Longpepper
If you’rea fanofspicethatleavesthetonguetingling,thenlongpepper
is a worthyadditiontoyourspicerack.NativetoIndia,longpepperis also
commonlyusedin Nepalese,NorthAfrican,Malaysian,IndonesianandSri
Lankancooking,andis a valuableplayerin O TamaCarey’scommercialkitchen.
“I didn’tknowmuchaboutlongpepperbeforeI startedcookingSriLankanfood
andnowI can’tgetenoughofit,”shesays.“It’sreallystrongandhasanalmost
Szechuanvibetoit witha tinglyheat.”Careyuseslongpepperasanaddition
to spice mixes and to season Lankan Filling Station’s famous egg hoppers.
Blackpepper
Blackpepperis morethanjusttheloyalspousetosalt.
Careysuggestsusingit generouslyin dishestoadda real
depthofflavourandroundedheat.“Inwesterncooking
blackpepperis usedasa seasoning,butin SriLankan
cookingit’susedmorelikeyouwouldanyotherspiceand
in fargreateramounts,”shesays.“BeforethePortuguese
introducedchillitoSriLanka,alltheheatfromcurries
camefromblackpepperandweuseit in a lotofour
curry powders. It has a really robust flavour.”●Cardamom
A friendofbothsweetandsavourydishes,cardamom
is a versatilespicewithanimpressiveCV.“It’susedvery
differentlyin SriLankancookingcomparedtowestern
cooking.Weuseit forbig,bigflavour,”explainsCarey.
“Weloveaddingit toourchickencurrybutalsouseit
in ourfavouritetrioofsweetspices,includingcardamom,
cinnamonandclove.”AtLankanFillingStation,you’ll
findcardamommakea starturnin watalappam,a sweet
custard pudding made with jaggery (dark palm sugar). Turmeric
There’smoretoturmericthanstainingyourfavourite
teatowel,it’salsoknownforitswarm,bittertasteand
varioushealthbenefits.“Mytheoryis turmericis going
tocureusall,”laughsCarey.“It’ssucha beautifulspice
withgoodcolouringandflavour,andthebasefora lot
ofourcurrypowders.”ForCarey,oneofthebestways
youcanintroduceturmericin yourkitchen is in dhal.
“It’s simply not dhal without turmeric.”OTamaCarey
Lankan Filling StationGOURMET TRAVELLER 63