people who cook too much, or at least buy too much stuff for cooking

[kindkit]

The weather cooled off today, so this afternoon I have cooked a yummy Indian pudding (Semiya Payasam, which I cooked for longer than the recipe calls for because I like my creamy desserts thicker than seems to be the Indian norm).

While it was cooking, I decided to do something I've been thinking about for a while and list all my spices and seasonings. Yes, I have so many that I lose track and sometimes buy the same thing twice, or have to dig through the cupboards checking what I've got. By the time I was done I wasn't sure whether to be more embarrassed by the length of the list or the fact that I made a list of all my spices. But now that it's done, I guess I might as well post it. It's useful to me to know what's in the pantry, and you may derive some amusement from it.

This is what happens when (a) you like to cook dishes from several different cuisines, (b) you want to have all the ingredients around because you hate making a special trip, and (c) you grew up poor and if you never actually went hungry, you occasionally came close, and you really do not like empty cupboards.

For your further amusement, note that this list doesn't include fresh, quickly-used flavorings like fresh garlic, ginger, cilantro, etc. And it doesn't include anything I'd classify as more an ingredient (such as dessicated coconut, nuts, seaweed, miso paste) than a seasoning.



Single spices

Ajowan (bishop’s week) seeds
Amchur (dried unripe mango) powder
Asafoetida
Basil seeds
Bay leaves, western
Bay leaves, Indian
Black salt
Cardamom pods, green
Cardamom pods, black
Cardamom seed
Chiles, dried chipotle
Chiles, dried red whole
Chile powder, ancho
Chile powder, chipotle
Chile powder, cayenne
Cinnamon, ground
Cinnamon, flat stick
Cloves, whole
Coriander seed
Cumin, black
Cumin, brown
Deggi mirch (ground Kashmiri chiles)
Dill, dried
Dill seeds
Fennel seeds
Fenugreek seeds
Garlic powder
Ginger, ground
Kokum, black
Mace powder
Mint leaves, dried
Mustard powder, Chinese
Mustard seed, black
Nigella seeds
Nutmeg, whole
Oregano, Mexican, dried
Peppercorns, black
Peppercorns, Tellicherry
Pomegranate seed powder
Poppy seeds, white
Saffron
Salt, smoked
Sesame seeds, white
Sichuan peppercorns (dried prickly ash)
Turmeric


Spice blends (homemade)

Bottle masala (the East Indian ancestor of commercial “curry powder,” but much more complex)
Chaat masala
Garam masala, Punjabi
Garam masala, Rajasthani (I think? the label on the bag has fallen off)
Panch phoron
Sambhar masala
South Indian curry
Untoasted Sri Lankan curry


Spice blends (commercial)

Katsuo fumi furikake (rice seasoning with bonito flakes)
Shichimi togarishi (Japanese seven-spice powder)
Cajun/Creole spice blend


Other

Bean sauce, Chinese
Black beans, fermented
Chili-garlic sauce, Vietnamese
Chutney, sweet mango
Chutney, tomato
Curry leaves (frozen)
Curry paste (Thai, green)
Curry paste (Thai, red)
Fenugreek leaves (frozen)
Fish sauce
Galangal (frozen)
Hot sauce (Jamaican Country Style crushed Scotch bonnet sauce)
Hot sauce (Trader Joe’s)
Hot sauce (jalapeno and berries)
Kaffir lime leaves (frozen)
Keowra (screwpine) water
Lime pickle, hot (two different brands!)
Lime pickle, sweet and sour
Mango pickle
Mirin
Mustard, dijon
Oyster sauce
Rose water
Rosemary (frozen)
Sage (frozen)
Sesame paste
Shrimp paste
Soy sauce, light Chinese
Soy sauce, dark Chinese
Soy sauce, light Japanese
Soy sauce, dark Japanese
Soy sauce, super-premium Japanese (it was a gift)
Soy sauce, tamari
Tamarind concentrate
Tamarind, dried
Vinegar, cider
Vinegar, rice




Yes, children, I really do have six kinds of soy sauce. *laughs* I've also got (roughly, since I'm not doing any more damn inventorying today) at least three kinds of rice, eight or ten kinds of dried beans, three kinds of seaweed, and oodles of noodles. Oh, and four kinds of sugar (granulated white sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar, jaggery).

This is the start of my weekend, and I have major cooking plans since the weather is supposed to stay cooler: spicy pork noodles with lime leaves tomorrow, then chicken with yellow split peas, green beans with cardamom and mustard seed, potatoes in coconut sauce, cucumber and tomato salad with yogurt, and possibly more if I'm feeling inspired on Friday, to set me up with leftovers for the next work week. Hopefully after that I won't feel quite so much like a food hoarding weirdo.

Comments

[st_aurafina]

Oh, your place is going to smell amazing after all that cooking. I hope it's all awesome and delicious.

[mllesatine]

Oh I love lists like that. I was in a lj community once where you showed the containts of your pantry and fridge. So interesting what is considered the standard in other countries. I don't cook Asian food and believe many of the spices you have would be hard to buy where I live.

I feel the urge to run to my own spice rack and make a list.

Right now I have granulated white sugar, powdered white sugar, brown sugar and rock candy. :)

[hannah]

The Bitten Word cooking blog did a thing a while back where they spent a week cooking nothing but what they had in their kitchen - after buying a few eggs and some fruit on a Sunday, their next 21 meals only came from what they had on hand. So you're in pretty good company for such a project.