spice it up
Local brands make it easy to give bland dishes a flavour bump . These flavour boosters are not just for hot heads — even wimpier palates can enjoy big flavours with the right spice blend . Dig into the Manitoba made sauces , spices and pastes that are putting a little pep in our culinary step .
KOREAN BARBEQUE Gochujang paste , a crucial component of Korean cuisine , is characterized by its bright red colour and sweet-hot profile that comes from fermented chiles . This umami rich ingredient gives Bon Vivant !’ s spicy Korean stir fry / BBQ sauce its full bodied flavour . The unctuous sauce is perfectly poised to liven up meats , but try a few shakes in a stir fry or freshly made pasta bowl and there is no turning back .
HOT RUB Spice blends take away some cooking guess work and boost confidence for those who are not kitchen alchemists . Chef turned food processor Peter Fehr added Smoke & Spice rub to his Gourmet Inspirations sauce line and the results are in . This is a beautifully balanced mix of salty , sweet , spice and coffee and imparts robust depth to roasted meats , quickly becoming a favourite all purpose spice .
HOT IN BUFFALO Local producer , Spice World may have blended the world ’ s hottest buffalo spice by adding ghost peppers to its Electric Buffalo mixture . A little goes a long way for those without tongues of steel . Of course the burning sensation does eventually subside , but the local spice curator ’ s practices support sustainable farming and that ’ s fire beyond the brazen bites .
DON ’ T BE CHICKEN Butter chicken — the renowned dish of Indian cuisine beloved by even tentative culinary adventurers — can be credited to the recipes introduced to Winnipeg in the early 1970s by the founders of East India Company . The popular yet complicated sauce is bottled and sold at retail for impromptu cravings no matter the hour . The sauce delivers all luxurious creaminess and packs a little more punch than the recipe served at the restaurant .
CUTTING THE MUSTARD Mustard seed , inherently bitter in the raw , is a transformational ingredient when processed and often revealed to be the secret ingredient in the sauce or dressing when a chef is pressed . Smak Dab ’ s Hot Honey Jalapeño is our not-so-secret favourite dollop for greens ( mix with soya on roasted Brussels sprouts ), marinades or a meatloaf with moxie .
CHILE CRISP While not always referred to by this name in Chinese restaurants in Winnipeg , this ubiquitous condiment of dim sum devotees is an oil based concoction of toasted peppers , spices , soybean and dried shrimp , working together to deliver an umami burst of flavour . Tasty Heat ’ s chili paste is less oily than most and offers a slow burn that doesn ’ t overpower mild steamed dumplings .
26 ciao ! / mar / apr / two thousand twenty-two