Toasting or dry-roasting spices

Toasting or dry-roasting is a way of heightening the aroma and flavour of spices. As explained on cuisinecuisine.com,

Spices are comprised of two main oils. The first is a variety of volatile, or essential, oils, which give the spice its aroma. The other is a series of oleoresins, or non-volatile oils, which are responsible for the flavor. By dry roasting spices, both oils are released, thus enhancing the flavor and aroma of food.

For this reason, I prefer to use whole spices and dry roast them just before making a dish. The method is really very easy, so worth the extra effort.

 

Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When it is hot, throw the spices into the empty or "dry" pan and stir or toss them for a minute or two. It is important to keep them moving as they burn easily. The spices are done when the aroma becomes quite pungent and they start to change colour slightly. Remove immediately from the pan to keep them from burning.

 

If the recipe calls for ground spices, you then put the whole spices in a mortar and pestle (a granite one is most suited to this job) and pound them into a powder; mine are never as powdery as pre-ground spices, but I think this adds character. 

 

Another reason for using whole spices is that they keep longer. Even so, I will admit to having both ground and whole spices in my cupboard; we all get lazy sometimes!