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Recipes and Tips for Spicy Cuisine

Each week we feature a new recipe highlighting the use of Indian spices and other spices from around the world. View our recipe archive for great ideas and new dishes to share with friends and family.

Tips on Vanilla Pods

Rather than a recipe, this week’s offering is some tips about vanilla pods. Frequently we come across recipes that call for scraping the seeds from the vanilla pod and discarding the rest – what a waste! In fact, the pod has more flavour than the seeds. You can cut the pod and use a portion at a time or you can use the whole pod, depending on the depth of flavour you wish.

How to Release the Flavours of Vanilla

To cut open a vanilla pod, lay it flat on a cutting surface
Holding one end of the pod to the surface, carefully slice it open lengthwise
When you separate the pod, thousands of tiny seeds are exposed
By cutting the pod open before using it in a recipe, more surface area is exposed, increasing the amount of flavour released

Re-Using Vanilla Pods

Vanilla pods can usually be used several times depending on how ‘strenuously’ you’ve used them. For instance, if you’ve placed a vanilla pod in a pitcher of lemonade or a jug of mulled cider or wine, the pod will still contain a lot of flavour when the beverage is finished. Rinse and dry the pods after using them.

Pods that have been used once or twice can also be ground up in a mortar and pestle and used to add vanilla flavour to ice cream, cakes and biscuits, and desserts.

Vanillin Crystals

Vanilla pods may develop a frosting of natural vanillin crystals if you keep them for a while. This usually occurs over time and not when the pods are first cured and dried. Called givre in French (which means ‘light frost’), these crystals indicate that the beans are high in natural vanillin and are of very good quality. These crystals are quite edible and full of flavour.

Storing Vanilla Pods

Vanilla pods should be kept in a cool, dark place in an airtight container
Don’t refrigerate the pods as this can cause them to harden and crystallize

In the humid tropics where vanilla is grown, the pods are wrapped in oiled or waxed paper and stored in tin boxes. In a cooler, drier climate such as ours, keep the pods wrapped in cling-wrap or greaseproof paper in an airtight plastic container or glass jar. Don’t throw out dry or withered pods. They can usually be rehydrated in warm water and will still contain plenty of flavour.

Have You Tried Vanilla Sugar?

If you haven’t already tried vanilla sugar, give it a try – it’s delicious!

Cut one vanilla pod lengthwise and add the pieces to 200-400 grams of granulated white sugar or icing sugar in a plastic container
Give the contents a shake every few days and after about 2 weeks, the sugar will be permeated with a natural vanilla flavour and aroma
Just add more sugar from time to time – the vanilla pods will keep imparting their flavour and aroma for many months

Vanilla sugar can be used in drinks or in place of regular sugar in cakes, biscuits, and desserts. One tablespoon of vanilla sugar has the flavouring power of about ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract.