Spice up your life

Food critic Michael Bateman, author of the book, The World of Spice, has travelled the globe to explore how different cultures flavour their food. He says amateur cooks looking to liven up their meals should be looking to the East for inspiration.

''Indians' use of spices is the most subtle and well balanced in the world. They divide their spices between pungent spices and mild spices. Pungent spices like cumin will be used to start a curry and must be cooked in oil to moderate the raw taste. Mild spices like nutmeg will then be used at the end to give it an aromatic flavour.''

Thai, Singapore, Malaysian and Chinese foods have a fantastic range and combination of spices which give them a real kick. The Mexicans' love of fruity chillies in their cooking, meanwhile, is also well worth copying at home.

The award-winning food writer says his passion for all things spicy started after spending 18 months in Hong Kong, where he was amazed at how spices could transform the taste and desirability of dishes, despite the simplicity of the ingredients.

Back home in Britain, he realised just how bland our food was, but insists things have changed over recent years.

''We've always liked spicy food - things like chutney, ginger and mustard. In the last five or ten years, Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants have become much more sophisticated in the way they use spices and standards have gone up and up. We're choosy and we like sophisticated food.''

On a more practical level, it's now a lot easier to get your hands on those exotic herbs which were almost impossible to find in the high street a decade ago. Fresh lemongrass, turmeric, and thyme are all readily available at most supermarkets these days - so you really haven't got any excuse not to experiment with those magical ingredients.

But with so many on the market and only limited space in our cupboards, which ones should we all have in our kitchens?

Bateman says: ''With Indian food being so popular, you should have fresh coriander and cumin seed. Coriander is sweet and lemony and cumin has this fantastic nutty flavour. You should also have turmeric - it has a lovely yellowly rich colour and can be used in anything. Paprika, which is used in Spanish chorizo sausages, has a lovely bittersweet flavour.

''Star anise, saffron and bay leaves are great with fish or lamb because they take that smell away and not only mask it but somehow react to it and give it a wonderful flavour.''

He also says any self respecting cook shouldn't been caught without ginger (for cakes), nutmeg (for puddings) and peppercorns, well for just about everything, in their pantry. But if you can't get yourself some of the fresh stuff, spices in a jar are a good substitute, the food expert says.

''Spices in a jar are really quite good and they've improved a lot. I think they work rather well so don't worry too much if you don't get fresh spices.''

For those who know their parsley from their paprika and want to try something a little different in their cuisine, then Bateman suggests experimenting with asafoetida or mastic.

Asafoetida, a gum collected from the roots of a fennel plant, gives off a foul smell but enhances every dish it flavours and is particularly suited to vegetarian dishes, he says.

Mastic, meanwhile, is another gum which moderates the sweetness of milk in rice puddings and tastes like pine resin.

But whatever weird and wonderful spices you choose, make sure you give your tastebuds a treat by adding some of those very special ingredients to whatever you're cooking. Below are two tasty treats with a lively kick.

LAKSA SOUP (Serves 4)

1 crab, about 500g

250g uncooked tiger prawns

250g mussels, scrubbed

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced diagonally into 2 cm pieces

3 kaffir lime leaves

2cm ginger, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

400ml coconut milk

600ml water

Salt

Juice of half a lime

350g rice noodles

Parsley, mint, basil or coriander leaves to garnish

For the Laksa Paste

100g shallots

3 cloves of garlic

8 candlenuts (or macadamia nuts or blanched almonds)

1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into thin rounds

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

3 fresh or dried red chillies

half teaspoon shrimp paste or 1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon jaggery (palm sugar), or demerara sugar

Crack open the crab and reserve the meat. Put the shells to one side. Shell the prawns, remove the black veins and reserve the heads and shells for stock. Cook the mussels in a covered saucepan with a glassful of water until they open, reserving both the mussels, still in their shells, and the cooking liquor. Fry the crab and prawn shells in the sunflower oil briefly, then add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ginger and coriander. Stir in the mussel liquor. Cook until almost evaporated. Add half of the coconut milk and all the water. Simmer for 15 minutes, then strain to remove all shells and spices.

Meanwhile, make the laksa paste. Using a pestle and mortar or a food processor, blend the shallots, garlic and nuts. Add the lemon grass and stir well. Fry the mixture in the sunflower oil until you begin to smell the aroma of the ingredients. Stir in the chillies.

Wrap the shrimp paste (if using) in foil, and heat over the hob for a few seconds to release the flavour, then crumble it into the pan. Add the turmeric, cumin, fish sauce (if using) and sugar. Heat through. Add the shellfish, stock and simmer for ten minutes. Finally, add the crab, prawns and mussels and simmer on the lowest heat for a further five minutes. Check and adjust the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice.

In a separate pan, boil the noodles according to instructions on the packet. Divide between four bowls and pour the shellfish laksa on top. Garnish with your choice of fresh herbs.

LOUISIANA JAMBALAYA

(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil, butter or bacon fat

2 onions, chopped

4 smoked pork sausages

1 tablespoon plain flour

2 cloves garlic, crushed

200g smoked ham, diced

2 medium tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped

200g long-grain rice

375ml chicken stock or water

1 green chilli, deseeded

1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped

Pinch of dried thyme

half teaspoon Creole or cayenne pepper

400g cooked prawns (or 8 cooked crayfish or king prawns) peeled

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Salt

Heat the olive oil, butter or bacon fat in a heavy saucepan. Fry the onions and sausages for about five minutes until browned.

Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two until it browns slightly. Stir in garlic then add the ham and tomatoes. Cover tightly with a lid (and crumpled foil to make a good seal) and simmer for 30 minutes on the lowest heat.

Add the rice, stock or water, chilli, green pepper, thyme, Creole or cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Cover tightly and continue simmering for about 25-25 minutes until the rice is cooked but not soft. Do not lift up the lid or stir the rice during this time.

When the cooking time is over, add the prawns (or crayfish or king prawns) and cook for a few minutes more to heat through. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve very hot.

l THE WORLD OF SPICE by Michael Bateman (Kyle Cathie Ltd, £19.99)

Mike Amos is awa