Piri Piri powder and such

[roysha]

Some time ago my Granddaughter gave me a sampler box of various "exotic" spices. At the time I went on line to try to figure how to use them. Confusion reigns. It would seem that folks that use some of the these spices are engineers who believe the more ingredients, (component parts) regardless of their applicableness, the better the end product. For example, I worked for a company many years ago that had an annual chili cooking contest for employees. I particularly remember a group of engineers that got together and bragged about all the "stuff" they had in their chili to make it so good. Three thing that stand out in my memory is instant coffee, pureed cherries and dill pickle juice. All the recipes had to be posted and I swear there was 25+ ingredients in that recipe. I, for one, believe the opposite. Anyway, with that said, I still have not figured a simple way to use these various spices and there were NO specific instructions as to their use, just statements like, " really gives chicken, pork, beef and vegetables a nice accent" or some similar vague usage description. How much, cooked with, added as seasoning or any other pertinent usage instructions are non-existent.

I would really like to experiment with them but I'm not going to spend hours and hours slicing, dicing, sauteeing, peeling, boiling, baking and so on. I'm a slap it on the grill, throw it in the fry pan,or pop it in the oven and move on kinda "chef". Therefore I'm looking at using these spices either as a seasoning addition, akin to salt and pepper, use in sauces either for cooking or like mustard and catsup, or for marinades.

So my question to you here: do any of you use things like piri piri powder, 5 spice, adobo, herbs de provence, ras el hanout, tzatziki, za'atar, dukkah, garam masala, shichimi togarash, and so forth? If so, how?

[poppy42]

Some I recognize from Oriental cookiing. Others I don’t have a clue but possibly Indian. Suggest you Google oriental cooking recipes

[DougGuy]

I use herbs de provence at Thanksgiving, I mix it with butter in a small pot and heat it to bring out the flavors, then I put the seasoned butter in the fridge to solidify it, and use it under the skin of pheasant or turkey when I cook the bird(s).

5 spice can go in anything Asian, stir fry, noodle dishes, whatever.

Adobo can go in any Tex Mex food, ras el hanout is used religiously in Moroccan dishes, they make some AWESOME yellow rice recipes, one uses a big cast iron kettle that they layer the stuff in, then bake it for hours, then turn it upside down on a platter and get the kettle off, you got this huge hill of yellow rice with tomatoes and other veggies and meat, the whole house is filled with the aroma. It is a very celebrated dish in Moroccan culture.

Garam masala is Indian, again it is a very widely used spice in Indian cuisine. You can youtube some of these foods and they will use these spices. I have tons of different spice and spice blends. NObody should be stuck with boring food!

[MaryB]

If you like Chinese buffet chicken wings 5 spice is the seasoning used. I rub some into the wings, let them marinade in the fridge a few hours with a bit of soy(like 1/2 teaspoon per wing) then flour and deep fry.

[Shiloh]

I use Chinese 5 spice in wings, grilles or in the oven.
Iv'e used it in Bulgogi, Korean grilled beef, as well. Definitely gives that unique Asian flavor.

Shiloh

[Thundarstick]

My favorite okra dish

Slice the okra into 3/8 inch pieces, deep fry in oil (no breading or meal) until brown around the edges. Drain the fried okra of excess oil.
Fine chop one onion 1/4 inch, and into a skillet with a little oil. One can of drained diced tomatoes into the skillet when the onions are translucent, add fenugreek seeds (I use a tea spoon, but you my prefer less). Cook this mixture over medium heat until the tomatoes are beginning to break down, now add a good heavy dose of the Garam Masala to the mix, cook another minute or two. Toss the fried okra in the sauce to thoroughly coat and enjoy!

[Tatume]

Piri piri is a chile pepper.

[762 shooter]

Piri Piri.

Portuguese by way of Africa.

Piri-Piri (a Swahili word that means “pepper-pepper”) chiles are very hard to come by here in the states, so after some extensive research we found that the closest chile to match the flavor and heat is the Pequin. If you like a hot seasoning with great flavor, this one’s for you. This spicy seasoning is bittersweet, citrusy, and garlicky with herbal notes.

This spice mixture is perfect for calde verde (a Portuguese soup) or molho de piri-piri (a Portuguese hot-pepper sauce). To make molho de piri-piri, mix 3 Tbsp. spice with 1 cup olive oil and shake vigorously. Store in refrigerator for 7-10 days to allow the flavors to blend. Also, try on pork, chicken, fish or beef.

762