Page 4 - Monthly Archives: March 2026

divali- een overzicht van indiase kruiden en specerijen zoals kurkuma en komijn

Celebrate Divali with delicious Indian dishes & spices

Are you crazy about Indian cuisine but have never prepared anything yourself? Time to change that, because you can very easily make Indian dishes at home! From delicious curries with naan bread to samosas, papadum and dahl; with the right spices you bring all Indian treats to life. In honor of Divali – the famous festival of lights – we dive into Indian cuisine.

The festival of lights Divali

Are you already familiar with Divali? Divali, also known as Diwali or deepavali, is an important festival in Hinduism and originates from India. This five-day festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, where light wins over darkness. During Divali, small lamps called diyas are lit all around the house. Divali literally means ‘row of diyas’ and is therefore also called the Indian festival of lights. With all the lights, Lakshmi - the goddess of light, prosperity and wealth - is honored.

Treats during Divali

Divali is celebrated festively in all scents and colors. During the festival of lights,

iemand die kruiden over vlees in een bakpan sprinkelt

When do you add herbs and spices in the preparation process?

Did you know that it does matter when you add herbs and spices in the preparation process? Because whether you add that one seasoning at the beginning of the process, or at the end, it all influences the taste of your dish. And of course we want that taste to be top-notch to make healthy food as delicious as possible. We can imagine that with the many options you might not know when to add which seasonings best, so we'd like to share our tips with you.

Depending on the dish, the seasoning and the form

First of all, it's good to know that the timing of adding depends on the dish and on which herbs or spices you use. In addition, it also depends on the form in which you use the seasoning; is it whole or ground, fresh or dried? Take for example the spice cinnamon. Are you using cinnamon sticks? Then it's best to add these at the beginning of the preparation process. If on the other hand you're using ground cinnamon? Then you can also add this perfectly at the end.

Dried herbs

bord met boerenkool met worst en spekjes

Looking for typically Dutch dishes? Cook a traditional Dutch meal!

From stroopwafels, poffertjes, licorice and herring bites to tompoes, bitterballen, oliebollen and cheese. Each and every one delicious, typically Dutch food. But what are the Dutch truly crazy about? Hollandse pot! Nothing is of course nicer than warming up in winter with a flavorful stamppot. Now the temperatures are dropping, it’s high time to inspire you with typically Dutch dishes, such as stamppot, pea soup, hutspot and hete bliksem so you can surprise yourself (and your dinner guests) with this delicious winter fare!

Cooking Hollandse pot
Mashing, we Dutch love it. Research shows that three quarters of the Dutch regularly put a stamppot on the table in winter. More than half even several times a week! Stamppot is made based on potatoes and vegetables. A golden duo with which you can of course vary a lot, as you will soon discover in our list of typical Dutch dishes.

DUTCH STAMPPOTS
As soon as the winter coat comes out of the closet and frost flowers appear on the window, you know:

fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) on the left and whole coriander seeds on the right in a small ceramic bowl, placed on a light stone surface

Coriander, what is it and does it have health benefits?

Coriander is a spice with an aromatic, citrus-like scent and a distinctive flavor. The leaves and seeds are the parts of this plant most often used as spices. Is coriander healthy? Coriander is both tasty and healthy. Let’s first talk about the seeds. Coriander seed is small, round and is often sold whole. They are green when fresh, but turn brown as they age. The seeds have a mild, sweet aroma and taste similar to citrus fruits. They are often used whole or ground to a powder for use in curries, meat dishes, rice dishes and bread. Coriander seed is used in traditional Indian, Mexican and Thai cuisine. In North America, coriander is used more in baking than in savory dishes because of its sweet flavor.

You can buy ground coriander seed or use whole seeds to grind yourself before using them in a recipe. Ground coriander has a stronger flavor than whole seeds because the oils that give off their aroma are released when you grind the seeds into smaller pieces. You can add ground coriander

beautifully plated grilled salmon fillet with visible herbs (dill and lemon zest), a small bowl of crispy kibbeling with lemon wedges, and a white fish fillet with Mediterranean herbs.

Everything you need to know to put a delicious piece of fish on the table

Putting a tasty, flavorful piece of fish on the table can be quite a challenge. The question of how to properly season a piece of fish is one we get asked often. Because how can you prepare a restaurant-worthy piece of fish at home without spending hours in the kitchen? It really doesn't have to be difficult, provided you know how to approach it in a good, healthy way.

In this article we want to guide you through the best way to do that. And of course in a healthy, responsible manner, as you expect from us. So that next time you fry a fish you can put something truly delicious and healthy on the table. Below you can read how to prepare 3 different types of fish in a delicious way, and also how to handle seasoning fish when you're short on time.

How to season fish: from a Mediterranean twist to a truly Dutch snack

Spice mix for grilled salmon fillet

For many people salmon is their favorite piece of fish. That's why we'd like to give you some inspiration for making a delicious piece

smiling woman holding a rustic wooden crate filled with fresh seasonal vegetables (carrots with greens attached, cauliflower, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, leafy greens, crop salad, corn).

How to make vegetables the star of the show

More and more people nowadays eat vegetarian or vegan. They know that you really don't need meat to put a delicious, nutritious dish on the table. What you do need, however, to put a good, nourishing meal on the table for yourself, your family and your friends are high-quality ingredients. And of course the right spices to give these ingredients a delightful touch. With the right spices you can also make your vegetables the star of the show.

In this blog we take you through 3 different preparation methods and ways of seasoning to put a delicious vegetable-filled dish on the table. No doubt you can draw inspiration from this when you head into the kitchen tonight. And even if you don't have time, because besides eating healthy and tasty you already have enough balls in the air, we mention a number of ready-made spice mixes further on in this blog that let you put a delicious vegetable-forward dish on the table in no time. Curious? Then read on quickly!

How to season vegetables: 3 ways

Want to make a healthy salad? Here's how to put a filling and tasty salad on the table

In summer you'll probably be craving a nice light meal more often. Not hearty stews or a well-filled pumpkin soup, but a light salad is likely the first thing that comes to mind! And a salad is of course often simply a healthy and responsible choice, because it contains far fewer carbohydrates and calories than dishes with potatoes, pasta or bread. Provided, of course, that you keep control over what you make the dressing with, because most ready-made dressings you can find in the supermarket are a true calorie bomb…

In this blog we would like to show you a number of different kinds of salads. We will also tell you which herbs and ingredients you can use for them. All to give you the tools to make delicious dressings yourself so you can control exactly what goes into them. That's healthier. Even if you prefer a ready-made mix for your dressing that is responsible, we want to help you get started with this blog. Hopefully by reading this blog you'll get the inspiration to enjoy delicious

gedroogde chipotle pepers in een schaaltje

The seasoning in Mexican cuisine: the chipotle pepper

A little kick is indispensable in Mexican cuisine. Sharp salsas, hot sauces, boldly seasoned meat; all characteristic of authentic dishes from Mexico. How they add that heat to these dishes is by using all kinds of peppers during cooking. And the most well-known of these might be the chipotle pepper. That's the pepper we want to talk about today. Despite its pronounced flavor, it is still often unclear what exactly a chipotle pepper is and what you can do with it, which is what we want to change with this blog.

So first we'll explain exactly what a chipotle pepper is. Then we'll tell you what you can do with it and afterwards we'll give a number of delicious authentic recipes made with chipotle peppers. Ready to dive into the world of the chipotle pepper? Let's begin!

What is a chipotle pepper?

Something many people think is that the chipotle pepper is a pepper variety, but that's not the case. A chipotle pepper is the smoked variant of the jalapeño pepper. Chipotle peppers are made

a bowl of ras el hanout hummus with yalla yalla ras el hanout spice mix

Ras el hanout: what is it and how do you use it?

If you've ever made a dish from Arab cuisine, you've undoubtedly come across this spice mix: ras el hanout. “The best of the shop” is what ras el hanout means in Arabic. Traditionally it is a blend of the best herbs and spices a spice merchant has to offer, and that's why this spice mix should not be missing from Natural Spices' assortment!

Because “the best the spice merchant has to offer” can vary from day to day, there is no single definitive list of spices that make up ras el hanout. Each spice merchant or family has their own “secret” mix, but there are certainly a few basic spices that you see in almost every ras el hanout. In this blog we go into those basic spices, why ras el hanout can contribute to good health, how you can make this Arab spice mix yourself, and how to use it! Care to read along?

What is ras el hanout?

Ras el hanout is a spice mix that is mainly used in Arab cuisine. You often see it listed in dishes from Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. It is a versatile spice

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