Spices for the Common Cold...

Its that time of year again when the body will succumb to the common cold with sneezes and sniffles a plenty. And for centuries spices have been used as natural 'folk' remedies to help ward off some of the effects of cold & flu.

Ayurveda recommends taking cardamom, ginger, black pepper and cinnamon in equal parts as a tea.

Cloves can help respiratory problems associated with coughs and throat infections 

Cardamom tea can be taken as a bed time drink to clear nasal congestion & induces sleep.

Ginger helps fight throat and chest infections with its anti-inflammatory properties.

Fennel is a natural expectorant, and can help clear chest congestion and soothe a persistent cough. 

Turmeric is a natural antibiotic. A pinch of turmeric added to a teaspoon of honey or a cup of hot milk helps to relieve headache, cold and throat infections.

I'm not sure if the above have been scientifically proven to work but its definitely worth a go - mainly as a  warming tea with a dash of honey to sooth the aches.

PS the above images are my own and have not been dragged off an image library or Google

Jamie Heart Curry

 This was the October issue of Jamie Magazine. It was almost entirely devoted to the humble curry- now a British staple. There with some wonderful recipes which really appealed to me...Keralan Seafood Curry, and Tamarind and coconut rice, along with Indian chopped salad

I also have to add there were great photos by David Loftus as always. I might have to find more of his photos to share with you.

Crisps and Chocolate -Duke of Delhi choc chunk delhi mix...

You would not expect crunchy savoury and choc chips to work together but the combination in the Duke of Delhi mix is simply wonderful. Someone who understands flavour combinations has certainly put a lot of thought and skill into this. It has just been launched at Fortnum & Mason.

I also love the packaging design on this product - very classy in trendy pink.

Black pepper & and the Age of Discovery

Last week I caught half of 'Michael Wood -The Story of India -Spice Routes and Silk Roads' He made it sound so romantic about the discovery of the western monsoon opening a sea route for Greeks and Romans with southern India. Most people may have forgotten one of the reasons for the early voyages of discovery...BLACK PEPPER. They were crazy for this simple vine...which became known as 'black gold'

The race for the coveted spices from Indian sub continent, and the Spice Islands of Indonesia was fought by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and the English. And its also really a history of colonialism...sad but true.

However this did lead to some quite fantastic new flavours being passed around these trade routes. Most notable being the chilli pepper. Finding its way from South America to India and even as far away as Korea and the Cook Islands. I adore this subject and have numerous books on the subject, amongst all my cook books.  I simple can't imagine life without my spices...

So simple...range

These are the other 'So Simple...' packs that I'm introducing. Again I'm hoping they are very easy to cook, even for the novice chef. All the spices, whole and ground are included in each pack, so very little measuring out apart from rice or lentils.

Depending on how well they are received, I will be adding more to this range.

WOW a brilliant book on BURMESE FOOD

I have been waiting for ' Burma - Rivers of Flavour' by Naomi Duguid to be published for ages. Heck I'd even pre-ordered it from Amazon. I have not been disappointed. Its a mix between a cookbook and travel log, with brilliant photography. Soooo much information about little daily rituals and personal observations.

She has traveled extensively and  gone to some of the more remote regions to gain further understanding of the diverse Burmese cuisine. There are chapters on a myriad rice, noodle, and salad dishes. An absolute delight.

Easy peasy Onion Bhaji's or pakoras

I had lots of fun researching recipes for ONION BHAJI's. Gram flour is making an appearance on supermarket shelves but its difficult to find good quality versions.I wanted a Spice Almighty kit to be really super easy to make as they are part of my 'So Simple...' range ( more on that later) Each pack contains premixed gram flour and spices so there is very little measuring.  Simply empty the bhaji mix into a large bowl add water, add two sliced onions, salt to taste and fry.

I was at a school pamper evening where I had little samples for the ladies to try - I think it was a thumbs up from almost everyone. And they where so surprised at how easy it sounded. I didn't really know how well the Bhaji mix would be received...but I SOLD OUT!!

Also I mentioned to a few people the mix could also be used for pakora, using spinach, cauliflower, even potato or chilli (!) I shall try out a few of these in future.