CUMIN SEED ( JEERA)
CUMIN has a warm and powerful aroma. It is used for Tadka or Tempering the dal or vegetables. CUMIN SEEDS are even roasted and grounded into a fine powder. This powder is used to season yogurt, salad, cooked vegetables and some drinks.
ANISE SEED ( SAUF )
SAUF looks similar to cumin seed. It has sweet and pungent taste. It is used in curries and some snack too. This seed is often roasted and eaten after meals. It aids digestion.
ASAFETIDA ( HEENG )
HEENG is both used in form of powder or lump. Only a small amount of it added to the curries gives a rich flavor. This also helps in digetion.
CAROM SEED ( AJWAIN)
AJWAIN is smaller than the cumin seed. They are highly fragrant and smell and taste like thyme. It is often used for Tadka or Tempering. TADKA is a cooking method in which cooking oil is heated till very hot and whole spices are added to it and fried. This oil and spice mix is then added as a final touch or garnish to the dish. AJWAIN has properties that help it reduce the flatulence causing effect of beans. It also aids in digestion. AJWAIN is even used in preparing pickles and parathas.
CARDAMOM (ELAICHI)
Cardamom is one of the world’s very ancient spices. Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. The pod is used whole or split when cooked in pulses or vegetables. The seeds can be bruised and fried before adding main ingredients to the pan, or pounded with other spices as required. The pod itself is neutral in flavour and not generally used, imparting an unpleasant bitter flavour when left in dishes. It is ground mixed with other spices to make garam masala. CARDAMOM has digestive effects too.
GREEN CHILIES ( HARI MIRCH )
GREEN CHILIES add heat and zest to the curries. They are even a good source of vitamin C. They are used in pickles, chutney, curries, raita, salad and are eaten raw too.
RED CHILIES ( LAL MIRCH )
The RED CHILIES are ripe chilies. They are either soaked in water and grounded or sun dried and turned into powder. These chillies not only make the food hot but gives a red colour to the curries.
CINNAMON STICK ( DALCHINI )
CINNAMON STICK looks like brown cigar stick but are dried brown bark of the cinnamon tree. It is a sweet aromatic spice, it has antiseptic value too. It is used in the preparation of GARAM MASALA.
CORIANDER (DHANIA )
Dried CORIANDER seeds are round and pale brown in colour. It is one of the basic spices used while preparing Indian curries. It is even used while preparation of pickles, chutney and vegetables.
The green CORIANDER looks almost similar to parsley. It is used to make chutney and garnishing.
CURRY LEAF ( KARI PATTA )
CURRY LEAF is used in almost all of the South Indian dishes. It is also called as also called "sweet neem leaves." It is used almost like bay leaves, and especially in curries, usually fried along with the chopped onion in the first stage of the preparation. They are also used to make thoran, vada, rasam and kadhi. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life, and they don't keep well in the refrigerator. They are also available dried, though the aroma is largely inferior.
FENUGREEK ( MAITHI )
FENUGREEK SEEDS are hard, small, tiny rock like to look at and has bitter taste. They are used in very small quantity while preparation of vegetables, curries, pickles and pulses.
The fresh leaves of FENUGREEK is used in vegetables and even to prepare parathas.
The dried leaves are used in the curries too and often called as kasuri methi.
GARLIC ( LAHSUN )
When cloves of GARLIC used in food, it brings pungent, spicy flavor. It is often used along with onion, tomato and ginger to make curries. The flavour varies in intensity and aroma with the different cooking methods. It can be added to the dishes raw, chopped or pressed garlic in many of our dishes. But if you can not tolerate the aroma of raw garlic then you can add it while cooking.
In most of the Indian dishes garlic is added either chopped or in the form of paste but now a days garlic is even available in the form of powder, ready to use.
GINGER ( ADRAK)
GINGER is used peeled, chopped or ground into paste while cooking vegetables, lentils or soups. GINGER has pungent and hot flavour. It is even used to prepare ginger tea.
MUSTARD SEED ( RAI )
MUSTARD SEED are black, brown or yellow in colour. They are used to Tadka or Tempering the dal, chutney, pickles or vegetables just like CUMIN SEED. The MUSTARD POWDER is also used to prepare vegetables.
PEPPERCORN ( KALI MIRCH )
PEPPERCORN is used both in the powdered, crushed and the seed form in many Indian dishes.
POPPY SEED ( KHUS KHUS )
POPPY SEED is roasted and made into paste to add in the curries. It is commonly used in the preparation of korma, ground poppy seed, along with coconut and other spices, are combined as the masala to be added at the end of the cooking step.
SESAME SEED ( TIL)
SESAME SEED is used like POPPY SEED roasted and made into paste to add in the curries. SESAME SEED is even used to some sweet mixed with sugar or jaggery.
TURMERIC ( HALDI )
TURMERIC is used in almost all the curries, it gives yellow colour to them. It is dried and used in the form of powder. It even has antiseptic quality.
MANGO POWDER ( AMCHUR )
Amchur is an Indian spice made from the flesh of dried green mangos. It preserves the acidic, tart, and slightly spicy flavor of unripe mangos for use in curries and other dishes.
TAMARIND ( IMLI )
TAMARIND adds sour taste when added to soup, vegetable or dal. It is available in form of dried pulp or paste too. Sometimes tender leaves of tamarind are even used with lentils, and it is also dried and used in place of ripe tamarind for mild flavour.
