Pic courtesy of Wikipedia.
Cumin is a spice that tends to be relegated to a handful of dishes like curry, couscous, or meat for tacos. Granted, the smoky scent and earthy taste lend themselves to hearty dishes, rather than delicate confections. When purchased whole the spice resembles caraway seeds, but is actually the dried seeds of relative of the parsley family. Cumin’s pungent fragrance allows it to stand up to other strong ingredients, such as garlic and onion; however, the strength of the flavor also means that a little goes a long way.
For instance, my first experience with cumin was a disaster. At a family cookout, one of my uncles decided to make the hamburgers “Southwest style.” For him, that meant chopped jalapeño, smashed black beans, and a lot of ground cumin mixed into the hamburger meat. When the patties came off the grill, I grabbed one and took a big bite. The cumin was so overpowering and bitter that I left the rest of the burger untouched. For years after my unfortunate experience, I was very reluctant to try anything made with cumin. In hindsight, the ingredients weren’t bad at all — it was the proportions that needed work; my uncle had used about ¼ cup of ground cumin for roughly two pounds of hamburger. I learned a cliché yet valuable lesson about cumin: less is more. It’s been about ten years since that infamous cumin-burger, and I can say with great confidence that I am not afraid to add it to all types of dishes… in moderation, of course. I’ve found that chicken, lamb and beef dishes do the best with cumin, though my favorite has no meat at all…
Pic courtesy of TKW.
1. Southwestern Hamburgers — I know, I know, but my version will leave your taste buds happy, not horrified. Add ⅓ cup diced jalapeño, ½ cup smashed black beans, and just ½ teaspoon of the ground spice to 1 pound of hamburger for a very pleasant experience. Even when pan-fried, the burgers will have the smoky flavor cumin brings.
2. Chili — few (if any) American dishes have as many varieties as chili. To make yours more distinctive, add 1 teaspoon of the cracked seeds. When simmered with the meat and other ingredients, the spice’s earthy essence permeates the dish.
3. Spiced Rice — why serve boring, plain rice, when so many spices await service in the pantry? Add ¼ teaspoon of cracked cumin, and ½ teaspoon each of cracked coriander, paprika, cinnamon, and ground cloves for every 2 cups uncooked rice. For even more flavor, replace the water with the broth of your choice. The flavor is subtle and exotic, and makes a complementary side for many dishes, especially lamb.
4. Butternut Squash Soup — many people add curry powder to this soup. Try stirring in a ¼ teaspoon of the ground spice along with the curry powder for a more complex dish. It may not seem like much, but most curry powders contain cumin already.
5. Macaroni & Cheese — this was an accidental discovery. I love cheddar cheese, the sharper the better, and cumin adds just the right complementary notes. My favorite recipe is actually Alton Brown’s stove-top version. I add a ½ teaspoon of ground cumin in with the egg mixture, and use penne pasta with white cheddar cheese.
Enjoy the results!
-TKW
