Big John and the Spice Girl

Next week is spice mix makin' week. I plan to make sambar powder, panch phoron, and garam masala. If I am really ambitious I will also try my hand at Ethiopian berbere from this Saveur recipe. For my spices I went to Big John's PFI, one of my favorite food establishments. But it's dangerous too. I literally have to talk to myself out loud to avoid loosing control and buying everything. I only needed spices so I had to avoid the rest of the place entirely. Big John's is full of amazing items mostly from the Mediterranean and the Middle East but you'll also find things like spotted dick and marmite. And at much better prices than the shi-shi joints in other parts of the city. Can't find the website for Big John's. Perhaps a new one is under construction? The image above used to be on their business cards and I found it at the Festa Seattle website. Anyway, I want to tell you all about it but at the same time, I don't want you to blab to all your friends about it.

So, I picked up the following whole spices to supplement my already abundant spice crate: fenugreek, yellow and brown mustard , fennel, cumin, corriander (but I only got about a cup before I emptied their supply. Off to Madison Market today for more.), peppercorn, and allspice. Recipes and pics to follow soon.