Use spices in cooking, reduce the salt!

Food blogging has really put me into more learning and experimenting with ingredients, seasonings and food. In the journey of cooking, I have enjoyed using local and seasonal ingredients, gone natural and organic quite selectively, used simple and the correct cooking techniques. In seasoning and spicing up my food, I am glad to be using more spices and seasonings, than I used to know. Last time, the only seasonings that can be found in my pantry are salt and pepper. Now I have an array of herbs such as dried basil, oregano and rosemary; and spices such as cumin, fennel, coriander, turmeric and red chili pepper flakes. I am trying to use more spices to season the food that I cook; and reduce the salt and bottled sauces (equals to sodium). For example, instead of using the usual quantity of salt, I now pinch the salt (really a pinch) and use spices such as freshly ground black pepper, white pepper and cumin to season my stir-fries, soups and salads, if I have to. Of course, I am still using very basic spices. But I hope one day, I could stock up on more exotic spices and herbs such as spanish paprika and hibiscus leaves. Penderys has really opened my world on spices and chilies.