Spices Nutmeg Mace

Two of my favorite spices, nutmeg and mace, are used a lot in Indian cooking. Mace is the dark-red outer covering of the nutmeg. Fresh nutmeg is processed by removing the pulpy outside and sliding off the mace. It has a tough outer covering that needs to be cracked off before grating.

When dried, mace turns golden-orange and adds hints of warm flavor. Once nutmeg is dried, it lasts pretty much forever, so it is best to buy it whole and grate as required into your dishes. I rarely ever use ground nutmeg, as it is one of those spices whose flavor degrades very fast once it is ground. Nutmeg does not need to be toasted before blending into spices, as toasting wrecks its delicate flavor