|
Spices are one of the most remarkable ingredients of Indian food. Without them, Indian cooking would lose its soul and be as ordinary as the others. Spices and herbs are also one of the reasons why Indian food is becoming increasingly adored by people all over the world.
One of the most famous Indian food, the curry, is one example of the clever blend of herbs and spices in India. Curry which derived from the word kari literally means vegetables immersed in spices. Curry became so attached with Indian cooking that in fact, made it a symbolism of Indian food in all parts of the world.
There are thousands of spices and herbs that are used in Indian cooking, however, you need not know all of them. There are just some spices that you’ll need more often than others such as the asafetida, turmeric, chilli pepper, tamarind, black mustard seed, fenugreek, aniseed, cumin, ginger, star anise, coriander seeds and garlic. In sweet dishes, saffron, rose petal essence, cardamom and nutmeg are often used. These herbs and spices, along with other things related with Indian spices would be further explained below.
Bhuna - Bhuna is a method of cooking Indian spices, particularly gently frying the spices in a substantial amount of hot oil. This process is used to unleash and preserve the aroma of the spices while removing the raw taste of them.
Tadka - This is also a process of cooking spices which is similar to Bhuna. However, the difference is that Tadka is used for whole spices only.
Masala - Masala is a term in India which means blend of spices cooked in oil. Its most popular version is the Garam Masala which is used in cooking many Indian food like curry. This mixture of five or more dried spices is usually added at the end of cooking to retain its flavor. Every region has its own blend of Garam Masala.
Mustard seeds - These small round seeds that are reddish brown to black in color are commonly used in Indian dishes. Indian recipes may call for the use of this spice in the form of whole, broken to pieces, in paste or powdered form. Mustard seeds are commonly used to flavor pickles, vegetables and pulses.
Turmeric (haldi) – Turmeric is used frequently in Indian cooking. This intense bright-yellowish powder is derived from grinding the dried roots. This spice is widely used not only in India, but also in other Asian countries because of the aroma and beautiful color it imparts to a dish.
Cumin (Jeera) - Cumin seeds are very commonly used in Indian cooking, particularly that of North Indian. Its taste is distinctive, slightly bitter yet gives a dish a sweet aroma. When roasted or cooked in hot oil, cumin seeds release a more intense scent. It’s available in whole or in powdered form. Cumin is found to have digestive attributes and is used to flavor food such as vegetables and curry.
Coriander Seeds – These round-shaped seeds have a mild, distinctive taste and sweet heady aroma which can be used whole or ground into powder for cooking. Like most other spices, coriander seeds are not interchangeable with coriander leaves.
Ginger (adrak) - This spice with peppery flavor and slightly sweet in taste is very commonly used in Indian cooking. Its aroma is pungent and spicy. Please note that fresh ginger and dried ground ginger cannot be used interchangeably in a recipe.
Curry Leaves - Curry leaves are aromatic leaves mainly used fresh to flavor a South Indian dish and like bay leaves, are not eaten. They are available fresh or dried.
Asafetida (hing) - It is the dried gum resin extracted from an Indian plant that has a strong odor and mildly spicy and garlicky flavor. Just a pinch of this yellow powdered spice is usually used for cooking fish, vegetables and making Indian pickles.
These are some of the things you need to know about Indian spices and herbs. Indian spices are not really difficult to deal with and some are similar to what we use in other cuisine. It is just a matter of mixing and cooking them in a right way.
Indian Food Recipes is an online Indian cooking website offering a collection of free Indian recipes and cooking tips.
|
|
SIGN
UP FOR FREE
