Making your own spice mixes and having them on hand is a great time-saver and a brilliant way to make tasty food without needing to look for a recipe.
Introduction
When I first started to eat a low carb diet in late 2013, I had to go looking for recipes. They were usually complicated and required a lot of outlandish ingredients, including a host of herbs and spices.
I quickly figured out which ones worked and made my own spice mixes to speed up the cooking process. It's a lot easier to measure out 2 teaspoons of something than 1 of this, half of that, a quarter of ...
I bought the spices in bulk from Amazon and set to work.
Here are my favourites.
(Recommended serving size is for an average size recipe for 2 adults and 2 children.)
Tagine Spice Mix
Tagine is a great way to cook lamb but it also works with chicken thighs.
Mix the following spices...
- 4 Tbsp Paprika
- 4 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Ground Ginger
- 2 Tbsp Ground Coriander
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
Suggested Serving Size: 3.5 teaspoons
Chilli Spice Mix
We make turkey chilli but this spice mix works just as well with lamb and beef.
Mix the following spices...
- 4 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 2 Tbsp Turmeric
- 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp Sea Salt
Suggested Serving Size: 3 teaspoons
Korma Spice Mix
I use this to make lamb korma but chicken works just as well. This mix does need to be mixed with fresh garlic, ginger, tomato paste and almonds for best results.
Mix the following spices...
- 12 Tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Paprika
- 4 Tbsp Ground Cardamom
- 2 Tbsp Tyrmeric
- 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
Suggested Serving Size: 3 teaspoons
Fajita Spice Mix
Fajitas seem to work best with chicken but we have successfully made them with beef.
Mix the following herbs and spices...
- 4 Tbsp Medium Chilli Powder
- 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
- 2 Tbsp Paprika
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar (I have left this out and it was OK)
- 1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder (don't buy this in bulk, it solidifies quite quickly on its own)
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 1/2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
Suggested Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Creole Spice Mix
I've used this to spice up my daily beef and eggs from time to time. As happy as I am just to season the beef with salt, every now and again it's nice to have a little variety.
Mix the following herbs and spices...
- 5 Tbsp Paprika
- 4 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 4 Tbsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Black Pepper (freshly rough ground)
- 2 Tbsp Oregano
- 2 Tbsp Thyme
Suggested Serving Size: 2 teaspoons
Bobotie Spice Mix
The bobotie recipe on this site lists the spices separately, but if you like to make the recipe often - as I do - having the spice mix handy is a another of those little time-savers.
Mix the following herbs and spices...
- 8 Tbsp Medium Curry Powder
- 4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 tsp Ground Turmeric
- 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Marjoram
- 1 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Suggested Serving Size: 3.5 tablespoons (for 1kg of meat)
Summary
If you want to be sure what is in your food, you have to cook it yourself. This can be a bit time-consuming, but buying the raw spices and making the spice mixes in advance saves a lot of time and makes you more likely to cook because it removes some of the hassle.
