A large categorized collection of food links, some kitchen humor and a collection of zipped recipes.
With spices, the way to concentrate their aromatic properties is to toast them gently as whole spices, and then, if desired, grind them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. If you are going to grind them, just heat a heavy fry pan over medium heat, with no oil added, and add as much spice as you'd like to toast. Keep a watchful eye over this process, and keep stirring and shaking the spices continually; when they start to brown, and become quite aromatic, they are finished. They can easily start to smoke and burn, so get them off the heat quickly when the toasting is complete. Do not try to toast a variety of different spices at the same time, as they will toast at different rates, and you will either burn some, or leave some un toasted. Transfer the toasted spices to a spice grinder, and grind until fine.
This toasting step only takes a couple of minutes, but will add a lot of life to any spice requiring dish. The toasting increases the intensity of the spice flavor, as well as adds a pleasant nutty toastiness. Toasting your spices will make you a better cook. Only toast as much as you need for a particular recipe, as once ground, the flavors will diminish relatively quickly.
Alternatively, you can toast spices in oil just before adding other ingredients like onion and garlic. This process also seasons the oil used for cooking and increases the depth of flavor in the dish. To that end, I'm sharing a recipe that does just that. Enjoy this sauce over more than eggplant -- although I highly suggest you try it as is at first.
