Kristina Cho Collection

Kristina says, "This is a collection of foundational spices that play an integral role in my everyday cooking and occasionally, baking! From the pungent and gentle spice of white peppercorns that appear in my stir-fries and marinades, to the warm and complex flavor of five spice that adds depth from everything to duck breast to soy caramel apple crisp. You'll be reaching for these spices time and time again as you cook your way through Chinese Enough!" 

Author photo credit: Kristina Cho

The 6-spice collection contains:

• 

  Fermented White Pepper

  

  Highlights

  Ingredients

  Cooking Tips

  Our savory, funky Fermented White Peppercorns are highly prized in Indonesia but rarely found in the US. They add a deep umami flavor and funk to everything they touch. They're grown on a family farm on the island of Bangka by a farmer named Pak Sugiri and his son, Ilham. The peppercorns are picked fresh and fermented according to traditional methods.

  Origin:

  Bangka Island, Indonesia

  

  Size: 2.0 oz

  

  

  

  

  Salt Free

  Ingredients:

   Fermented white peppercorns (Piper nigrum)

  • Substitute for black peppercorns where you want a funky kick
  • Grind over seafood dishes (especially good in crab cakes)
  • Add to blended vegetable soups, like potato or cauliflower soups
• 

  Five Spice

  

  Highlights

  Ingredients

  Cooking Tips

  Our Five Spice is an ancient, aromatic, versatile blend beloved across East Asia. Called Ngũ Vị Hương in Vietnamese and 五香粉 in Chinese, it's named for the five traditional Chinese flavors (sweet, bitter, tart, salty and savory). It brings a warm, savory, slightly spicy burst of flavor to grilling rubs, stews, sauces, stir-fries, braises and red cooking.

  Origin:

  Hanoi, Vietnam

  

  Size: 1.8 oz

  

  

  

  

  Salt Free

  Sugar Free

  Ingredients:

  Star anise, cinnamon, ginger, chili pepper, clove, black pepper, cardamom, fennel seed, mac khen pepper

  • Combine with soy sauce as a glaze for cooking protein or hearty vegetables
  • Use as a sub for cinnamon in desserts
  • Add to braises, beans and other long-cooked dishes
• 

  Smoked Star Anise

  

  Highlights

  Ingredients

  Cooking Tips

  Our Smoked Star Anise is picked by hand in the mountains near the border between Vietnam and China. The cold, cloudy weather during the winter harvest means the star anise fruits need to be dried on racks near a wood fire, and they pick up a beautiful hint of smokiness. Grind the petals up for desserts and baked goods.

  Origin:

  Lang Son, Vietnam

  

  Size: 0.5 oz

  

  

  

  

  Salt Free

  Ingredients:

  True star anise fruits (Illicium verum), smoked

  • Add petals to homemade stocks, broths and braises
  • Throw 1-2 pods into a pot of rice after adding water
  • Add to your mulling spice mix for wine, pears, cocktails and teas
  • Grind and add to spice cookies, holiday cakes and homemade frosting or whipped cream
• 

  Golden Crystal Turbinado Sugar

  

  Highlights

  Ingredients

  Cooking Tips

  Warm and complex, our Golden Crystal Sugar comes from the Caribbean island of Barbados. Its tropical location provides the perfect amount of sunlight for growing sugarcane, and the coral-rich soils filter rainwater to produce exceptionally flavorful, coarse sugar crystals.

  Origin:

  Barbados, The Caribbean

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Ingredients:

  Unrefined sugarcane juice (Saccharum officinarum) 

  • Substitute for turbinado sugar in any recipe
  • Sprinkle over roll-out cookies and brownies
  • Stir into coffee and other hot drinks
  • Garnish muffins before baking
• 

  Wild Mountain Cumin

  

  Highlights

  Ingredients

  Cooking Tips

  Our Wild Mountain Cumin has a savory, penetrating aroma and bright, umami flavor evocative of grilled meats and sweet caramelized onions. The tiny, oblong seeds are hand-picked by foragers in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. The seeds are smaller and softer than the cumin you may be used to, and they do not need to be ground before use.

  Origin:

  Badakhshan, Afghanistan

  

  Size: 1.5 oz

  

  

  

  

  Salt Free

  Ingredients:

  Whole wild cumin (Bunium persicum)

  • Bloom seeds in hot oil or ghee and use as the base for stews, curries or braises
  • Grind seeds and mix with other spices like coriander and black pepper for a savory protein rub 
  • Mix whole seeds into guacamole, vinaigrettes or yogurt-based spreads
• 

  Curry

  

  Highlights

  Ingredients

  Cooking Tips

  An aromatic homage to the trade winds across the Indian Ocean, our golden Swahili Coast Curry is descended from thousands of years of culinary exchange. The spices in this Origin Blend were grown in an organic agroforestry system and then dried, ground and blended by our partner cooperative.

  Origin:

  Stone Town, Zanzibar

  

  Size: 2.1 oz

  

  

  

  

  Salt Free

  Ingredients:

  Cumin, coriander, garlic, turmeric, black pepper, fenugreek, fennel, ginger, cardamom

  • Use as a rub for meat and vegetables for roasting
  • Simmer in coconut milk for stews
  • Bloom in oil or ghee to start cooking a fragrant dish