Bragg Liquid Aminos: A very tasty soy-based liquid sauce (like tamari soy sauce), except it is not fermented. It is available in natural food stores. Great with all foods, tofu, sprayed on popcorn, veggies… It has no added salt, but is naturally salty and is not for those on low-sodium diet.
Cardamom: You can buy cardamom in several forms: the green whole pods (please do not use the white bleached cardamom), decorticated (the small black seeds in the pod), and ground. I use the whole pods for tea and rice dishes and buy the decorticated (seeds) for other cooking. I have a little coffee grinder that I use to grind my own spices. (We’ll talk about the purity (yeah, right) of store-bought ground spices another time.) Cardamom is in most markets, natural food stores, and Indian markets. It’s one of the more expensive spices. You will get the best price in the Indian markets. Ghee: Very clarified butter that keeps at room temperature for several weeks (in hot weather keep it refrigerated). It can be purchased at Indian markets or you can easily make your own. HOW TO MAKE GHEE: Melt fresh unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 30-45 minutes (time depends on how much butter you are using). The object is to cook out all of the water and for all the solids to separate from the oil. This is well past the “white slime” stage. You’ll know it is ready to remove from the stove when all of the solids have settled to the bottom (they will brown). Be careful that it does not cook too long nor on too high a heat, as it can burn. Remove from heat and let it stand 15 minutes. Pour it through a fine tea strainer (or cheese cloth) into a glass jar. It should be a clear, golden oil. If it has white specks floating in it, it did not cook long enough! Ghee is semi-solid when cooled and will harden with refrigeration. Mustard Oil: This pungent oil is pressed from mustard seeds. Although it can be taken internally (in food preparation), it is best externally for drawing out impurities through the skin. Excellent for foot massage! Turmeric: This root is dried and ground into a fine powder. It is what makes curry and prepared mustard so yellow. Turmeric is known in the yogic tradition of cooking to be for the stomach, liver, joint pain, creaky joints and internal healing. It is available at almost all supermarkets, natural food stores, Middle-eastern and Indian markets.
Ghee: Very clarified butter that keeps at room temperature for several weeks (in hot weather keep it refrigerated). It can be purchased at Indian markets or you can easily make your own. HOW TO MAKE GHEE: Melt fresh unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 30-45 minutes (time depends on how much butter you are using). The object is to cook out all of the water and for all the solids to separate from the oil. This is well past the “white slime” stage. You’ll know it is ready to remove from the stove when all of the solids have settled to the bottom (they will brown). Be careful that it does not cook too long nor on too high a heat, as it can burn. Remove from heat and let it stand 15 minutes. Pour it through a fine tea strainer (or cheese cloth) into a glass jar. It should be a clear, golden oil. If it has white specks floating in it, it did not cook long enough! Ghee is semi-solid when cooled and will harden with refrigeration. Mustard Oil: This pungent oil is pressed from mustard seeds. Although it can be taken internally (in food preparation), it is best externally for drawing out impurities through the skin. Excellent for foot massage!
HOW TO MAKE GHEE: Melt fresh unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 30-45 minutes (time depends on how much butter you are using). The object is to cook out all of the water and for all the solids to separate from the oil. This is well past the “white slime” stage. You’ll know it is ready to remove from the stove when all of the solids have settled to the bottom (they will brown). Be careful that it does not cook too long nor on too high a heat, as it can burn. Remove from heat and let it stand 15 minutes. Pour it through a fine tea strainer (or cheese cloth) into a glass jar. It should be a clear, golden oil. If it has white specks floating in it, it did not cook long enough! Ghee is semi-solid when cooled and will harden with refrigeration.
Turmeric: This root is dried and ground into a fine powder. It is what makes curry and prepared mustard so yellow. Turmeric is known in the yogic tradition of cooking to be for the stomach, liver, joint pain, creaky joints and internal healing. It is available at almost all supermarkets, natural food stores, Middle-eastern and Indian markets.