MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. Did you know there's only one variety of orchid that produces vanilla beans or that cumin seed is actually a dried fruit and is never used raw? Even if the horticultural heritage of spices eludes you, these dried plants can add a lot of flavor and pizzazz to your cooking. If your idea of sweetener is a spoon full of sugar, you might try cinnamon instead. Or if you add flavor by grabbing the salt shaker, consider a pinch of cumin.

MR. KOJO NNAMDISome people are intimidated by the idea of using any but the most familiar of spices. But with a little advice from the pros and the sense of adventure, it's easy to add complexity and flavor to your meals and also get the health benefits that herbs and spices deliver. Speaking of pros, joining us in the studio is Monica Bhide, syndicated spice columnist for Scripps How News Service and author of the book, "Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors For The Contemporary Kitchen." Monica, good to see you again.

MS. MONICA BHIDEIt's very nice to see you again. Thank you for having me.

NNAMDIGreat to have you in studio. And joining us from the studios of KQED in San Francisco is Rebecca Katz, executive Chef at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, and author of the cookbook "The Cancer Fighting Kitchen." Rebecca, thank you for joining us.

MS. REBECCA KATZThank you for having me.

NNAMDIAnd we'd like you to join the conversation by calling 800-433-8850 or by going to our website, kojoshow.org. When Monica Bhide comes along, we're discussing all things spice. So you can tell us what your favorite spice is at 800-433-8850. Monica, a lot of people say they don't like spicy food. But what they really mean is that they don't like food that's spicy hot. It's a common misperception that if you add spices to your cooking, you're also adding heat.

BHIDEAbsolutely. It's one of the number one myths, I guess, I've had to deal with over my lifetime of cooking. I have friends come over and they'll say, what are you cooking? I'll be like, well, I'm making some, you know, either Indian food or Turkish food or some other different type of cuisine. And they'll always be like, well, I don't really like spicy food. It doesn't agree with me. I don't really like the heat. And then, when they come and taste it, they're always pleasantly surprised because people equate spice with cayenne, with heat.

BHIDEAnd it's not really true. I mean, think of some of the wonderful spices out there, like saffron. That's no heat in saffron. Nutmeg, thyme, I mean, beautiful, wonderful flavors that can really, really bring your food alive and it has absolutely zero to do with heat. But, you know, there are chili heads and for those loves of heat, there's so much out there. They're two different things.

NNAMDIWell, what advice do you give people who would like to try some new spices, but don't know where to start? Are there some other mild or familiar spices that are best to try first?

BHIDEYes and no. You know, spices are so subjective because taste is so subjective. So my advice to people always is take a food that you're really familiar with and you really love. So let's say, take very simply oatmeal. Right. You take oatmeal in the morning, add something to that oatmeal so that you know what the base flavor is. And then, when you add something, it may open it up. Like, my father, every morning in his oatmeal, he adds a little bit of cardamom and it really wakes up the flavor of the oatmeal.

BHIDENow, let's say, you know, cardamom is not your thing. You want to try something a little bit different, maybe cinnamon. That's more familiar. If you like sweeter, you know, try a little bit of nutmeg. Again, start with a base food you love and add a little bit of a spice that you want to learn a little bit more about so you know how it reacts with your food and your pallet.

NNAMDIRebecca, you have described cooking with spices as the equivalent of putting on internal sunscreen. What do you mean by that?

KATZWell, not only are spices incredibly yummy and can really brighten your food, but -- and wake up your taste buds, but they're so full of antioxidants and fido chemicals and just wonderful curative powers that they are -- they really act to protect our immune system. So, I mean, the history of herbs and spices, I mean, they've been used for medicinal purposes for, you know, since the beginning of time. So not only do they taste great, but they're really protecting your body from a number of different ailments.

NNAMDIMonica, children are notoriously reluctant to try new foods. What spices do you recommend introducing to kids?

BHIDEWell, Rebecca and I actually started a section on my blog called spicecapades (sp?) and it is about how to introduce spices to your kids. And I know people will get upset with me for saying this, so I apologize in advance to some of your listeners, but I think sometimes the parents are a little more resistant than the kids. 'Cause Moms will often say to me, well, my son absolutely will not try XYZ. Well, low and behold, he sits with another kid eating XYZ. It's monkey see, monkey do. You know, we get that a lot in my house. Kids will come over and try whatever's on the table and Moms are like, but they never eat this at home.

BHIDEI'm like, they're watching each other. But, you know, for children, it's actually, they're really easy to please. I think if you have them in the kitchen with you and you're explaining what you're using, that goes a long way. Rebecca and I were talking about one of the best spices to introduce kids to is cinnamon. Not only is it good for you, it's sweet. It's not intimidating. It has a great aroma. And I remember, Rebecca, I think you were telling me that it's one of the top 50 foods with highest antioxidant value so it's really good for your kids.

NNAMDIRebecca, any other suggestions for spices for kids that kids might like?

KATZOh, let's see. I think ginger is another wonderful spice. And cinnamon and ginger go really well together. I mean, all you have to do is think about ginger bread and ginger men, ginger man cookies. And ginger is just a wonderful, a great spice. And it does -- especially if you -- if you have a stomach ache or something like that, ginger tea is very common. Kids tend to like ginger ale. And so ginger definitely would be on my list.

NNAMDII grew up in a society in which one of our favorite drinks was ginger beer that my mother used to make. How about rosemary, Monica?

BHIDEAbsolutely, rosemary. Again, rosemary is a little bit stronger than some of the other spices, some of the other herbs and spices that we mentioned. It has a very pronounced flavor. But you'd be surprised at, you know, what kids like. And rosemary is, again, good for you because it's supposed to help increase the blood flow to the brain. It helps your memory. So there's plenty of reasons why you should do this. And again, you know, for the parents who are really afraid that their kids are really picky eaters, I mean, we introduce our kids to artificial sweeteners and salt and all this loaded processed food all the time.

BHIDEAnd they try that so there's a good chance that, you know, they may try this. I remember reading a study several years ago that said, on an average, it takes a young child about 17 tries to try a new food. So let's talk on the 18th try.

NNAMDIExactly right. By the way, is there a spice you're curious about, but you're not sure how to use it? Call us at 800-433-8850 or go to our website kojoshow.org. Send us a tweet at kojoshow or an e-mail to kojo@wamu.org if you're curious about a spice, but not sure how to use it. Here is Tina in Suitland, Md. Tina, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

TINAHi. I just wanted to say that cumin is my absolute favorite spice followed by thyme. And that I like -- I find that the more I use spices, when I go out to eat, I'm more sensitive to salt. And the other thing is, I recently tried a cinnamon bark, just chewing it from Vietnam. That was very sweet. And I can imagine using that in place of a sweetener, like sugar or honey.

BHIDEThat's true.

TINAAnd I was wondering, are you familiar with that?

BHIDEYeah, the Vietnamese cinnamon is actually really strong. It's wonderful. It's extremely good quality. And actually, you know, because it's sweet, funny enough, it works really well with savory dishes 'cause it gives you the right balance of the salt in savory dishes. I would definitely, you know, try it with your pilafs, try it with your stews in addition to, of course, your cookies and bread and even tea.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Tina. And speaking of cookies, Rebecca Katz, we got this e-mail from Margaret in Tacoma Park. "My Dad has acid reflux and his doctors told him he couldn't have spices. Is this just hot spices? I made some cookies with nutmeg in them and he said he couldn't eat them."

KATZOh, I think doctors really are thinking more about what Monica said, hot spices.

NNAMDIHeat.

BHIDERight.

KATZThe cayenne. Actually, ginger is a really great spice for acid reflux and so is nutmeg. All of those are what we call carminative spices, which are really good for digestion. So, yeah, those are really good. I'd probably stay away, if somebody had acid reflux, from something like peppermint. But nutmeg and cinnamon and ginger and all those warming spices are actually very helpful for somebody who's dealing with digestive issues. And I would also add cardamom to that as well. It's really good at reducing heartburn.

BHIDERebecca, even mint, right? Like, just plain mint, don't they just mint tea to help calm a stomach or not really?

KATZYes, to calm a stomach...

BHIDEBut not for acid reflux.

KATZ...for sure, but not acid reflux because it relaxes too much.

BHIDEI see, okay.

NNAMDIMonica, some people are curious about trying new spices, but they're not sure what they like and they don't want to flavor the entire dish with something unfamiliar. Any suggestions for trying new spices in small doses?

BHIDEYes, actually. I have two. One is what to do if you really love being in the kitchen and the second one is what to really do if don't want to be in the kitchen. What happened was, a while ago, I had been testing out some new dishes and I wanted to check the flavor of the dishes with different spices, but obviously I didn't want to make, you know, big pots of everything with the same spice. So what I did was, I heated up some unsalted butter and clarified it. Clarifying butter, what that really means is that you're removing all the milk solids. You're removing all the moisture from your butter, gives you a beautiful amber color liquid.

BHIDEThe reason you do that is because A, you can store it longer and B, it has a very high smoking point. So you can really heat it and add a little bit of whatever spice you like. And that flavors your butters. So now, low and behold, you have this flavored butter. You can flavor it with all kinds of different spices. Try Italian seasoning. Try Herbes de Provence. Try cumin. For a digestive butter, try a little bit of ginger. Strain this butter and keep it. And then, when you're making something, you know, let's say, like, I just used the oatmeal example.

BHIDEYou're making oatmeal in the morning, you know. Put a little teaspoon of your flavored butter in your oatmeal and see how you like the taste. It's a great way to have a little bit of flavor without, you know, going through the whole dish and saying, oh, this dish just does not go with cinnamon. So that's if you like being in the kitchen. If you don't like being in the kitchen, there's a terrific company in New Jersey. It's called Pure Indian Foods and they actually sell flavored ghees or flavored clarified butters.

BHIDEI'm sitting here with one in front of me which is an organic butter made from grass fed cow's milk called Italian ghee. I have an Indian dessert ghee that has...

NNAMDIYeah, Monica brings show and tell, yeah.

BHIDE...that has a fennel and cardamom and saffron. And then, I have one that's looking, you know, a little bit like the beautiful grassy color and this is an Herbes de Provence ghee. So it's already ready for you. And again, it's organic so -- which is wonderful so you can try a little bit of these different flavors and see what appeals to your pallet.

NNAMDIHere is Scott, in Tacoma Park, Md. Hi, Scott.

SCOTTHello, thanks for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

SCOTTFirst, I have a comment. Earlier, one of your guests mentioned rosemary is a very nice herb, but it's a little strong and maybe difficult to introduce people. I have two recommendations. One is the entire sprig of rosemary in your potatoes as you're boiling them to make mashed potatoes, then take it out. . .

BHIDEWonderful.

SCOTT. . .infuses the flavor. The other is if you microwave vegetables, put a sprig of rosemary in the bottom under the basket and, again, it simply will infuse the vegetables as they're being streamed with the flavor of the rosemary, but just a light version of it.

BHIDEThat's terrific. Terrific idea.

NNAMDIOoh.

SCOTTI have one question.

NNAMDIYes?

SCOTTThe question is, do you have any recommendations of any places in -- particularly places in Washington where you could get South Asian and Middle Eastern spices and particularly particular varieties of peppers?

NNAMDIMonica?

BHIDEI'm pretty sure that Penzeys in Falls Church has a fairly good collection and also...

SCOTTWhat's that?

BHIDEPenzeys P-E-N-Z-E-Y-S in Falls Church. They have a really good collection. And also, you know, these days, everything is available on Amazon and on the internet. It's very easy to find things that can be shipped to you fairly easily. But there are some terrific, you know, local Middle Eastern grocery stores that carry wonderful spices and definitely would recommend Penzeys. They're wonderful.

SCOTTOkay. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

BHIDEUm-hum.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Scott. We're going to take a short break. When we come back, we'll continue our conversation, cooking with spice with Monica Bhide and Rebecca Katz and take your calls at 800-433-8850. If you're curious about a spice, this is the time to call. What spice surprises you the most? You can also offer suggestions. 800-433-8850. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIIt's food Wednesday. We're having a spice conversation with Rebecca Katz, executive chef of the Center for Mind-Body, Medicine in Washington and author of the cookbook "The Cancer Fighting Kitchen." She joins us from studios in San Francisco. Joining us in our Washington studio is Monica Bhide, syndicated spice colonists for Scripps Howard News Service and author of the book "Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen." Rebecca, you've written, as I mentioned earlier, about the health benefits of spices and herbs. In these fall and winter months, which spices are best to help us fight off colds, stay healthy?

KATZOh, well, there's so many, but actually garlic is probably at the top of the list. And also, you know, the spices we were talking about, the warming spices, the cinnamon, the ginger, also allspice, which is a wonderful spice to blend and mix in with cinnamon and ginger, like to rub on squashes and bake them. So they would be on the top of the list. And another very wonderful spice for colds would be actually basil and basil tea. So just taking some basil leaves and just putting them in some hot water and adding a little bit of honey. And that's really good for congestion, especially lung congestion and when you have like a post-nasal drip. So, but garlic for sure on everything and in everything. It's very anti-viral and it also brings wonderful depth to anything that you're eating.

NNAMDIMonica, what's the best way to buy spices? Many people don't go any farther than plucking a jar off the shelf of the grocery store.

BHIDEYes, I know. It's hard because, you know, we're always talking about check the freshness of spices with your nose, as you made like -- as you said earlier, your nose is working. But it's hard to do that when you're in a store, you're looking at all these spices. You're, like, okay, I can't really open this and smell it to know if it's fresh so I'm just going to pick it up. So I'll give you the one tip that chef Art Smith, who's Oprah's former chef, gave me, which is to buy your spices from a place that has a high turnover, where there are constantly people buying spices.

BHIDEYou know, you can see that their jars have been moved and when you go and pick up something, there's no cobweb on the top, you know, holding it all in place. So a place that has, you know, quick turnaround of spices is always a good place to go and try, reputable places. And also some of the brands that are out there are really, really good. And it's getting better, I have to say. I haven't been to a place in a long time that has a lot of dust on their spices.

NNAMDIHere's Keith in Washington, D.C. Keith, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

KEITHHi, Kojo. Somebody had asked earlier where they could find various spices and I just wanted the folks in D.C. to know that we just opened in Georgetown, the Spice and Tea Exchange. We have spices from all over the world. And you were just mentioning spices, that it's important to get fresh spices so you get the full flavor. We have a very quick turnaround. So it's really a wonderful, fun place folks get to open all the jars and smell and really experience everything.

BHIDEThat would be my kind of place.

NNAMDIKeith, what spiked your interest in spices?

KEITHWell, I am a food lover. I like to cook, but I love to eat. And I love all kinds of different cuisines and that really was...

NNAMDIMe, too, but I didn't open up a spice store.

KEITHWell, it's just -- we don't have one in D.C.

NNAMDIYeah.

BHIDEYeah.

KEITHYou know, somebody was asking...

BHIDEThat's right.

NNAMDIYeah.

KEITH...yeah, well, where can you get spices? Well, you have to...

NNAMDIYeah.

KEITH...go out to Virginia.

BHIDEThat's right.

KEITHWell, we need one in D.C., so I thought D.C. was lacking so I felt that this would..

NNAMDISaw the need and...

KEITH...be the perfect place.

NNAMDISaw a need and...

BHIDEPerfect.

NNAMDI...and filled it.

BHIDEPerfect.

NNAMDIKeith, thank you very much for your call. Monica, you've said we should approach spices like we approach, well, wine. Smell them, touch them, taste them. What do you look for when you're picking out spices?

BHIDEAroma. I mean, other than a few spices, like cayenne, which I don't recommend you stick your nose into. Look for aroma. You know, when you're buying, let's say, cilantro in the market make sure you pick it up, maybe even pluck off a leaf. Bring it to your nose. You got to smell the -- you know, crush it in your fingers. You have to smell the oils. The leaf has to look fresh.

BHIDEThat's what's going to add flavor to your food. I can tell you when people's spices are not fresh or when they're using old herbs. They keep adding more and more and more thinking, why is there no flavor coming, you know. These spices are not adding flavors, as you said. It's nine out of ten times because the spices are not fresh. It's the fresh spices that add all the flavor.

BHIDEAnd I'll give you an example, you know, we're talking about what herbs and spices are good for this weather. One that I love, which you would never ever think of using in this, you know, cold, dreary weather that we're having is actually cilantro. And I know people who have this, you know, thing about cilantro tastes like soap, so go away for a minute.

BHIDEBut cilantro, you know, one of the wonderful ways to use it -- and this is my most favorite cilantro recipe ever. Okay, super, super easy. So you sauté some onions with a little bit of ginger in a pan, move the onions, you know, make a little mound of the onions and then move them away so you have a little hole in the middle of your onions. Then take some potato chips, crush up your favorite Lay's potato chips and put them on top of your onions and in the center, break an egg, right?

BHIDEBreak an egg in the center. Take fresh cilantro, lots of it, put it on top of your onions and your potato chips, take a little cover, close the dish. Within two minutes, you're going to have a perfectly cooked fried egg, little bit steamed in the middle of a mound of potato chips, with cilantro, onions and ginger. It is super fantastic. I'm telling you.

NNAMDIThat's it, y'all. I'm packing up, going home to make some of that right now. Can't stand it here any longer.

KATZI...

NNAMDIRebecca?

KATZ...I would like to add something there. When Monica's talking about that type of dish, I'm thinking, okay. Well, you know, the ginger aids in digesting the potato chips...

NNAMDIYes.

KATZ...and egg. And the cilantro, cilantro is one of the greatest detoxifiers of all the spices -- I mean, all the herbs. It's like eating oxygen. And it detoxifies our body full of all sorts of things. So it's great for the liver. So any time you eat cilantro or parsley, it's just -- you're doing your body such a great benefit.

NNAMDIHere is Keith in Frederick, Md. Keith, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

KEITHYeah, I have a comment about shopping. That's a family thing in my family, that good cooks use the best ingredients, great cooks have gardens.

BHIDEI like that.

NNAMDIYeah, I like that, too.

KEITHIt's true. And it's so easy to grow herbs, it's actually ridiculous. But I had a question for you. I've been using some ground paprika lately. I've been experimenting with that. And I don't know what's the definition of paprika versus the (unintelligible) style peppers or various Mexican peppers that I grind and use in cooking. I mean, what's the difference? What's the cutoff point there?

NNAMDIMonica?

BHIDEWell, the paprika that I know, the -- I guess the original paprika that I know comes from Hungary and it varies from being very sweet to very hot. And then, you have the Spanish paprika, which is the pimento and which is -- again, it doesn't add a lot of heat, but it adds a lot of flavors. Now, I'm not familiar with the other Mexican peppers so I'm sorry. But, you know, the paprika is wonderful, the Hungarian paprika. And they always tell me with Hungarian paprika, never use it in teaspoons, use it in tablespoons. But with the Spanish paprika, a little bit goes a long way.

NNAMDIKeith, thank you very much for your call. And I think, adding to what Keith just told us, is Mary Lou in Silver Spring, Md. Hi, Mary Lou.

MARY LOUHi. I just wanted to let you all know that bulk herbs are available so you're getting great turnover and great quality at local food cooperatives, Tacoma Park, Silver Spring, Bethesda. And when you buy by bulk, you can just get the amount you need so it's a super, super savings.

NNAMDIHey, Mary Lou, thank you very much for that tip. Monica, give us the rule. How do you know -- how do you tell when it's time to throw out a jar of spice?

BHIDESo I have this rule that I learned after coming to the U.S. several years ago. We called it the Thanksgiving rule. And since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, it seems rather appropriate. You know, open your spice cap net around Thanksgiving, just before you make your big meal for your family and check out the spices that you haven't even touched in the year. You know the ones that are tucked away in the back with the label almost falling off?

NNAMDIAh, there's a lot of those. Yeah.

BHIDEOh, yeah. I would open those up and start smelling them and see if they have some flavor, you know, some aroma that is coming from them. Generally, if they don't have an aroma, I would just throw them away. I know that sounds horrible and none of us like to waste, but really, if your spices are dead and have no potency, there's no point in adding tablespoon after tablespoon in your stew 'cause it's not going to do anything.

NNAMDIOkay. If it has no aroma, either your sense of scent is dead or the spice is dead.

BHIDECorrect.

NNAMDIEither throw it out or throw yourself. No, don't throw yourself out. On now to Gary in Alexandria, Va. Gary, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

GARYYeah. I just wanted to say enough with the cilantro.

NNAMDIWhy, Gary? You were the one who thinks it takes like what?

GARYSoap.

BHIDEApparently, there's a scientific reason for that. Did you know that? They say that...

GARYYeah.

BHIDE...there's a genetic thing for people that don't like cilantro. It's not even a taste thing.

GARYYeah, if you -- there's a -- people who like cilantro, I guess, have a recessive gene. So...

NNAMDIWell...

GARY…they're gene defective.

NNAMDIGary, when did you try soap and how did you discover you didn't like it?

GARYWell, anyone who is my age has had their mouth washed out with soap by their mothers.

NNAMDIYeah, please don't repeat what you were saying when you caused that to happen.

GARYI don't mind cilantro in minute quantities, but it -- especially several years ago, people were just overdoing it. I thought I was going to go out of my mind every time I went out to a restaurant.

NNAMDIWell, Rebecca, can you tell Gary how cilantro might be good for him?

KATZWell, I could tell him all the ways that it could be good for him, but if he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. But I can say that parsley has the same qualities as cilantro when it comes to detoxifying the body and providing the body with a lot of antioxidants. And it's definitely very high up in terms of the herbs that go a long way to putting on our inner sunscreen, so to speak. So if you don't like cilantro, eat a lot of parsley.

NNAMDIGary...

GARYYeah. Well, when there's a lot of cilantro, it's like someone's taken a bar of Ivory soap to my food.

NNAMDIWell, not a lot, but you can replace it with parsley, Rebecca recommends.

GARYAll right. I’m just..

NNAMDIGary, thank you very much for your call.

GARY...enjoying the show. Thank you.

NNAMDIThank you. We move on to Morami (sp?) in Washington, D.C. You're on the air. Go ahead, please.

MORAMIHi. I'd like to know, how does one prepare saffron sauce that's poured on top of basmati rice?

NNAMDIMonica.

BHIDEYou mean in terms of a curry?

MORAMINot...

BHIDELike a tomato-onion based sauce or you're thinking cream sauce or...

MORAMINo. Like, when I go to, like, Persian restaurant, I see some of the rice where they've got saffron, it's orange, on top of the rice.

BHIDEYou mean the rice in itself is orange?

MORAMIYeah.

BHIDEYeah. You know, what they do for that, is generally they take the saffron -- there's a couple of different ways to use it and I'll give you the Indian version because I'm not 100 percent familiar with the Persian technique. Although I do know that they use the saffron along with a little bit of sugar and they grind it in a mortar and pestle. And then, they add a little bit of hot water so that the water becomes flavored with saffron and the color. And that's how they use it. So they use that to flavor the rice.

BHIDEIn India, what we do is we'll warm a little bit of milk, just a tiny couple of tablespoons of milk and add the saffron to that. That helps the saffron release its flavor into the milk. And then, when you're cooking rice, right towards the end, you would add this milk flavored with saffron into your rice so it will give you that beautiful color to your rice. And it will also, you know, have the little strands of saffron, which make it look really just so pretty.

MORAMIThank you.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Morami. You, too, can call us at 800-433-8850. It's food Wednesday. We're discussing all things spice. Do you choose your spices for their health benefits, like helping with digestion or giving you an antioxidant boost? Call us, 800-433-8850 just to tell us what your favorite spice is. You can also send us a tweet at kojoshow, e-mail us at kojowamu.org or join the conversation at our website, kojoshow.org. Here is Mark in Rockville, Md. Mark, your turn.

MARKYes. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with a form of cancer. And I'm doing quite well now and I'm convinced that part of my recovery was aided by eating Indian food. I don't know if there's any scientific evidence to back that up, but I found myself craving Indian food that was spicy. And I'm telling you, it actually aided my recovery tremendously. Is there any evidence that correlates spice to anti-cancer agency?

NNAMDIRebecca?

KATZOh, I can answer that. Yes. Yes. There's a study that just came out of M.D. Anderson which talks about the spices you're talking about, cumin, coriander, turmeric, all the things that are combined in Indian curries, which are highly anti-inflammatory and also have the ability to create what we call an inhospitable environment for cancer cells to grow. So when you're eating herbs and spices, you're really turning off the master switch that turns on cancer cells. So by eating a lot of great herbs and spices, especially Indian spices, you're really aiding in creating that inhospitable environment. You're sort of just saying, okay, anybody who's -- any cancer cell that's trying to, you know, go rogue here and spread, every time you eat some herbs and spices you're saying, no, stop.

NNAMDINot here.

BHIDENot here.

NNAMDIWe got...

KATZNot here.

NNAMDI...this e-mail, Rebecca, from Mary who said, "My husband cured his acid reflux and resultant breathing problems by regularly consuming licorice root and turmeric in capsules. Have you heard of this herbal remedy before?

KATZYes. Turmeric, especially, because it's anti-inflammatory so -- and it's really good for aiding in digestive issues and so, yes, very much so.

NNAMDIOkay. On to Jean in Silver Spring, Md. Jean, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

JEANHi, Kojo, enjoy your show.

NNAMDIThank you.

JEANWe're going -- I want to just say, we had an exchange student from India who we're visiting in January. When he got sick, he sent home to India for turmeric. He said he wanted his mother to send him this turmeric that they use over there. So, yes, indeed they very much use a lot of turmeric for various different health issues. But I wanted to ask, we're going to be going to visit the family in January and one of my places on my list is the spice market. And I wanted to know what spices would be good to purchase and to investigate?

NNAMDIGet your pen ready. Or if you happen to be sitting at your keyboard...

JEANI have it right here.

NNAMDI...here is Monica Bhide.

BHIDESo which part of India are you headed to?

JEANWell, we're heading to New Delhi and also to Mumbai.

BHIDEWonderful. So here is a suggestion that I'm going to make that most people are going to be surprised at. When you're over there, try to go to some of the really small local grocery stores and ask them to sell you the mixes that they sell of spices because they grind them fresh there. And they make these amazing combinations that you won't find here. You know, turmeric and cumin and coriander, the individual spices you can find here and they're terrific quality.

BHIDEBut back home, they actually have now separate, you know, specific mixes that they use for either your rice dishes or like a chicken curry or, you know, mixed vegetables that they will actually sell you. And those are just magnificent. I love those. In Delhi, very specifically, I would recommend you go to Roopak R-O-O-P-A-K, Roopak stores. They have the best spice selection in Delhi, hands down.

JEANOkay. I definitely will.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Jean.

JEANThank you.

NNAMDIWe're going to take a short break. If you have already called, stay on the line. We will get to your call. If the lines are busy, shoot us an e-mail to kojo@wamu.org or come to our website, kojoshow.org, and ask your question there. When we come back, more with Monica Bhide and Rebecca Katz, cooking with spice. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIFood Wednesday, cooking with spice with Monica Bhide, syndicated spice columnist for Scripps Howard News Service and author of the book, "Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen," and Rebecca Katz, executive chef of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, and author of the cookbook "The Cancer Fighting Kitchen."

NNAMDISpeaking of fighting illness, Monica Bhide, you were telling me during the break about turmeric.

BHIDEYes. You know, one of the most important things that I learned about turmeric, and I know Rebecca would like to chime in here, is that it actually helps the aging brain. So how does this translate practically? India has four times less rate of Alzheimer's than anywhere in the world, especially in the U.S. And this is said to be because of a diet that rich in curry powder, a major component of which is turmeric. And Rebecca, would you like to add to that?

KATZYes. Turmeric is one of the spices that is truly anti-inflammatory. And actually, one of the ways to use it to get the most out of it so it's the most bio available to the body, especially when it comes to cancer prevention even, is by adding a little of ground cracked black pepper to it. And there's so many different ways to use turmeric because some people may not think about using it -- may not like curries or think they don't like curries.

KATZBut one way to use it is just to mix together with a little cracked pepper and some olive oil and lemon juice and use it as a salad dressing or, you know, sprinkle it on just about anything. So, yes, lots of studies on turmeric and the healing properties of it. It also is great for indigestion and also reducing cholesterol.

NNAMDICumin is in a lot of cuisines and has both a versatile taste and potent health benefits, Rebecca. It's said to be one of the most popular spices in the world after black pepper.

KATZIt is. And it's very anti-viral and anti-inflammatory and it's also a memory enhancer. So we should all be eating lots of cumin.

NNAMDIHere is -- go ahead, please, Rebecca.

KATZI was going to say it also stimulates the taste buds. So it actually ignites the nerve endings in our taste buds and that's why probably it's one of the most popular spices. It acts like salt in that way, but turning our taste buds on.

NNAMDISpeaking of salt, here is Abdullah in Washington, D.C. Abdullah, go ahead, please.

ABDULLAHHi, Kojo. Yeah. I've been a vegetarian for like 23 years now and in the last three years, I wasn't eating salt. So what I did was, I mean, coming from a background where I'm a vegetarian and I eat a lot of Indian food, I started cooking with basically all the spices that are available. For breakfast, (unintelligible) to adding spices to (word?). For instance, my breakfast is always going cardamom.

ABDULLAHI have cardamom with my fruit every morning, or food, and my cooking basically food for the evening goes with turmeric, (word?), coriander, cumin, some of the other spices you have all been mentioning.

NNAMDIAnd so you don't miss salt at all?

ABDULLAHNo. I don't use salt at all.

NNAMDII said you don't miss it. You don't miss it either.

ABDULLAHI don't miss it. I don't miss it.

NNAMDINot with the spices you're using. (laugh)

ABDULLAHA friend of mine recently said, oh, she needs to go into the hospital and cook for people with no salt because it's almost like people think when salt is out, than basically you're eating dry. Well, actually, if the people learn how to use some of these spices, they find out that they're actually not missing much. And it's such a great thing with a lot of benefit, especially (unintelligible) I can't say anything better, you know.

NNAMDIYou make an excellent point, Abdullah. Monica, as the days get shorter and colder, what are some of your favorite spices to use at this time of year?

BHIDEYou know, of course, saffron, which we talked about a little bit earlier, is wonderful in, like, the French bouillabaisse. You can also mix saffron with some heavy cream and use it to marinate your salmon and stick the salmon in the oven. It's wonderful. Cinnamon, which we talked about, but has terrific, you know, health benefits and is a great antioxidant, works really well with desserts, as we know.

BHIDESo you could try a wonderful hummingbird cake, which has bananas and pineapples and pecans. It's wonderful for the house or for the table. And also -- I said house because every time I think of cinnamon -- I interviewed this one guy who told me that the best use that he's ever found for cinnamon -- he loves to cook with it, but he said the best use was just before they were getting ready to sell their house, he dry roasted a little bit of cumin and the entire -- of cinnamon and the entire house smelled so great that he thinks that's why his house sold.

BHIDESo every time I think of cinnamon, I think about selling houses. Cardamom is wonderful for this time of year. You know, when you're baking, think about -- cardamom really pairs well with pistachios so you could do like a cardamom pistachio cake, which is terrific. And then one I have, which is, I'm sorry.

NNAMDIThat's what hunger causes Monica Bhide to do when we're discussing food and spices just like this. Rebecca, what spices would you recommend for Monica's coughing, at this point?

KATZActually, some cumin.

NNAMDIThere's no spice in water, but go ahead. Some cumin.

KATZSome cumin. I'm just going to add a little to what Monica was saying. All the spices that tend to be this time of year, like ginger and cinnamon and these warming spices, allspice, fennel, all of these spices are amazing for digestion. And often they're all used in a Thanksgiving meal. Isn't that interesting?

NNAMDIIt certainly is interesting. Monica, you were going to say?

BHIDEYeah. I was going to say -- thank you, Rebecca, for that. Because my last suggestion, before I broke out into this horrible cough, thank you very much fall weather, is sage, which, you know, people mostly associate sage with Thanksgiving stuffing.

NNAMDIYeah.

BHIDEBut I found this amazing sage recipe. So I have to beg forgiveness because I've been fascinated with all things potato chips this week. But, you know, taking a regular potato, thinly slicing it and actually threading a sage leaf through it and deep frying it after seasoning it with some paprika -- it's a Dan Barber recipe. It is to die for and it's perfect for this weather.

NNAMDIDoes this make you very popular with your kids, the fact that you find a way to include potato chips in meals?

BHIDEYes, that was the point. (laugh) This is why all the children who come to my house love spices because it has always something to do with potato chips or chicken tenders, but cooked with good, you know, good turmeric and all these kinds of things.

NNAMDIWell, that's the good wife part of you. It's my understanding -- and I know your husband, Sameer, very well. It's my understanding that there is also a bad wife in Monica Bhide, which is what?

BHIDEYes. This has been a very tough week for me. Every year around this time, I am the bad wife, I win the bad wife of the year award. So we've been married 17 years and this happens every year. So this is a wonderful, wonderful custom in India that when you first get married, the first -- and it's practiced in the northern part of India. The first year that you're married, there's a beautiful custom that's performed once a year where the wife fasts all day for the long life of her husband.

NNAMDIYes. I like that.

BHIDEOh, yes. So do most men. And, you know, I watched my mother, who has been married, like, 42 years, do this every year. You know, they wake up in the morning at 4:00, they eat a little bit, they say their prayers, they fast all day. Then, in the evening, all the women get together in their beautiful dresses and their jewelry and their hennaed hands and you have to -- the custom is that you have to see the moon through or a sieve or colander and then your husband hands you over this lovely glass of orange juice or milk to break your fast.

BHIDEAnd, you know, it's been in every single Bollywood movie that I've seen. So when I first got married, my big thing was I needed to do this fast to prove to my husband that at 24, I could be the ideal wife for him. So, you know, I did the whole preparation and everything, and got dressed in the evening in my wedding gown with my henna and I read all the Sanskrit scriptures, which I did not understand.

BHIDEAnd I cooked this entire meal and I broke my fast only to be told that I fasted on the wrong day. (laugh) So since that day, you know, it's my bad wife thing because yesterday was Karwa Chauth and I did not fast. So you know, I'm sorry. I love my husband, but the fasting thing is just not for me. So instead, I cooked him this wonderful dish which you should try for Thanksgiving. It's a Dorie Greespan recipe.

BHIDEIt's taking a pumpkin, emptying out the goop from the pumpkin, filling it with thyme and bread and cheese and cream and then baking the whole thing in the oven for two hours. It's delicious and it made me the good wife again.

NNAMDIBad wife, good wife, lucky Sameer. Here is Jose in Wheaton, Md. Jose, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

JOSEI got a suggestion for all the spices. My wife, at Thanksgiving she used to mix all the spices with mustard, make a paste and then she used to smear it over the turkey. And she used to do one turkey like that and one regular and we still like it and we do that every year.

NNAMDIA yearly tradition for Thanksgiving. Jose, thank you very much for sharing that with us. We move on to Arlene in Springdale, Md. Arlene, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

ARLENEThank you. This is a great show, Kojo. I just -- well, I was going to add one thing, but then as the program as progressed, there are a couple of other things I'd like to know. One, I just want to tell the cast that there is a Penzey store on Rockville Pike.

NNAMDIYes.

ARLENEOne of them mentioned a Penzey store in Alexandria, I believe.

NNAMDIYes.

ARLENESo there is one in Rockville Pike. I just passed by it on Monday. My husband used to order Penzeys from a catalog. I was glad to see that store.

NNAMDIThank you very much for that recommendation -- or that observation, Arlene. Rebecca, this e-mail we got from Ahmed who said, "Coriander is the best spice ever. Okay, at least it's my favorite. Do your guests have any good suggestions for unexpected foods to pair with coriander? Also, any health aspects I should know about coriander?"

KATZWell, again, it's anti-inflammatory. It's wonderful for preventing gas and bloating. And I love coriander and here's an unexpected way to use it. I have a recipe for a pistachio mint couscous or quinoa. And I like to make quinoa and add cumin and coriander to it, along with some mint and pistachio and some raisins and the zest of an orange, orange juice, a little bit of olive oil, toss it all together. It's yummy. So that's a little unexpected.

BHIDEBut I pair cumin and coriander together all time.

NNAMDIHere is recommendation for what you do when your spice gets old, from Peggy. "I've tossed all my old spice and herbs together, mixed them, and then used a spoonful or two at a time in boiling water for a few minutes just to make a potpourri to give the house a nice background atmosphere. It works great and I feel less guilty about tossing things out."

NNAMDIAnd this one especially for you, Monica. This is an e-mail we got from Woinshet in Washington. "Has Monica seen the movie called "Mistress of Spices"? In the movie, in addition to the beautiful setting of spices, there's a theme in the movie that tells viewers that Indian spices are used for other things, like emotions, love. For example, there is a spice that is used to attract a man, ha ha ha," writes Woinshet. What do you know about this, Monica Bhide?

BHIDEWell, I do. I've read the book. I haven't seen the movie, but I do know that saffron is supposed to be aphrodisiac and an anti-depressant. I use saffron a lot in my cooking. I've been married 17 years. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

NNAMDIWe already have. Please keep going. This is a family broadcast. (laugh) On now to Barbara in northwest Washington. Barbara, you are on the air. Go ahead, please.

BARBARAThank you very much. I too am enjoying the show immensely. I've used fennel to aid in digestion after eating and I've also used fenugreek to make a tea to drink for upper respiratory infections. But can you talk more about how to cook with those two spices?

NNAMDIMonica?

BARBARAFennel and fenugreek?

NNAMDIFennel and fenugreek.

BHIDEAbsolutely. Fennel is one of my favorite spices. I think it's one of the most underused, underappreciated spices out there.

KATZI agree.

BHIDEFor those of you who are, you know, not very familiar with it, when you leave Indian restaurants, usually by the door they'll have this little piece of, you know, little bowl with pieces of fennel in it because it does aid in digestion. It's really to add in teas. One of the things that I do with fennel is I add coriander seed. Somebody else talked about that a little bit ago. Coriander seeds and black pepper and dry roast it for a little bit.

BHIDEThen grind it and use that as a rub for meats. You can also sprinkle on top of, like, cauliflower and then oven roast your cauliflower. It's absolutely terrific. And fenugreek, which you buy as fresh leaves, you know, wash the leaves and dry them and then you can toss them along with potatoes and cook them as a vegetable. And dried fenugreek is excellent when you're marinating salmon with cream with say, saffron.

NNAMDIAnything to add to that? We only have 30 seconds left, Rebecca Katz.

KATZFennel tea is just amazing for stomach cramps, headaches, relieving congestion. It's my all-around favorite.

NNAMDIAnd I'm afraid that's all the time we have. Rebecca Katz is executive chef at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, and author of the cookbook "The Cancer Fighting Kitchen." Rebecca, thank you for joining us.

KATZThank you for having me.

NNAMDIMonica Bhide is syndicated spice columnist for Scripps Howard News Service and author of the book "Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen." Monica, always a pleasure.

BHIDEThank you for having me.

NNAMDIAnd thank you all for listening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.