Introducing our brand new range: RUBS!

Summer is fast approaching, and the barbecue season has already begun! It’s the perfect opportunity to try out new recipes and welcome your nearest and dearest for some great summer celebrations. At La Plantation, we harvest and produce spices on our farm according to the season, and they’re delivered to you in Europe and the rest of the world as the months go by. This summer, we’re introducing a brand new range: Rubs!

Let’s start by demystifying this slightly unfamiliar name… A Rub is a mixture of spices, a powder that can be massaged or rubbed into food before cooking. It originated in the southern United States and, going back over the centuries, in Central Europe, which has always been very fond of slow-cooked meat.
Whatever its origin, ‘rub’ has become a common term in the world of barbecuing and grilling, and is often used to refer to a mixture of herbs and spices rubbed onto meat before cooking to add flavour and tenderise it.

Interestingly, the use of spice blends to tenderise meat has been practised for thousands of years in various cultures. Many ancient civilisations, such as the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, used various herbs and spices to flavour, tenderise and preserve their meat.
Although the use of Rubs or dried spice blends is very popular today in the United States (BBQ culture), it can also be found in the cuisines of Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin, India, Africa and Asia – in short, in every region of the world…

A rub is made up of different spices and salt, to add flavour, and a little sugar to help tenderise the meat, add roundness and create a light caramelised crust. Don’t worry, at La Plantation we use a very high-quality sugar: our Palm Blossom Sugar, which is entirely natural and unrefined, and has a low glycaemic index (below 30). As well as tenderising the flesh, the rubs will infuse the spicy flavours even more intensely, allowing you to create unique flavour combinations!

Originally used mainly for meat, Rubs can also be used in dry spice blends on a wide range of dishes.
– With meat: First, prepare your pieces of meat and make sure the meat is dry before applying the Rub. Sprinkle the Rub generously over the entire surface of the meat and use your hands to work it well into the meat. Leave the meat to rest for at least 30 minutes, or even several hours, or prepare your meat the day before cooking. This will allow the Rub’s flavours to penetrate the meat. Cook using your preferred method: grilling on the BBQ, a la plancha, in a pan or in the oven. Once the meat is cooked, leave it to rest for a few minutes before slicing or serving. Your meat will be tender and deliciously flavoursome.
– Slow cooking: Rubs go particularly well with long cooking for items such as lamb shoulder, pulled pork, spare ribs.

There are two ways to use our Rubs, either dry, rubbed directly onto the ingredients, or wet, to create a slightly heavier crust and add extra flavour.
With olive oil: Mix the Rub with olive oil to make a marinade. Brush over chicken, fish or tofu before grilling, roasting or baking.
Or use it with vinegar, mustard, beer or even yoghurt: the possibilities are almost endless with Rubs… It’s time to experiment!

Our “rubs” spice blends also go perfectly with many dishes that are suitable for veggies and vegans, and anyone who appreciates plant proteins!
– With tofu, tempeh or chickpeas: sprinkle your vegetable proteins with the Rub of your choice and a little olive oil before putting them in the oven… deliciousness guaranteed!
– With eggs: Whether you’re making a fried egg, scrambled egg or omelette, sprinkle a little Rub directly into the pan before the end of the cooking time.
– With vegetables: Use the dry spice blend as a seasoning for roasted or grilled vegetables.
– To season BBQ sauces: Add a little Rub, according to your taste, to give your mayonnaises, yoghurt sauces, ketchups etc. a kick. Or take our range of ready-to-use sauces!

Don’t panic, our new range of Rubs can be used all year round, not just during the barbecue season!
As marinades: pan-fried or baked, our Rubs inspired by Khmer cuisine and ingredients will give your everyday cooking a boost!
– As a ready-to-use Spice Mix: sprinkle all over the place to add a touch of exotic flavour. No need to mix and match, we’ve taken care of that for you!
– As a condiment: Add a spoonful of rub to cooked dishes such as soups, stews, roasted vegetables or rice to add flavour and texture. Taste and adjust the amount to suit your taste.
– In a sauce: Spice up some yoghurt with a spoonful of rub to dip in your raw vegetables cut into sticks. Perfect for an aperitif ready in 1 minute!

When you’re lucky enough to have all the fresh spices at your disposal, what could be more exciting than designing a new range of Rubs or massage powders? These recipes for dry spice blends were designed at La Plantation by our chef and product designer. After several trials and tasting sessions, we’ve come up with 4 exclusive recipes that we’re now offering as a preview for the spring and summer season. You’ll be surprised by the exceptional intensity of their flavours. To be enjoyed without moderation!

Our in-house artist has come up with a new design to give our labels a fresh, dynamic look. The labels reflect the colour codes of each Rub, while highlighting the ingredients and recipe ideas. As beautiful to look at as it is practical to use, La Plantation’s packaging is food-certified, so you can pour the contents of the sachet into the cardboard cylinder. This will protect the Rubs from light and moisture.

The cacao used in our rub is grown by Cambodian farmers in Mondulkiri province. The farmers there have set up a cooperative so that they can carry out all the cacao fermentation and drying operations on site. The beans are then roasted, cracked, winnowed and ground by a chocolate factory in Siem Reap.
The cocoa gives this rub fruity, floral flavours, with a wonderful bitterness, and notes ranging from vanilla to coffee and cinnamon.
This original blend goes perfectly with meats such as pork (ribs or ribs), beef or lamb (shoulder), chicken (children love it), vegetables such as aubergines, peppers, potatoes or sweet potatoes, cashew nuts.

Ingredients: Cocoa, Palm sugar, shallots, garlic, Smoked Sweet Long Pepper, Black Kampot Pepper, Fleur de Sel, Smoked Ground Cinnamon, Red Long Pepper, Smoked Bird Pepper, coriander.
Recipe ideas: use as a dry marinade the day before or at least 30 minutes before cooking (meat, pork, cashew nuts, sweet potatoes).

Dehydrated Green Kampot Pepper is picked young before it reaches maturity. De-stemmed by hand, it is then dehydrated at low temperature to preserve its beautiful green colour and its aromas with fresh, planty notes. The aromatic and taste quality of Green Kampot Pepper PGI is recognised by chefs and gourmets alike.
Green Kampot Pepper develops spicy, herbal notes at this rub, which are perfect with steak, ribs, fish such as salmon and tuna, or vegetables. Combava, kumqat and green mango add slightly lemony notes, while pandan adds a hint of vanilla. As for the three roots ginger, galanga and turmeric, they will add depth of flavour.

Ingredients: Palm sugar, shallots, garlic, Green Kampot Pepper, Pandan, Forest Cardamom, smoked salt, ginger, Combava zest, curry leaves, Paddy grass, green mango.
Recipe ideas: use as a dry marinade the day before or at least 30 minutes before cooking (meat, chicken, prawns, courgettes, peppers, potatoes).

Star Anis adds a touch of aniseed to this Mekong Rub blend, with its Asian flavours. Lemongrass, Kaffit Lime leaves and kumqat add tangy, lemony flavours that are perfect for preparing satay-style chicken or beef kebabs.
Rub Mékong will also spice up a noodle or ramen soup, hot or cold. You can also spice up a mayonnaise with Rub Mekong to accompany grilled prawns. And Rub Mekong is delicious with monkfish or prawns that have been massaged and baked, pan-fried or grilled.With each rub preparation, let your imagination run wild and try your own combinations.

Ingredients: Palm sugar, Fleur de Sel, shallots, garlic, white Kampot pepper, lemongrass, pandan, galanga, ginger, turmeric, kumquat, combava leaves, star anise, bird’s eye chilli.
Recipe ideas: use as a dry marinade the day before or at least 30 minutes before cooking (chicken, beef kebabs, noodles and ramen, prawns, scallops, vegetables such as broccoli and peas).

Smoked Sweet Long Pepper adds a deliciously sweet and smoky note to this special grilled blend. Camp Fire Rub is perfect for spicing up prime rib, burgers, ribs, pork chops and grilled chicken.
It will also give a delicious flavour to grilled or roasted vegetables, such as aubergines, peppers or grilled corn. Try it to sauté popcorn.
Feel free to experiment to find your favourite combinations: Campfire Rub will add a rich, complex flavour to a wide variety of dishes, from meats to vegetables to snacks.

Ingredients: Smoked Sweet Long Pepper, Palm Sugar, Smoked Salt, Shallot, Garlic, Smoked Cinnamon, Curry Leaves, Smoked Kampot Pepper (Red / Black), Paddy Herb, Turmeric, Roucou.
Recipe ideas: use as a dry marinade the day before or at least 30 minutes before cooking (ribs, grilled salmon, baked vegetables, potatoes, bloody mary cocktail).

Now that you know all about the history of Rubs, how to use them and our favourite spicy combinations, it’s time to get in the kitchen and discover them with the whole family!