Spice Trade — black pepper

Quinoa is another versatile grain that’s come to light with recent diet studies. It’s a great substitute for rice or pasta in some recipes, as it overcomes many of the shortcomings of most other grains like wheat. It’s not purely carbohydrate, it also packs some healthy fats, proteins, and a lot of micronutrients.    Here’s a recipe to let quinoa do all the work, while enjoying the same great flavours you wouldn’t expect in a healthy dish. Recipe: Curried Quinoa Servings: 4 Ingredients– 2 Cups Water– 1 cup White Quinoa, uncooked– 1/2 cup Yellow Onions, chopped– 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed– 1/2...

Summer is already upon us, and the best way to enjoy is by eating yum food outside. Here’s our take on popular recipe that’s been doing the blog circuit lately: Fish Tacos. The recipe is in two parts: preparing the fish, and assembling the taco. While the ingredients list looks daunting, it’s really simple taken step by step. And at the end of the day you’re rewarded with creamy deep fried comfort food that at least looks mildly healthy and tastes the bomb! Recipe: Fish Tacos Servings: 4 Ingredients For the batter1 cup all purpose flour2 tablespoons corn starch1 teaspoon...

Rasam is one of the most popular Indian “soups” across the entire Indian subcontinent. This recipe uses fresh spices for an authentic home style taste – no tamarind paste or pre-made rasam powder is used in this recipe. As a result, it’s light, tangy, spicy, minimal fat and sugars so it’s even quite healthy! Tomato rasam goes best with South Indian dishes such as hot Idli and Vadas, but you can also drink it plain as a soup with some warm bread. Recipe: Spicy Tomato Rasam (Indian Soup) Serves: 4 Ingredients7 medium sized tomatoes, blanched300-500ml water based on your preference,...

Sichuan food is known for being spicy all over China. But the spice is rather unique to Sichuan Province. It’s not merely lots of heat from chillies, but a numbing-cooling and very addictive heat given off by Sichuan Peppercorns. These little, red peppercorns will blast your senses with their tell-tale numbing-heat, known as “Ma La” (麻辣). This cold cucumber salad is the perfect introduction to Sichuan cuisine. The heat is milder, and well balanced with the cucumbers. The ingredients are also very simple, and rely deeply on freshness and quality. Thanks to the sugar and chikiang vinegar which is naturally...

Vietnamese Pepper: market update Although India’s Malabar region is undoubtedly king when it comes to the best black pepper, the largest exporter in the world for black peppercorns is Vietnam. Vietnam accounts for over 30% of all pepper exports as per our last checking. As a result, changes in the Vietnamese Pepper market affect the entire world. Regency Grade Black Pepper Vietnam Pepper crop harvested in first quarter of 2015: Bad weather, heavy rain at pepper flower pollination and pests and diseases were common during the rainy season (Sept, Oct/2014) in most pepper regions. This led to Vietnamese raising the...