Season with Spice Asian Spice Kit Giveaway

I’m partnering with my friends at Season with Spice to giveaway a Season with Spice Asian Spice Kit. There will be one (1) winner whom will receive one (1) Season with Spice Asian Spice Kit containing 7 medium sized spice jars (listed below). The suggested retail price of the Season with Spice Asian Spice Kit is US$34.43.

Launched in 2011 in my home island of Penang, Season with Spice is a spice shop now located in Minnesota, specializing in premium Asian spices and handcrafted blends.

My friend Reese, also from Penang, developed the company with her husband, Mark, while they were living on the island, working on various community projects in the UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town. One project included the creation of a local spice trail, which gave them a better understanding of the cultural, historical, environmental, and culinary value of spices. This understanding grew into a passion, and Season with Spice became an outlet to share their knowledge of spices, and all the deliciously spicy recipes they continue to share on their company’s blog.

Season with Spice – now an established Asian Spice Shop in the US – offers over 100 premium spices and blends to help you cook up some of your favorite Asian dishes at home. They’ve selected a few of their favorites for you to stock up your spice rack with new, exciting flavors:

Penang Chinese Five Spice: Warm, sweet, and aromatic, Chinese Five Spice ??? is the principal spice blend used in Chinese cooking. The special recipe of this classic mix is a Penang-inspired version, which includes additional spices – most notably citrus powder, cardamom, and nutmeg. It’s a versatile blend that will impart a wonderfully bold flavor to any recipe that calls for Chinese Five Spice.Malaysian Satay Seasoning: Chicken satay – those tasty little tidbits skewered with bamboo sticks, grilled over a charcoal fire, and served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce – is the perfect combination of smoke & spice. This Malaysian Satay Seasoning represents that flavor, rich in turmeric, coriander, ginger, and cumin, blended with the essential base ingredients of many Malaysian dishes – garlic & shallots. Then dashes of fennel and galangal for depth, a hint of cayenne for some flare, and finally lemongrass for a citrusy reminder that this is a true Southeast Asian seasoning.Japanese Seven Spice: Spicier than you’d expect for a seasoning commonly found on Japanese tables, but when the heat subsides, the sweet, salty, citrusy, nutty flavors reveal the vivid, versatile qualities of this Japanese Seven Spice (Shichimi Togarashi).Sweet & Spicy Curry Powder: This handcrafted curry blend begins with a blend of coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, and cumin – the base spices to create that familiar, but delectable aroma of curry. Then the warming spices are slowly mixed in – cinnamon for its sweetness; ginger for those spicy, lemony notes; fennel to add an element of freshness; and clove for that heavenly, rich fragrance. And finally, as the flavors combine and harmonize, that’s when the spicy kick is mixed in – black pepper, Kashmiri chili powder, and cayenne pepper.Sichuan Peppercorns: An experience more than a flavor, Sichuan Peppercorns create a simultaneous numbing, tongue-tingling, party-in-your-mouth sensation. Match these magical russet-colored husks with chili peppers to make spicy Sichuan dishes at home such as Kung Pao Chicken, Ma La Tofu, and Dan Dan Noodles.Balinese Pyramid Sea Salt: An all-natural sea salt that forms into hollow, pyramid-shaped flakes that gives this unique salt a delectable texture. This amazing, naturally occurring creation from the island of Bali adds a special taste to your Asian dishes, and a must-try on seafood.Tandoori Seasoning: A combination of rich, red spices – Sweet Spanish Paprika and the essential, vibrant kick of Kashmiri Chili Powder – with a hint of turmeric, creates the base of this bright, aromatic blend. Then the warming spices are mixed in – bold flavors commonly used in North Indian cuisine like ginger, cumin, garlic, and cardamom. For balance, coriander is added in, and for a citrus note, dashes of mango powder. Finally, to emphasize that smoky tandoori flavor, a touch of Smoked Spanish Paprika.

Eligibility: United States only. No purchase necessary and subject to this official giveaway rules. Closing Date: February 16, 2014, 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email on February 17, 2014. The prize is proudly sponsored by Season with Spice. To enter, please follow the steps below.

Eligibility: United States only. No purchase necessary and subject to these official giveaway rules.

Step 1
Like Rasa Malaysia on Facebook. (Click on the Like button below.)

Step 2

Follow Rasa Malaysia on Twitter. (Click on the Follow @rasamalaysia button below. If you don’t have Twitter, skip this step.)

Step 3

Like Season with Spice on Facebook. (Click on the Like button below.)

Step 4

Fill in the form below. You can enter to win using this form every day.

You will be redirected to the “Thank You” page if your entry is successfully submitted.

ONE ENTRY PER DAY STRICTLY ENFORCED.

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Pumpkin Spice Coffeecake – Ok, I Give Up, Summer is Over

I can’t take it anymore! I give in and am finally going to embrace the fact that autumn is here.

I’ve been trying to hold out, desperately clinging to summer’s fruit and veggie bounty. Pushing aside any thoughts of pumpkins and other winter squashes, stews, roasts. All of that delicious autumn comfort goodness.

Here in So Cal we have a skewed perception of seasons. We have about 1 1/2 seasons, instead of the traditional 4. It is great for extra months of  growing a plethora of produce, but after growing up in an area with four seasons, I miss the changes a bit. Just a bit, until I remember sudden storms, power outages, slush, black ice, and other dark season unpleasantness. Maybe we’ll just go visit somewhere that has “seasonal” weather. In fact we just did, and that was the first step in me beginning to acknowledge that fall is here. It is hard to argue with golden Aspens touched by the first snowfall that autumn has arrived.

So when Diane made a request for a pumpkin coffeecake, I was game. Our recent trip combined with the local fall indicator (hot, dry Santa Ana winds) spurred me into autumn feasting mode. Time to get the comfort food mojo on!

Here’s the recipe I ended up with for a fluffy, spiced pumpkin coffeecake. It has a streusel-like topping with chopped nuts and brown sugar. The batter gets its kicks from fluffy cake flour, fresh grated ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and of course pumpkin puree. It was quite delicious. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Happy Fall!

-Todd

Yield: one 9-inch cake

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

The cake flour will help make this coffeecake a little lighter, but if you only have regular all-purpose flour, use a bit less, just over 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour for the batter. For the topping it doesn't matter which flour you use. Use whichever your favorite nuts are for the topping. Some of our favorites are pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds). The raisins will bake best if soaked for about 30 minutes beforehand. We will usually soak them in dark rum for a little extra flavor, but if you want to tame it down a little, just soak in warm water.

1/3 cup (40g) Flour1/2 cup (110g) Brown Sugar1 teaspoon ground CinnamonPinch of kosher or sea Salt6 tablespoons (85g) cold unsalted Butter, cut into small chunks1 cup (@100g) finely chopped Nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds)1 cup golden Raisinsdark rum, enough to cover the raisins1 3/4 cups (200g) Cake Flour2 teaspoons Baking Powder1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon1 teaspoon ground Clove2 teaspoons fresh grated Ginger1/4 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea Salt1/2 cup (113g or one stick) unsalted Butter1 cup (220g) Brown Sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract3/4 cup (180ml) Pumpkin Puree1/2 cup (120ml) Sour Creamconfectioners sugar, for dustingPreheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Soak the batter's raisins in rum for at least 20 minutes, pressing down on the raisins occasionally to make sure the top ones get to macerate, too.Make the topping: In a bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pinch in the butter, or use a pastry cutter, until it looks like coarse crumbs. Mix in the chopped nuts, and then refrigerate topping until ready to top the coffeecake.Make the batter: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and salt for at least 20 seconds. Set aside.With a mixer beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and sour cream. Drain the raisins from the rum and stir in.Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping over the batter and then bake. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Allow to cool, then remove from pan and dust with confectioners sugar. Cut and serve.

To toast nuts, preheat an oven to 325°F. Spread the nuts out on a sheet pan and bake until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Or toast in a large dry skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly toasted.

Roast a pie pumpkin on a sheet pan at 375°F for about 1 hour or until soft when sides are pressed. Allow to cool, then split, scoop out seeds and remove flesh from skin. Puree flesh and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Coffee Ice Cream by Season with Spice

July 2nd, 2011 | Dessert Recipes | 14 Comments

Five years ago, I conceived the idea of Rasa Malaysia, and the blog was officially born on July 4, 2006. For this year’s July 4th weekend, I wanted to share with you a new blog, a site that I love so much I can’t wait to unveil to you all—please meet Season with Spice (yes, click the link!), a website championed by my good friends Reese and Mark, which is about reconnecting the ancient Spice Route by featuring people from all over the world, who introduce their culture; their home; through their kitchen, by sharing colorful recipes…with spice. Please welcome Season with Spice, with their Coffee Ice Cream recipe, and read on for the wonderful post about their mission. And remember to click on this link to visit Season with Spice and its wonderful recipes. Don’t forget to leave a comment to show your support. Have a great 4th!

For many of you, Rasa Malaysia is a place to find the Laksa or Curry Mee or Loh Bak that you miss.  For others, it is a place to discover dishes you’ve never tasted.   But for all visitors to Rasa Malaysia, it is a place to feel a connection to Asia; to Malaysia; and above all, to Penang.

On Rasa Malaysia, Bee welcomes all of you into her kitchen, and shares not only her recipes, but also stories of her family, her favorite hawker stalls, a dash here and there of Hokkien and Malay words, festivals and events she remembers as a child, and adventures she has on her “balik kampung” trips.  Through her kitchen, she shares her stories of home.

That is why Bee represents Penang on the New Spice Route…

Launched in April 2011, Season with Spice is reconnecting the Spice Route through a Culinary & Cultural journey, by featuring people from all over the world, who introduce their culture; their home; through their kitchen, by sharing colorful recipes…with spice.

Because what spices we use, and how we cook with them, represent where we come from. Whether it is in the traditional foods we grew up with and carry on cooking, or in the new dishes we create with all the amazing flavors and ideas we receive from the melting pot around us.

Where would cooking be without spices?

Not in our kitchen.  We are passionate about the colors, the aromas, and the flavors.  And not on Season with Spice, where you will find recipes shared by the international community, proving how wonderfully dynamic spices can be by their varied uses in cooking from one culture to the next, and at other times, through reinvention with a bit of determination and creativity in the kitchen.

Where would your cooking be without spices?

On Season with Spice, we won’t let that happen.  Like the ancient Spice Route where spices themselves were the ingredients of discovery, on the New Spice Route, recipes with spice are your doors to kitchens around the world.  Into kitchens where you will find the flavors your food has been missing.

But Season with Spice is more than spices.  It’s about connections.  A convergence of cultures.  A place to explore; a place to interact and learn from people who are linking the Spice Route through the stories they share, and the dishes they cook.

A place to discover the meaning to Season with Spice.

These connections are a part of everyday life in Penang – a diverse island that was originally developed along the Spice Route.

A few weeks ago, Reese & I were enjoying masala tea at a restaurant in Penang’s Little India.  The warm aroma of green cardamom, and other spices, biting and tickling our taste buds with each sip.  It was quiet, so we chatted with the waiter – a guy about our age, originally from Tamil Nadu – about his home and family, about the Tamil language as we struggled to pronounce a few words.  And we asked him about the spices in the tea, and about the Indian dishes we had ordered.

And that simple experience carried to the following day, when I had masala tea swirling around in my mind.  With that thought – mixed with my craving for ice cream that never goes away, and watching Reese add sugar to her coffee – I had my new recipe.

It’s now Summer Season with Spice, so it’s time to enjoy a scoop of Masala Coffee Ice Cream!

Mark (and Reese too)

The best type of coffee ice cream to make is the one with the coffee you are familiar with and enjoy drinking. Therefore, this recipe will be in three parts: espresso, instant coffee, and coffee beans. The first part here on Rasa Malaysia, and the second and third on Season with Spice over the next two weeks.  Each recipe will also feature a different spice blend.

Masala Coffee (Espresso) Ice Cream Recipe
Makes about a liter of ice cream 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup of espresso (cooled)
1 (or 2) black cardamom
3 green cardamoms
Pieces of Ceylon cinnamon bark (equal to 1 tsp of powder after grounding)
6 black peppercorns
2 clove
Dash of nutmeg
2 tsp of espresso grounds
1/2 cup of raw sugar (white or brown work fine too)
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon of gelatin powder (or equivalent)

Method:

1. With a mortar and pestle, grind the pieces of Ceylon cinnamon bark until you have about a teaspoon of fine powder.

2. Crack open the black and green cardamoms and put the seeds into the mortar with the cinnamon, and set the shells to the side.  Add into the mortar – black peppercorns, clove, nutmeg, and espresso grounds – and grind up everything into a fine powder.

3. In a small pot, add the spice blend you just created, with the cream, cardamom shells and espresso (make sure the espresso has cooled to room temperature).  Using a heat resistant plastic spatula, stir frequently over medium-low heat until small bubbles appear along the edges (but don’t let it boil). Should be about 10 minutes. Then turn heat off, cover, and let sit while you complete the next step.

4. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, and gelatin. Add a quarter of the mixture from the pot into the bowl, while constantly whisking (to prevent the eggs from cooking). Then repeat with another quarter of the mix. Finally, pour everything in the bowl back into the pot, while stirring with the plastic spatula.

5. Return the pot to the stove and heat on medium-low, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Without allowing it to boil, heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (or if you have a cooking thermometer – when it reaches 180F to pasteurize the eggs). Should take about 10 minutes. Turn heat off and let sit for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Layer the bottom of a large bowl with ice cubes, and set a small metal bowl inside. Pour mixture through a strainer into the small, metal bowl.

7. Stir mixture occasionally to help cool faster. Once cool (should take about 15 minutes), transfer mixture into a plastic airtight container and place in refrigerator overnight.

8. On the following day, pour mixture into ice cream machine and churn.

9. Transfer the ice cream into a plastic container, lay plastic wrap directly on top of ice cream and press down gently (to prevent ice crystals from forming on top of the ice cream), and seal with airtight cover. Set freezer temperature to the coldest setting, so the ice cream freezes faster.

Notes:

1. The key to this spice blend is black cardamom, which is generally an ingredient in savory dishes.  However, the rich, smoky aroma of this spice adds a new dimension to coffee ice cream.

2. You can substitute cassia (‘ground cinnamon’ from the grocery store) for Ceylon cinnamon, but best to cut it down to 1/2 teaspoon since cassia has a much more pungent flavor.

3. You can use your normal drip coffee, but make it extra strong.

4. If you’re new to making ice cream, please see my “Tips on Making Ice Cream at Home” on Season with Spice.

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Asian Home Gourmet, Indian Spice Chicken Curry (Madras Curry) Mix, 1.75-Ounce Pouch (Pack of 12)

No added MSG, preservatives or artificial colours. SpicePaste - fresh herbs & A carefully blended mixture of herbs and spices enhances with the distinctive flavour of chili and fenugreek gives this dish a unique taste. Product of Thailand.

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

Aphrodisiacs - Spice Up Your Love Life

Herbs, Oils and Other Aphrodisiacs tells which herbs and foods are aphrodisiacs and how to use them to spice up your love life. Learn to use these herbs wisely and how to create your own oils, scents and tinctures from these aphrodisiac herbs.

Check it out!

Colorado Spice Company, Seafood Spice, Asian Fish Breading, 0.75-Ounce Packet (Pack of 12)

At Colorado Spice our Chef produces this complete recipe solution from the finest seasonings we can find - Our blends have no artificial ingredients or free-flow agents and are free of dyes, artificial colors and MSG. Each blend is chef tested in some of the finest restaurants in the country. From our chef to your kitchen, enjoy a great meal on us!

Price: $23.88

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Rub with Love Chinese 12 Spice Rub by Tom Douglas, 3.5 Ounce

Tom Douglas "Rub with Love" Chinese 12 Spice Rub is a delicious Asian rub that contains a bazaar full of exotic spices fennel, cardamom, star anise and sumac. Perfect rubbed on chicken, duck, spare ribs or pork. Tom and his wife Jackie own 5 of Seattle's most remarkable restaurants - Dahlia Lounge, Etta's, Palace Kitchen, Lola and Serious Pie. Our restaurants have also inspired a product line. Rub with Love has a great story: When we opened our seafood restaurant Etta's in 1995, the menu featured a signature salmon dish that was dry rubbed. The rub combined brown sugar, smoked chilies, and a hint of thyme to evoke the alder smoked salmon the Pacific Northwest is famous for. The dish became so popular (and still is) that people began asking for rub to use at home. After selling in hand packed zip lock bags for a few years, we introduced the Tom Douglas Rub with Love rub line in 1999. The rest is history?

A great selling point for Rub with Love Spice Rubs is their fast prep time. A quick sprinkle and rub 5-10 minutes prior to cooking is all the time it takes. Our spice rubs marry with the juices of whatever you're flavoring to form a delicious glaze. In just 10 minutes, you're ready to cook! You can grill, bake, barbecue or sauté with Rub with Love Spice Rubs.

Chef inspired, restaurant tested, quick, easy and delicious, our rubs have become staples in our customers' pantries.

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon