Flavouring WithCumin The Ubiquitous Spice
“When one is tired of all seasonings, cumin is welcome.” Roman author, Pliny used these words to hail cumin as the best appetiser of all condiments way back in the first century AD. The birth of this spice proved to be a blessing to all; a spice that has survived the ages of time to emerge as the most sought-after element in several aspects of life. With its strong flavour- piquant and slightly bitter, its subtle aroma generates a craving for whatever is being prepared with it. This is the power of the spice that takes place of pride, next only to pepper and caraway (shahijeera).
When it is said cumin appears in various facets of life, it is a fact. Beginning with the Mediterranean region, where it is believed to have originated, it has been used since antiquity. Egypt made use of the oil of cumin to mummify bodies, apart from the spice´s appearance in several recipes. By the second millennium BC, it was very popular in Mesopotamia, used in several dishes. But interestingly, in Athens, it was customary for hosts to place the powdered spice in boxes for guests to add a dash to exquisite foods such as oysters and lobsters. The Greeks went even further and sought the magical intercession of the ‘spice with powers’. Bread was sprinkled with cumin to ward off evil spirits while wine was laced with it so that the women could ensure fidelity of their lovers.
CHILLI CON CARNE
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 kg lean beef mince
250 ml red wine
800 gm tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
2 red chillies, thinly sliced,
or 3-4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 stick cinnamon good shake of Worcestershire sauce
1 beef stock cube
salt and freshly ground blackpepper
800 gm red kidney beans (canned), rinsed and drained
1 large bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped wedges of lime, to serve
Method: Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and Worcestershire sauce and crumble in the stock cube. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.
Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander. Cook for a further 10 minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary. Serve with rice, guacamole, sour cream and green salad.
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Used in a derogatory manner as well, cumin would come to be associated with greed and miserly behaviour and also found mention in the Bible, either as an ingredient or like in Matthew’s gospel, where Christ uses the word against the Pharisees. However, the regard that this spice commands surpassed any contempt as it moved on to Morocco, Spain, the rest of Europe and finally, Latin America and permeated into each and every cuisine, with delicious tagines, couscous, meat stews being whipped up. What would the Mexican Chilli Con Carne be without cumin! Similarly, the French and Germans rest solely on this ingredient for certain cakes and breads as do the Dutch and Swiss, for a few dairy products such as cheese. Just like India’s garam masala is zilch without jeera, so also is the Afghan equivalent, char masala. And talking of India, cumin made its way here, well before Muslim invasions. Jeera, from the Sanskrit word, jeeraka, featured in texts around 300 BC, which strongly suggests linkages of trade and commerce with West Asia. Indians would love to associate the word, tadka with the famous spice as this is what works to create magic in most Indian dishes such as dals, pulaos and sabjis.
JEERA MILAGU RASAM
Ingredients:
tamarind juice from lemon-sized tamarind , curry leaves
1 tsp jeera , 1 tsp pepper, 2 red chillies
1 tsp dhania, asafoetida to taste , tsp tur dal, salt
turmeric powder
Method: Soak the dry ingredients- jeera, dhania, pepper, 1 chilli and tur dal in water for 5 minutes and grind to a paste.
Boil the tamarind paste with salt, 1 chilli, turmeric powder and asafoetida for about 10 mins till the raw taste and smell of tamarind goes away.
Add the ground paste with the some water.
Allow the rasam to set with the yellow froth on the top. Heat ghee and then mustard seeds and jeera with curry leaves to pop. Add this to the rasam.
This rasam helps to arrest cold.
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