INTERNATIONAL: BORDERLESS CUISINE 22 - Middle East...

INTERNATIONAL: BORDERLESS CUISINE 22 - Middle East: MIDEAST FOODS and Spices

INTERNATIONAL: BORDERLESS CUISINE 22 - Middle East 1 - Herbs and Spices

MIDEAST FOODS VIDEOS BELOW and

LINKS TO PREVIOUS Borderline Cuisine Posts

Above are maps of the Middle East showing the countries that are included.  Map 1 is a more traditional map and the second map is a modernized version. 

LINK to Middle Eastern Spices and Herbs

LINK to Middle East Info

LINK to the 8 Most Used Spices in Arab Cuisine

Cumin aka ground caraway

Nutmeg

Cardamom

Turmeric

Sumac

Anise seed

Allspice

Cinnamon

Mastic

Mahlab

LINK to 10 Best Mideast Foods Video

LINK to Mideast Foods Video - Moroccan (quality better if you don't use wide screen)

LINK to Mideast Foods Video - Marrakesh Morocco Street Food

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LINK to Borderless Cuisine Links 1-19

LINK TO Borderless Cuisine 20 - Poland and Russia

LINK to Borderless Cuisine 21 - Greece and Turkey

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 30 - Turmeric (Golden Milk) with link to Turmeric Health Benefits and Recipes

LINK

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to southern Asia, requiring temperatures between 20 and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Wikipedia

Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian and Pakistani cuisines 
and curries. 

LINK TO 37 Ways to Drink Turmeric

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 21: PART 2: INDIAN MASALAS

Masala is a fragrant spice blend. It can be either wet (a paste) or dry (a blend of dried, often toasted and ground spices). The pastes frequently include fresh ingredients like cilantro, mint, ginger and garlic along with dried spices and oil. Dishes made with such pastes sometimes have masala in their name (e.g. chicken tikka masala).

Garam masala is a popular dry spice blend. There are many variations, from region to region and cook to cook. Clove, cinnamon, nutmeg/mace and cardamom are fairly common denominators, with several other spices -- including cumin, coriander, pepper and nigella -- often joining the party. 

• Tandoori masala
• Chatt masala and even 
• Panch phoron, the Bengali five-spice blend

are three other members of the large family of dry masalas.

Ingredients for Sambar Powder (Podi) 

Dry Red Chilli/Sukhi Lal Mirch- 250 gms [Use long dry red 

chilli]

Coriander Seeds/Dhaniya - 250gms


Turmeric/Haldi - 3 pieces or tumeric powder - 1/2 tbsp


Split Yellow Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal - 2 tbsp


Bengal Gram/Channa Dal - 1 tbsp


Peppercorns/Kaali Mirch - 1/2 tbsp


Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 2 tbsp


Mustard Seeds/Rai - 1 tbsp


Fenugreek Seeds/Methi - 1 tsp


Asafoetida/Hing - 1 tsp


Curry Leaves/Kari Patta - 2 sprigs [optional]


You can get products on Amazon.com 


LINK FOR PREPARATION


LINK FOR RECIPES USING SAMBAR POWDER RECIPES

HERBS AND SPICES: 6 - B SPANISH: SAFFRON AND PAELLA

LINK TO HERBS AND SPICES:  6 - B Saffron and Paella

First post on Saffron link - SAFFRON 6 - A  Saffron 

WIKI 

Paella (Valencian: [paˈeʎa] or [pəˈeʎə], Spanish: [paˈeʎa], English ) is a Valencian rice dish with ancient roots that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near the Albufera lagoon, a coastal lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. The dish is widely regarded as Spain's national dish, as well as a regional Valencian dish; Valencians regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.

Types of paella include Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco), and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta), but there are many others as well. Valencian paella is believed to be the original recipe  and consists of white rice, green beans (bajoqueta and tavella), meat (chicken and rabbit), white beans (garrofón), snails, and seasoning such as saffron and rosemary. Another very common but seasonal ingredient is artichoke. Seafood paella replaces meat with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of land animals, seafood, vegetables, and sometimes beans. Most paella chefs use calasparra  or bomba rices. All types of paellas use olive oil.

There are some cooks and/or chefs that recommend using paprika or turmeric if you don't have saffron.  That is good for the color but not for the taste.  If you have ever tasted a piece of saffron you know that it has a distinct taste as I mentioned in 
6 A Link above. 


LINKS FOR Recipes below used saffron. 

FLORENCE TYLER

His Recipe

GEOFFREY ZAKARIAN

His Recipe

RACHEL RAY

Her Recipe

OTHER LINKS BELOW:

ALTON BROWN

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/paella-recipe.html

EMERIL LAGASSE

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/paella-recipe2.html

ROBERT IRVINE

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robert-irvine/paella-recipe.html

BOBBY FLAY

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/paella-on-the-grill-recipe.html

FOOD NETWORK 2
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/seafood-paella-recipe.html

GUY FIERI

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/chicken-and-seafood-paella-recipe.html  

NOTE:  GUY FIERI IS THE ONLY ONE WHO SOAKED THE SAFFRON IN WATER AND HAD IT IN THE LIST OF INGREDIENTS LIKE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WRITE IN A RECIPE