Cumin can be the extra ingredient that is the making of a great dish, a fact that was highlighted during a palatable but decidedly uninspiring dinner last night.
I was making Valentine Warner’s Prawn Tangiers at my friend’s house, and was relying on her supply of spices for the aromatic kick that gives the recipe its exotic name. Unfortunately, my friend had inherited her spice rack from a relative who had previously lived in the house. Cumin seeds excavated at archaeological sites have been dated back to the second millennia BC, and I have suspicions that my friend’s stock may have been sourced directly from this find.
The first inkling I had that something was wrong was the absence of the warm, musty smell emanating from the pan usually associated with toasting cumin. I tried adding more cumin to the pan, but to no avail. At this point I noticed the conspicuous ‘RRP 59p’ on the side of the Schwartz jar. Oh dear. With similar jars now priced just under £2, this particular jar must have been purchased back when shoulder pads and neon was in fashion… the first time!
With a starving farmer desperate for dinner, and no available alternative, I had to press on with the recipe, complete with flavourless cumin. I added extra garlic to make up for it, but the dish was just not the same.
I really enjoy this dish as a simple supper. It’s clean and fresh but with the mysterious edge of an Arabian summer. Take my advice, though, and do not underestimate how central the cumin is to the recipe. And make sure your cumin is at least a decade younger than you!
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| This Prawn Tangiers was made on a previous occasion, but I thought you'd enjoy the illustration. |
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