Suzy Singh - The Taste of Asia
May 16, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Le Cordon Bleu
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Welcome to the very first blog post by Chef Suzy Singh! You may know me from Season Two of the hit TV show MASTERCHEF on FOX, or through various collaborations around the great City of Chicago! I am also a very proud Alumnus and National Spokesperson for Le Cordon Bleu. Over the next couple of months we will dive into the world of food, exploring the history of spices, and sharing recipes that have fun and interesting twists to traditional recipes! This month we are focusing on the Taste of Asia.
My South Asian background stems from India, more specifically the Punjab region (northwest corridor of India). Today we are going to explore the world of SPICE!! In India we use a Masala Dhabba, spice tray, in the kitchen to organize the spices needed for the cuisine that we creating. From the culinary perspective, this tray is the perfect mise-en-place that is needed as the foundation for any Indian recipe. In the Masala Dhabba we have Chili- you can toast any type of
chili- in this case we are used red dried chili that you can toast in a saute pan for 2 minutes on medium/high heat until the oils from the chili is released and then blend until you have a fine consistency in the chili. You can use this technique for the following spices that are essential in any Indian cuisine:
Cumin
Coriander
Clove
Cinnamon
Black pepper
We also tend to use Turmeric in our cuisine. This plant-based spice is found wild in the forests of Southeast Asia. This plant is boiled and dried for several hours and eventually ground into a yellow powder. The taste of turmeric is a slightly bitter, hot peppery taste, and it is the color of mustard. It is primarily used for Ayurvedic purposes (medicinal usage), as well as a coloring agent in various curries. The first recipe that I would love to share with you is a spice blend that is used in most Indian cuisine:
The Garam Masala Blend
Recipe (use whole spices):
1 T Black Pepper
1 T Cumin
1 T Coriander
1 T Clove
1 T Cinnamon
1 T Dried Chili
1 T Cardamom
Directions:
1) Place spices in sauté pan on Medium/High Heat
2) Move pan consistently for 2 minutes until the oils from the spices release
3) Place spices in a blender and blend until uniform fine consistency.
The Garam Masala Blend can be used to flavor chicken, grain, vegetables, tofu, and even cocktails! Here is a recipe for a cocktail that will have your guests asking for more!
Garam Masala Spiced Bourbon Lemonade:
Ingredients:
1 oz Bourbon
2 oz Simple Syrup
3 T Lemon Juice
1 T Garam Masala
1 oz Water
2 oz Ice
Directions:
1) In a shaker place all ingredients
2) Shake for 15 sec
3) Using Lemon wedge line the rim of the glass used to serve
4) Toss 1 T Garam Masala with 1 T of Raw Sugar and place on a shallow plate
5) Turn the rim of the glass in Sugar Garam Masala Mix
6) Fill glass midway with ice
7) Pour Spiced Bourbon Lemonade into the glass and serve!!
For more tips/questions/recipes feel free to contact me at:
Twitter @Chefsuzysingh
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suzysinghmasterchef
Email: suzy@suzysingh.com
Be sure to tune in for season three of MasterChef premiering soon!
