Indian Spice For Home Cooke
Before being pulverized into spice mixes, the majority of spices—nutmeg foremost among them—are dry-roasted to liberate their essential oils. While a mortar and pestle may be used to blend certain spices, I usually suggest using a spice grinder or strong blender to ensure that your mixtures are crushed finely. This is because some spices, such as cassia bark, are difficult to blend into a fine powder.
1. Cardamom Pods
Indian cuisine uses two types of cardamom: green and black. The more popular kind, green cardamom is utilized in everything from lassis to Indian delicacies to spice mixtures. It has a soft, sweet taste with a hint of eucalyptus. When using green cardamom in spice blends, such as garam masala, the pod should be opened and the aromatic black seeds gently crushed before using the cardamom in sweets or pastries.
Conversely, black cardamom is quite potent and smokey, so take great care while using it. Typically, only the seeds would be utilized. If the whole pod is being used, it is preferable to remove it before serving since the meal may be quite hot to bite into.
2. Clove
Indian cuisine often uses cloves, and many of their dishes may be recognized by their anise undertones. The quantity of essential oils in cloves gives it a pungent, almost medicinal taste. Although they are legally considered flowers, cloves are stripped of much of their oils before being dried and used in food. You may use whole cloves or grind them up to add to spice blends. However, they should be used sparingly since they have a tendency to overshadow milder spices.
3. Cassia Bark
Spices like cassia bark are intriguing. It is a genus of cinnamon tree, sometimes called Chinese cinnamon. Cassia and cinnamon vary somewhat, and cinnamon is often identified as “true cinnamon.” The bulk of ground cinnamon is really manufactured from cassia bark, which is less expensive to produce. Indians cook using cassia, which has a milder taste and may be used in bigger amounts than real cinnamon.
In spice blends, cassia may be used whole or ground. Its rough, tree bark-like texture makes it easy to identify, and rubbing a bit on your fingers is the best method to determine how fresh it is. If there is a scent of cinnamon, the bark is fresh.
4. Black Pepper
Actually, black pepper is indigenous to India, mostly from the Malabar and Western Ghats regions. Because it is dependent on several natural cycles, such as a certain quantity of rainfall, it is a very difficult spice to cultivate, which is why fresh pepper costs fluctuate greatly.
Black pepper must be roasted before combining, much like most other spices. Nonetheless, you may also grind fresh black pepper right into food for the most taste.
5. Cumin Seeds
To give Indian cuisines a distinct smokey aroma, cumin seeds are often used whole and in spice mixtures. Its distinctive brown seeds with ridges and strong scent help identify it. It is commonly mistaken for fennel, caraway, and anise seeds, but its color (brown, not green, like fennel) and flavor (smoky, not stronger like licorice) help you distinguish it.
For maximum taste, ground cumin is best used fresh. While dry-roasting this spice, bear in mind that it burns quickly and that the flavor of burned cumin will be extremely apparent in your meal. Allow this spice to cool before mixing it into mixtures, toasting it for no more than 30 seconds or until you detect a faint scent of smoke.
6. Coriander
Probably the most common spice in an Indian spice cabinet is coriander. Its golden-yellow hue and softly ridged texture make it one of the oldest known spices in the world. The seeds have a strong citrus scent.
One of the most often used ground spices in Indian cooking is ground coriander, which is also used as a foundation for many spice blends. Similar to cumin, it must be dry-roasted until the seeds begin to take on a light golden-brown tint and begin to “dance” and pop in the pan.
7. Mace and nutmeg
Indian cookery makes extensive use of nutmeg spice and mace spice, two of my favorite spices. The nutmeg’s dark crimson outer layer is called mace. To prepare fresh nutmeg, slide off the mace and remove the pulpy outer layer. Its hard outer shell must be split off in order for it to start grating.
8. Mustard Seeds
In Indian cookery, mustard seeds—which come in three different colors—can be used interchangeably. Mustard seeds release their flavor when they are fried in oil or crushed. Mustard oil is a prominent ingredient in curries and curry powders, and its smokey, nutty taste is widely utilized in northern India.