Aromatic & Complex Spice Blend, 50g
Inspired by the spice blends widely used to create Indian chutneys and pickles, we created this blend with a mixture of over fifteen whole and ground spices. Nutty cumin, peppery nigella seeds and zingy, sweet pink peppercorns - to name just a few of the whole spices – add flavoursome texture. Amchur – dried green mango powder – gives a juicy aroma and fresh, sour taste, which balances the sweet and floral notes of cinnamon, green cardamom, and coriander. Warmth comes not just from the Kashmiri chilli and black pepper, but also from the tiny mustard and nigella seeds, which have slightly sharp, almost bitter flavours. Pink peppercorns also provide a gentle warmth. One of our favourite spices, they're not actually true peppercorns, rather a type of berry. A member of the Anacardiacae species, the same family to which mango, sumac and cashews also belong, pink peppercorns have a warm, sweet, and slightly refreshing flavour.
With a bright colour and a richly vibrant taste and aroma, this complex blend can of course be used as a pickling spice in chutneys, but also try mixing it with oil and sticky pomegranate molasses, brushed over toasted nuts: Spread a combination of your favourite nuts on a lined baking tray (around 250g in total) and put in the oven for five minutes at 170°C. Remove the pan and give it a good shake to move the nuts around. In a small bowl, mix a tablespoon of oil with two tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, stir in a tablespoon of the aromatic & complex blend. Drizzle or brush over the nuts, then sprinkle with sugar and salt. Return to the oven for a further three to five minutes, checking often to make sure they don’t burn. Let them cool for five minutes before eating as a snack or use as a crunchy topping for stir fries and salads.
WHY DON'T WE ADD SUGAR OR SALT TO OUR BLENDS?
The spices we skilfully combine give such a flavour boost on their own, so we don't add salt or sugar to our blends. Some spices have an inherent sweetness - combining these makes delicious, sweet-tasting blends. The one exception to our rule on sugar is our Sugar Spice finishing blend, in which we use small pieces of crystallised ginger for its delicious chewy texture and spicy-sweet flavour. Other spices we utilise for their deeply savoury qualities. Salt is sometimes used whilst processing sumac berries and in curing chillies such as Urfa and Aleppo, and as such, may be present in small quantities in some of our blends. We use red miso powder, which is made with salt, as an ingredient in our Savoury and Rich spice blend.
You may like to add a sprinkle of salt to your food when cooking with our spice blends - we leave the choice up to you!A NOTE ON STORAGE
pices are best stored in airtight packaging, away from sunlight and heat. To keep our spice blends as fresh as possible, we pack them into resealable, opaque pouches. Seal after each use and store away from sunny windowsills and sources of heat, such stovetops. If you forget to seal the pouch, the spice blend may begin to lose aroma. Please note that even if you keep our spice blends sealed securely, you may notice some clumping - this is because we do not use the anti-caking additives. Don't worry if this happens - simply give the blend a stir or use your fingertips to break down any small clumps.
INGREDIENTS
Amchoor, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, Kashmiri chilli, mustard, nigella, turmeric, green cardamom, pink peppercorns, bay, black pepper
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, see items listed in bold in ingredients list.
A LITTLE ABOUT US
At spicy chameleon, we believe spices should be celebrated. Our versatile spice blends will bring creativity to your kitchen – use them alone or try in combination with our finishing blends to introduce even more layers of flavour to your cooking!
WANT TO SEE MORE?
Instagram @spicy.chameleon
Follow us for recipes, new products and chances to win freebies...