paste form. Contents vary from region to region and typically include a mix of bay leaves, cassia, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg or mace (the casing around nutmeg) and pepper. As well as being one of the base spices for curries, it can be sprinkled over roasting chicken or pork.
Whether it’s fresh, powdered or pickled, ginger is hot, intoxicating and fragrant. In Asian cuisine it’s ubiquitous – experience it in stir-fries, curries and soups – while ginger tea soothes the stomach so is good for morning and motion sickness.
Essential if you like Thai or South East Asian cooking, lemongrass is usually bought fresh but also comes dried, in a paste and preserved in water. It infuses dishes with a zesty, slightly sweet lightness that helps to balance hot, sour food and works just as well with meat and fish as it does with vegetables and tofu. It features in a range of dishes including Thailand’s famous tom yum soup and flavours exotic desserts and cocktails. Dried stalks should be removed before eating.
Dried mint is readily available, but is often regarded as inferior to the fresh variety, which is easy to source, keep and grow. It’s still worth having dried mint in the cupboard though; rehydrated it makes tasty mint sauce or split pea soup, can be sprinkled over roasting lamb, or included in stews and casseroles. Use sparingly for the best effect.
Nutmeg was once one of the most expensive spices to buy, along with cloves and cinnamon. Though ubiquitous now it’s still regarded as an exotic spice – warming and spicy rather than hot – and is very adaptable though it’s poisonous in large doses. A modest amount offsets salt and lifts both sweet and savoury, creamy dishes and sauces (it’s the only spice in béchamel sauce). For something a little different, try these spinach and nutmeg muffins.
Oregano is closely related to marjoram and the herbs can sometimes substitute each other (marjoram is sweeter and more aromatic) though clash when combined – match oregano with thyme or rosemary instead. A small amount is enough, thanks to its pungent but pleasant aroma and it works just as well, if not better, dried than fresh. It’s a fantastic seasoning – bold and lively – found in authentic pizza spice mixes. Sprinkle on veg and meat before roasting and in pasta dishes.
With its deep red hue, paprika looks like it tastes – red hot. The truth, however, is that while paprika comes in many stages of heat from sweetly aromatic to fiery it’s generally not a match for eyewatering cayenne. It’s common in Europe in all its forms – sweet, smoked, hot and red – and widespread in Hungarian cuisine (you wouldn’t make a goulash without it). Add paprika during cooking rather than at the beginning, or towards the end as a seasoning, such as in this classic prawn cocktail.
It’s actually worth your while to have three types of salt in your repertoire: table salt; sea salt flakes (it adds a salty, melt-in-the-mouth crunch to dishes); and pink Himalayan salt, which is thought to be the purest. This mineral-rich option isn’t as heavily processed as other salts and arguably tastes better. Like all salt use sparingly.
Rosemary has a resiny aroma and a bittersweet taste. It’s strong to a point of unsubtle if not used frugally but the right amount adds a fragrant herbiness to food, especially robust and rustic dishes. It’s common in European cuisine where it complements lamb and potatoes and marries well with garlic.
Saffron is not only the world’s most expensive spice it’s one of the world’s most expensive foods. It costs around USD $5,000 (£3,838) a pound because it’s so labour intensive to harvest due to the sheer quantity of crocus flowers needed for just three stigmas (the saffron). It’s found in Middle Eastern cuisine, in Spanish dishes such as paella and in risotto Milanese from Italy. This saffron haddock recipe is also a delicious way to use it.
Like coriander, too much sage can taste soapy but in small quantities it’s a lovely herb with a comforting aroma and savoury taste that holds up well to high heat. In Italy, where it’s used recurrently, it’s matched with veal in saltimbocca, or used to flavour butter for tortellini. It’s also a good match for roasted poultry and pork and flavours butternut squash soup, stuffing and pastry. Try it in this sausage ragu with rigatoni.
Sumac won’t be at the forefront of every cook’s mind but it’s a necessity for many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes. It’s a lemony, uplifting spice that’s regularly sprinkled into yoghurt dips and hummus and is delicious in rubs for kebabs or chicken skewers. Try it mixed into couscous dishes or veggie burgers or dust salads with it.
If you’re not keen on the taste of anise tarragon is not the herb for you. But if you like anise you’ll relish this herb. It’s revered in France where it’s a key ingredient, and it’s in béarnaise sauce and tarragon mustard. The peppery sweetness complements chicken, veal and fish, and it’s tasty mixed into mayonnaise in a potato salad, and in dressings.
Thyme is a well-liked herb that’s aromatic with an almost resin-like aroma. It sits comfortably with meat, fish and vegetable dishes and enhances bread, pastries and desserts. Varieties offer different tastes – lemon thyme for example, tastes (you’ve guessed it) lemony. Thyme is fundamental to 'herbes de Provence', a French herb blend of oregano, rosemary, thyme, oregano and marjoram or lavender.
Related to ginger but milder and more bitter, turmeric has been in the news a lot of late because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. To make your own turmeric latte, tea or smoothie buy the best quality turmeric you can find and also add to curries and dals, coat prawns or fish with it, or use it to flavour and colour chutneys such as piccalilli and bread. Be warned – it stains.
Like saffron vanilla is an expensive spice – beans can cost USD $200 (£154) per pound. Only a little is needed, though, so it’s worth shelling out for some dried vanilla pods rather than use an extract, which can taste unnatural (they’re often artificial). Simply slice a pod in half, scrape out the insides and add to desserts and ice cream. There’s an ongoing ‘cheffy’ trend to add vanilla to savoury food but this is too cloying and sweet for some. Stick to the classics with this recipe for vanilla sables with strawberry and vanilla cream.