Cinnamon is the dried bark of various laurel trees in the cinnamomun family. Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark that are rolled, pressed and dried. True Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka. It has a strong, sweet and woody fragrance. Cinnamon is used in cakes, cookies, and desserts throughout the world. It is also used in savory chicken and lamb dishes from the Middle East. In American cooking, Cinnamon is often paired with apples and used in other fruit and cereal dishes. Stick Cinnamon is used in pickling and for flavouring hot beverages.
Cardamon
Cardamon is the seed of a tropical fruit in the ginger family known as Elettaria Cardamomum. The seeds are found in ovalshaped fruit pods that are between 1/4 and 1 inch long. It has an intense, pungent, sweet flavor. A small amount of Cardamon will add a tempting flavour to coffee cake, Danish pastry, specialty breads and apple pie. Try Cardamon the Arabic way and add a little to your ground coffee before brewing, then sweeten and top with cream.
Cloves
Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium Aromaticum, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The name comes from the French "clou" meaning nail. They have a strong, pungent aroma and tastes rather sweet. Traditionally, cloves have been used in spice cookies and cakes.
Saffron
Saffron is the stigma of Crocus Sativus, a flowering plant in the crocus family. In its pure form, saffron is a mass of compressed, threadlike, dark orange strands. It has a spicy, pungent and bitter flavour with a sharp and penetrating odor. Saffron is traditionally used in French bouillabaisse, Spanish paella, Milanese risotto and many Middle Eastern dishes.
Mustard
Black mustard seed is very pungent and acrid. It is used whole, powdered or finely ground, in everything from pickles and chutneys to meat, fish and vegetable dishes.
Lemon Grass
A vital ingredient in Sri Lankan, Thai and Mexican cooking to flavour meat and fish.
Curry Leaves
Its leaves are used in many dishes in India and neighbouring contries. Often used in curries, the leaves generally go by the name "curry leaves", though they are also called "sweet neem leaves". In Sri Lanka it is called Karapincha
Pandan/ Rampe
Pandan (screwpine pandanus) is a type of plant that grows in tropical areas of Asia. Pandan leaves have a sweet, unique flavor that is commmonly used in Southeast-Asian countries to enhance both desserts and savory dishes. The leaves are long and bright green, and when pounded or ground, they lend a sweet taste and aroma to many Thai desserts and some drinks. In Sri Lanka it is called Rampe.
Fenugreek
Fenugreek has three culinary uses: as a herb (dried or fresh leaves), as a spice (seeds), and as a vegetable (fresh leaves, sprouts, and microgreens).
The distinctive cuboid yellow to amber coloured fenugreek seeds are frequently encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The seeds are used in the preparation of pickles, vegetable dishes, daals, and spice mixes, such as panch phoron and sambar powder. Fenugreek seeds are used both whole and in powdered form and are are often roasted to reduce their bitterness and enhance their flavor
Nutmeg
The fruits of the nutmeg tree have single-seed berries which produce two different spices, mace and nutmeg. They greatly improve the flavour of a curry dish.
Chillis
Ripe chillis may be cream, yellow, orange or even puple-black and are easy to dry in the sun or in a slow oven.
CINNAMON
CARDAMON
CLOVES
SAFFRON
MUSTARD
LEMON GRASS
NUTMEG
CHILLIS
CURRY LEAVES
PANDAN /RAMPE
FENUGREEK
