I am talking about making curries! And he is using a lot of different spices that I didn’t have and aren’t cheap, especially when you only use, say, a teaspoonful or so per recipe.

Ginger (gengibre)

Ginger is something that he uses a lot of, but if you don’t use it all quickly enough, it becomes discoloured or soft and mushy to the touch - a tell-tale sign that it is only good for the bin. That nobbly root is called a rhizome, and is grown commercially in many countries, with India being a major producer.

I discovered that you can grow your own by picking a healthy finger of root and placing it in a pot of soil and leaving it somewhere sunny, either indoors or outside - it prefers warm, humid climates and partial shade, but can tolerate full sun. Bury the root about 5cm deep, with the ‘eyes’ up, and keep the soil moist. It takes 8 to 10 months to reach full maturity but you can start using the baby rhizomes as soon as they are large enough, which can be as quickly as 2-3 months after planting. Another trick I learned myself is that ginger can be frozen and grated while still frozen or grated raw and then frozen in portions for use in the future.

Coriander (cilantro)

This herb features quite a lot in curry recipes, and if you buy fresh, you may not use up a whole bunch, and it will end up as another contender for the bin, but you can grow your own from seed. To speed up germination, the seeds can be crushed gently and soaked first. They take a week or more to germinate, and if you sow them in small batches, if you have the space, you will soon have a ready supply of crisp, fresh coriander.


Chili Peppers (pimenta)

Adding both flavour and heat to curries, the African Bird’s Eye Chili (Piri Piri) in particular grows well in Portugal, and grows well when planted outside, but needs a sheltered, well-drained spot that receives plenty of sunlight. It is a favourite here, and goes into Portugal’s most famous chicken dish – Piri Piri Chicken - they are quite small, but pack a punch, so be careful, not only in your food but in handling them!

Compact varieties can also be grown on a sunny indoor windowsill in mild locations, where you can consider planting them outside once night-time temperatures are reliably at least 12°C. You will need to research your chilies to find the one that suits your taste, that isn’t too hot, or not hot enough, as they vary from mild to ones that are so hot, they will blow the wax out of your ears!

Cumin (cominho)

This one will take some care to grow, and although cumin can be planted early indoors to get a head start on the growing season, it takes a long time to grow and is difficult to transplant, so it would be better sown directly outdoors.

It has fragrant leaves that resemble dill that can be added to salad mixes, and is a member of the parsley family. Cumin also will give white or pink flowers beginning midsummer, and the plants can reach over 60 cm in height. Tricky to grow, as it can be susceptible to root rot if it is watered too much, but grown in a container needs to be watered more often as they dry out quicker than those planted in the ground.

Cumin has a longer growing season than most herbs, taking 120 days to mature. As soon as seed heads are seen but before they fall, it is time to harvest. Cut the entire stem and then hang upside down in a paper bag or over a container that will catch the seeds as they fall out, and they can then be used whole or finely ground, and it is said that roasting them before grinding will intensify the flavour.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but growing your own will give you a new appreciation of tastes and might save you some money!

Author

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan