Massaman Curry Paste

Massaman curry is believed to originate with Muslim traders in Thailand mixing elements of their own culture and local ingredients. In fact, the name is thought to derive from Muslim and to this day it is mostly made with chicken and beef but not pork which is forbidden in Islamic dietary laws. . It is …

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Tandoori Masala

Tandoori masala is a mixture of spices traditionally used in Punjabi cooking, particularly with food cooked in a Tandoor oven. It is most famously used in Tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, and butter chicken.

Kaffir Lime Leaves

Kaffir lime leaves are often used in Thai, Indonesian, Indian and Malaysian recipes to give a unique citrus flavour.

Galangal

Galangal is a root commonly used in Asian cooking that looks similar to ginger, with a thinner skin. While Galangal looks very similar to ginger, it gives a distinct pepper and citrus flavour to Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian dishes.

Mustard

Mustard is made from the seeds of various varieties of mustard plant which are black, brown or white. Mustard plants can be grown all year round, except in areas of extreme cold winters. The plants are fast growing, reaching up to three meters, with bright yellow flowers in the shape of a cross. Mustard seeds are used in cooking and preparing the popular condiment. Mustard seeds have a range of flavours from sweet to hot and pungent.

Paprika

The distinctively coloured Paprika is ground from dried Capsicum peppers and is often smoked giving a rich, earthy flavour. Paprika ranges from the mild, sweet and smoky to quite hot and very pungent. Paprika is used in Spanish, where it is known as pimentón, as an ingredient in Chorizo, in North African and Indian cooking but is most famously identified with Hungarian goulash

Nam prik pao or Thai Chilli Paste

Nam prik pao  or Thai Chilli paste is made from roasted garlic, chillies, shallots and as with many Thai base recipes dried shrimp.

Cloves

Cloves are a spice that come from the flower buds of a tree originally from Indonesia and are a common ingredient in savoury and sweet recipes in Asian, African and Middle Eastern cuisines.

Star Anise

Star anise is instantly recognisable as the star-shaped spice which is used in many Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Indian dishes.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most popular aromatics used almost worldwide because of the flavour adds to dishes. Raw garlic has a very pungent, hot taste that mellows and becomes sweeter when cooked. Roasting garlic gives it a lovely delicate, nutty flavour.