THE TOP 10 ESSENTIAL MASALAS FOR INDIAN COOKING
Indian spices are "the heart and soul" of Indian cuisine. They are an explosion of flavors, colors, and comfort to celebratory and humble dishes.
Ancient Egyptians cultivated indigenous Indian spices in the gardens of Babylon. We know these native spices as the "Seven spices of India" They are:
Ancient people used these spices for both culinary and health purposes. They included many of these in old herbal medicines. In Ayurvedic medicine, people chewed on cloves and cardamom after meals to promote saliva and aid digestion (we do this even today!).
What are the spices most used in Indian cooking?
CORIANDER SEEDS (DHANIYA)
Coriander seeds are seeds of the Coriandrum sativum plant from the parsley family. In other words, they are the seeds of the cilantro plant.
Cilantro seeds are tan-colored and round. As they are hard to chew, we often ground coriander to a coarse or fine powder. Its flavor is mellow and lemony and pairs with cumin.
CUMIN SEEDS (JEERA)
Cumin seeds are seeds of the plant Cuminum cyminum, yet another member of the parsley family. They are long, slender, and boat-shaped. Their colors range from black to green to white, the most common variety being light brown.
Indian recipes use Cumin seeds tempered in hot oil at the beginning of cooking. Doing this releases its natural bittersweet and smokey flavor.
CINNAMON - CASSIA BARK (DALCHINI)
There are two types of cinnamon available in the markets. In the U.S., cinnamon is cassia, harvested from an evergreen tree's bark and available in grocery stores.
It has a sweet, warm aroma with a more robust flavor than its close cousin, Ceylon cinnamon (a.k.a "true" cinnamon). Ceylon cinnamon is lighter in color and milder compared to cassia. In Indian cooking, Ceylon cinnamon is the one more used.
FENUGREEK SEEDS (METHI DANA)
Fenugreek seeds ("Methi" in Hindi) are tiny seeds with a nutty, sweet, maple-syrup flavor. Indians use them in many curries and chutneys. Fenugreek has medicinal uses too. Indians soak the seeds in water overnight to soften their texture. It also removes their bitter taste before using them in recipes.
DRY FENUGREEK LEAVES (KASOORI METHI)
Dry fenugreek leaves have a savory, warm aroma with a nutty, somewhat herbal taste, like fennel. These leaves are often used in various sauces, curries, and marinades. Fenugreek leaves are among the main ingredients in a flatbread called methi parathas.
GREEN CARDAMOM (CHHOTI ELAICHI)
Both green and black cardamoms come from the seed pods of plants belonging to the ginger family.
Green cardamom is "true cardamom," and it's the variant you'll find most in recipes. It has a sweet, robust, bright flavor with hints of mint and lemon. Indian cuisine uses a whole pod of green cardamom to flavor basmati rice and curries.
BLACK CARDAMOM (MOTI ELAICHI)
Black cardamom pods are larger than green and have a savory, smokey, more potent flavor. Recipes using black cardamom usually use the whole pod and seeds. We remove the pods after cooking.
BLACK PEPPERCORNS (KALI MIRCH)
Black Peppercorns are the most popular spice in the world. They add an earthy, woody, spicy flavor to almost any savory dish.
Indians use the whole peppercorn to make broth, stocks, and marinades. The largest peppercorns are Tellicherry peppercorns, famous for their potent and intense flavor.
MUSTARD SEEDS (RYE)
Mustard seeds come in several colors. The one Indian recipes use most is the black mustard seed. The black variety has the sharpest and most intense flavor.
The seeds are usually added whole at the start of cooking any dish. We temper mustard seeds in hot oil at the beginning of cooking and use them in stir-fries.
CLOVES (LAUNG)
Cloves are the flower bud of the clove tree, which is an evergreen tree. They come in the shape of a dark and small spike with a flower bud at the top. Cloves are super aromatic and spicy. Indian recipes use them to add flavor to vegetables, meats, and rice dishes.
Usually, we pick out cloves before serving to avoid biting into them (that is if we've used them whole in our recipe). When using them in dishes, a little goes a long way. Indian kitchens pair ground cloves most often with warming spices. This tames their robust and astringent flavor.
SAFFRON (KESAR)
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Saffron strands are hand-picked strands from the core of the flower Crocus sativus. Saffron infuses an earthy and deep floral flavor. This spice gives a light crimson hue when you touch it.
Top-quality saffron is bright red (with no hints of yellow) and smells like sweet hay. Saffron's color and flavor come out by soaking it in warm liquid before adding it to any recipe.
BAY LEAVES (TEJ PATA)
Bay leaves are the leaves of the Laurel tree (Laurus Nobilis) leaves, and we can get them fresh, dried, or ground. There are two varieties of bay leaves – Turkish and Californian. The Turkish (Mediterranean) is the more popular of the two.
Bay leaves have a mild, herbal, aromatic flavor. Indians generally use them in slow-cooked preparations like stews, rice, soups, and sauces.
CURRY LEAVES (KADI PATTA)
Curry leaves are a bright green and glossy herb from the same family as citrus fruits. Although they have the same name as curry powder, they differ.
They have a distinct flavor that is sweet and bitter, with citrus notes. You can get these leaves can both fresh and dried. Indian recipes use curry leaves in any dish, from rice to dal to even eggs! Some recipes may need you to remove the curry leaves after cooking, yet they remain edible.