There are 40 different spices used in Indian cuisine.
Here are some of the more frequently used spices found in your pantry.
• Turmeric— Turmeric, a ground spice, has an earthy supporting flavor. Of all the spices used in Indian cooking, this one has huge health benefits, and an astounding yellow color. Turmeric is also a great antiinfl ammatory.
• Cumin — Cumin seed is a spice with a flavor profile a little like caraway or dill, and is a staple of Indian cooking and curries.
• Garlic — What’s garlic doing in a list of Indian spices? Well, it’s not uniquely Indian (or technically a spice), but it is an essential Indian seasoning.
Using garlic cloves of the size you get in commercial garlic, between 4 and 10 cloves in a 4-person recipe will give you a good hearty garlic flavor. For a milder flavor, add it at the beginning when you start frying your onions, or for a sharper flavor, add it after your onions are soft, giving the garlic less cooking time.
• Ginger — Of all Indian spices, ginger is an absolutely essential ingredient for most curries, and is one half of the recipe for ginger garlic paste, used in most food of India. It’s fine to use this spice dried. Some recipes even call for it. Most Indian dishes call for ginger/garlic paste. If you have none, you can cut a 1-2 inch length of raw ginger, grated or minced and cook it with your garlic.
• Coriander — Coriander is the seed of cilantro, and is one of the most essential spices on the list. This seed has an aroma like citrus mixed with some leafy, woody notes, and is used in many dishes.
• Cilantro — The leaves of the same plant, cilantro are indispensable as a flavorful garnish for virtually any dish, but go especially well with rich, deeply-flavored dals and heartier meat dishes.
• Cardamom — There are two varieties of cardamom — green and black. Green cardamom tastes a lot like eucalyptus - Black cardamom seeds have the same eucalyptus scent as green ones. The key difference is that before being used in food, they’re dried over a fire, hence are blackened and smoky in flavor.
• Cinnamon/Cassia Bark (Dalachini) — Cassia bark is an ingredient you find in most Indian grocery stores. It is a relative of cinnamon, and you can use it in exactly the same way. Thus this advice goes for both cinnamon and cassia. Usually cinnamon and cassia bark are fried whole at the beginning cooking an Indian dish, and left in.
Source: www.masterindian.com
