Though he was not able to fulfil his dream of commercially launching the project before his death, there are now three masala blends - Goan masala, garam masala, and Kashmiri masala - which are available online via The FC + B&B Collaboration Masala project.īarkha Cardoz now actively executes legacy projects of Floyd as the managing member of Cardoz Legacy LLC. The project to create and sell a line of Indian spice blends was launched by Floyd Cardoz himself in 2019 with Burlap & Barrel, a company which sources single origin spices directly from small farmers. She now actively executes legacy projects of Floyd as the managing member of Cardoz Legacy LLC in New York. We didn’t use pre-packaged spices at home since he always made masala blends and stored them carefully in small containers," Barkha remembers. We had been married for 30 years and he always loved home-cooked meals. "As I tried to recover from the initial shock and grief, I wanted to make sure that he lived on through his legacy of Indian food. Ground five spice is also often served mixed with salt and used as a piquant condiment to accompany barbecue dishes.When popular Indian-American chef Floyd Cardoz died in March last year following Covid-19 complications, his wife Barkha Cardoz decided to carry his legacy forward. Once the spices are toasted and mixed, the blend can be used both whole (simmered into stews, braises and soups) and ground (added to roasted meats like duck, lamb and pork belly, vegetables and seafood). Because Sichuan peppercorns vary a lot in quality, he recommends ordering from a good source, like the Mala Market, one of the few companies importing untreated peppercorns direct from growers. His version hews to the traditional five ingredients, and uses Sichuan peppercorns to give the mix a characteristically numbing, tingly sensation on the tongue known as mala. But it’s not uncommon to find cooks sneaking in a little tangerine peel or ginger, depending on where they live and what they’re planning to prepare, said Kian Lam Kho, the author of “ Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking” (Clarkson Potter, 2015).
Licorice despisers can reduce or leave out the fennel seeds and anise heat seekers can shovel in more pepper or add chile powder.Ĭooks should feel free to bring a certain measure of their own personality and preferences to the blending process, said Ethan Frisch, who founded Burlap & Barrel, an importer and online spice shop, with his business partner Ori Zohar in 2016.Īt once musky and sweet, with a pronounced kick, five spice is traditionally made from equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and peppercorns (usually Sichuan or white). If you’re new to spice blending, you may want to make these mixes once according to the recipes to familiarize yourself, then change them up to suit your tastes.
Once you get into the groove of toasting, grinding and mixing, creating your own blends can be its own meditative reward, and highly gratifying to the senses.Īnd don’t limit yourself. Whether you use them in traditional contexts or otherwise, these seasoning mixes will make whatever you cook shine. Many of them are elemental to the cuisines they come from, and you probably already have some, or all, in your spice cabinet. A good place to begin is with any of these five versatile, beloved blends: garam masala, baharat, za’atar, five spice and a sweet baking blend along the lines of pumpkin pie spice. Of course, you can buy high-quality spice blends, but you may get even better flavors if you make them yourself.