Читать книгу Vegan Cooking for One: Over 150 simple and appetizing meals - Leah Leneman - Страница 11

It has become easier to obtain fresh herbs of late, and some people grow their own. Obviously fresh herbs have a wonderful flavour, and anyone who has access to them will certainly want to use them, but the majority will find it much easier to keep a variety of dried herbs in stock. When herbs are called for in recipes it is dried herbs that are meant.

As far as spices are concerned, although there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the mixture of spices which go to make up ‘curry powder’, far more interesting variations of flavour can be obtained by using the spices themselves. For the best flavour, coriander and cumin seeds are much better bought whole and ground in a small pestle and mortar when required. I realize such a suggestion may seem surprising in a book which is aimed at simple and quick recipes, but the average time required to grind a teaspoonful of spice cannot be more than about five seconds, and it is especially beneficial when cooking for one simply because these spices are likely to be stored for a long time, since only a little is required for any one dish, and if bought already powdered then much of the flavour will gradually be lost.