Are Spice Drops the next revolution in Indian cooking? Sorry, whats that you say? What are Spice Drops? Yes, good question. Id never heard of them either until contacted by Holy Lama Naturals who make them.
Spice Drops are concentrated extracts of natural spices in liquid form. You use a squeezy dropper to add a couple of drops of flavour anything from garlic to ginger to garam masala to chilli to turmeric to whatever to zazz up dishes, from soups to teas to ice cream, or as a replacement for powders for your favourite curries.
As the promo stuff on the Holy Lama website states: œBecause our spice drops are oil based there is no need to cook or brew them like you do with the powder or whole spices.
œSo the next time you need those delicious flavours at your fingertips or when the cooking is done and you realise it misses that extra zing, that little more spice.
œAll you need is a few drops of the Holy Lama Naturals Spice drops.
œThey have no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. No more crushing, grinding or grating .. just add a few drops!
Intrigued? Yes, I was, so I asked Holy Lama to send me a selection to enable me to cook this dish¦Chicken Masala with Chick Peas and Rocket.
Heres the recipe, for 2 people. My verdict at the end.
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp coriander powder
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped into chunks
200g coconut milk
200g chick peas, from a can
Bunch of rocket leaves
Coriander leaves, to garnish
The Spice Drops
3-4 drops chilli
3-4 drops cumin
3-4 drops garlic
2 drops turmeric
3-4 drops garam masala
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently cook the onion until soft, approx. 6-7 mins.
2. Stir in the tomato puree, followed by the coriander powder and cook for about a minute.
3. Add the chicken pieces and cook until they turn white, approx. 2-3 mins.
4. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
5. Add the chick peas.
6. Now add the Spice Drops, a couple of drops at a time, and stir through. Keep tasting untl you get the flavour youre after. I prefer my curries hot and aromatic so added a couple of extra chilli drops and a couple of extra garam masala drops. Season with salt to taste.
7. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
8.Transfer to a warm serving dish and stir through the rocket leaves.
9. Serve with plain naan bread and pilau rice, with a few coriander leaves scattered over.
MY VERDICT:
Ill never give up the chopping and grinding because, for me, that is all part and parcel of the pleasure of cooking, but from a taste point of view, this was a damn fine Saturday night curry.
The benefits of these Spice Drops is that you can keep adding a drop at a time until you get the flavour you want. Plus they are very convenient and have a shelf-life of three years. A great storecupoboard staple for when you want to give an ordinary dish a boost of something special.
¢ Read more recipes with our Spice Drops®.
¢ If youd like to try them for yourself, you can get a 50% discount when you check out by quoting SAMPLES. Go to http://www.holylama.co.uk/spice-drops/.
¢ And if youd like to know more, heres an interview with Holy Lamas Gouri Kubair.
