A quick guide of spice vs protein; Which compliments what?

When I started out as a chef or rather a home cook, I had idea of what goes with what despite having watched a ton of YouTube tutorials and Instagram recipes. I vowed to myself that once I was established enough, I would make the road smoother for other upcoming home foodies or even a budding chef who still hasn’t found their footing in the culinary industry.

Truth be told, I also haven’t mastered everything there is to know about the world of spice, heat and marination, in short food chemistry. The way different elements marry with different proteins be it plant or animal and so today I’m going to share the little knowledge I have acquired along the way.

To start as off, what is the difference between a spice and an herb?

Well, a spice comes from the barks and roots of trees whereas an herb is the leaves and stems. Spices are often found in powder form{ready to use} mostly but some instances or personal preference you may find some in seed, husk or slated bark form {e.g., cinnamon} that may need a bit of mechanical manipulation { grinding} so as to give a finer end product.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets talk different ways to infuse spices and herbs. From marinade, both dry and wet to brines which works amazing for poultry and finally dusting which is ideal for pastry. There’s a myriad of ways in which we can incorporate these beauties into our meals that not only compliment the main meals but also elevates them to a whole new level but the trick is to strike a balance between the both of them.

You see there’s a very simple rule, the spice mix NEVER OVERPOWERS THE PROTEIN!

Whatever you do with this information, let it always guide you when making any mix

Number 2: WET MARINADE ALWAYS GO INTO THE BLENDER IF THEY ARE A MIX OF SPICES AND FRESH INGREDIENTS, what do I mean by this: let me explain; for instance, say you are making a marinade for roast chicken and you add paprika, lemon and herb spice, fresh garlic and ginger, curry powder and Himalayan salt. Just because the components contain both garlic and ginger means that you’ll add them to the blender instead of mixing by hand simply because the fresh components need to be fully ground.

Number 3; YOUR SPICE MIX SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO COVER THE PROTEIN AT HAND IN ONE GO. DON’T DO IT IN TWO BATCHES UNLESS YOU'RE AS ACCURATE AS A ROBOT. That point is self-explanatory.

Good, now that that is sorted here’s a quick guide on what works for what;

PORK- cinnamon as the primary spice, cumin & thyme as supporting

BEEF – Beef masala and curry powder as mains, rosemary and garlic as supporting

CHICKEN- Garlic and rosemary as mains, chicken masala and cardamon as supporting.

FISH- Black pepper and rosemary powder as main. Anything else can support apart from cinnamon.

BEANS – Cumin as main, garlic, bay leaves and ginger as supporting.

Black beans- Cumin as main, fresh herbs as supporting.

Lentils- Fenugreek as main with fresh herbs as supporting.

CEREALS – rosemary as main with fresh ingredients {bell peppers, cilantro, Courgette} as supporting.

I feel like that is a detailed enough list for the time being. Please do let me know if You'de like a detailed list for starches and vegetable dishes as well and id be happy to compile one for yall.

Please note, just because I did not mention a specific spice doesn’t mean it is not valuable. I only mentioned the main characters as of my opinion. You are welcome to be as experimental as you feel and use the guide above as a reference point. Till next time….

Love & light ,

Rogzys kitchen.