Olive Oil Hunter News #241

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Purple Shallot Powder and Chai Spice Blend

The Red River Delta, located in northern Vietnam, has been the cradle of Vietnamese civilization for thousands of years. Known for its lush landscapes and rich cultural heritage, the region also plays a crucial role in the country’s agricultural production. One of the area’s most delicious crops is shallots, like those used to make my Purple Shallot Powder.

Shallots are as old as recorded time. It’s believed that shallots—now enjoyed around the world—were first grown in the Middle East and likely reached Vietnam through trade routes dating back at least 2,000 years. Along with ginger, shallots are a mainstay in Vietnamese dishes like pho. Shallots were introduced to Europe by the Crusaders and are became especially popular in French cooking.

Shallots are known for their delicate allium taste, much milder than onions. My Purple Shallot Powder is so sweet, toasty, and rich that just one teaspoon imparts the flavor of an entire shallot. It adds just the right balance of sweetness and pungency to compound butter, vinaigrette and other dressings, BBQ and other tomato-based sauces, creamy soups and sauces, and vegetables like essential mashed potatoes and glazed beets. Note: When using it in place of whole shallots in sautés and stir-fries, after heating your pan, add your fresh-pressed olive oil and the shallot powder, allowing the powder to bloom in the oil for a few seconds before adding the next ingredients.

Chai, which literally means tea in Hindi, has become shorthand for the exquisite blend of spices that were originally imbibed in a drink without actual tea leaves. Its origin story is a little fuzzy—some legends say it debuted 9,000 years ago, others 5,000. Some claim its roots are Indian, others say Thai. The common belief is that it was created by a royal who wanted a restorative beverage. Its popularity soared in the 1900s, when drinking tea was promoted in India. Since tea leaves were expensive, spices, milk, and sugar were added to make the drink more affordable. The mixture became known as chai masala, masala being the word for spice. Drinking chai became part of the way of life in India, and demand for it soon spread across the globe.

Spices were brought to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, more than a thousand years ago by Persian traders, who quickly recognized that the area’s tropical climate and rich soil were perfect for growing spices like cloves and cinnamon. Fast-forward to today, and the Spice Islands, as the Zanzibar archipelago was aptly nicknamed, are an amazing source of the spices that define chai.

My Chai Spice Blend features a heady and highly aromatic mix of cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, thyme, lemongrass, and orange peel, all from small farmers in local cooperatives. A bold blend that’s harmonious and balanced, it’s reminiscent of the spices used in gingerbread cookies, with a Southeast Asian spin thanks to the lemongrass and, of course, the cardamom, chai’s signature spice.

Adding it to tea or coffee is just one way to appreciate its depth of flavor. It’s delicious in many sweets and drinks, like spice cookies, slow-roasted pears, apple pie, blondies, banana bread, and horchata, as well as in savory dishes like chai spice cashews. It will enhance dry rubs, salad dressings, and rice dishes, not to mention your morning oatmeal.

Given its rich array of spices, chai provides a pleasant way to derive the health benefits of many antioxidants. Some of its spices have additional benefits. For example, cardamom may benefit digestion, and the piperine in the black pepper is said to have analgesic, or pain-relieving, properties.

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Enjoying Your Spices

Spices aren’t just for cooking—they’re great for boosting flavor at the table, too. Enliven takeout foods like pizza or rotisserie chicken with a sprinkle of your favorite ones. Create new habits: When you set the table, bring out your purple shallot powder instead of salt for added flavor.