Indian Herbs And Spices

By Author: Silvia Blach
Total Articles: 19
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Spices are one of the most important ingredients of Indian cuisine. Without them, Indian cuisine would lose its distinctiveness and be as ordinary as the others. Spices and herbs are also one of the reasons why Indian cuisine is becoming increasingly adored by people around the world.

One of the most famous Indian food, the curry, is one example of the ingenious blend of herbs and spices in India. Curry which came from the word kari literally means vegetables drenched 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 could be found in India, however, you need not learn all of them. There are just some spices that you'll use more often than others such as the turmeric, asafetida, chilli pepper, tamarind, fenugreek, black mustard seed, cumin, aniseed, ginger, star anise, garlic and coriander seeds. In sweet dishes, rose petal essence, saffron, cardamom and nutmeg are often used. These herbs and spices, as well as other things related with Indian spices would be further explained below.

Bhuna ...
... - Bhuna is a method of cooking Indian spices, particularly gently stir-frying the spices in plenty of hot oil. This process is used to release and preserve the flavors 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.

Curry - This is an Indian dish that is made of assorted spices mixed and cooked together. The traditional Indian curry is made up of turmeric, fenugreek, black pepper, red pepper, as well as cloves, coriander and other spices.

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 vegetables, pickles and pulses.

Tamarind - This is the fruit of tamarind tree. Tamarind is homemade into pulp or can be readily bought from groceries before it is used in cooking recipes. This spice is dark brown in color and sour in taste. Tamarind is ideal to be used in cooking vegetables, chutney, sauces, pulses and snacks.

Cumin (Jeera) - Cumin seeds are very commonly used in Indian dishes, 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 flavor. It's available in whole or in powdered form. Cumin is found to have digestive attributes and is used to flavor food such as curry and vegetables.

Coriander Seeds - These round-shaped seeds have a mild, distinctive taste and sweet heady scent 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 dishes. 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.

Cardamom - Cardamom pods are not generally used but its brownish black seeds contained in the pods are used more often in Indian cooking instead, either whole or split. Ground cardamom loses its flavor quickly so it's advisable to grind it only when needed. Cardamom is a very versatile spice which can be used in sweet dishes as well as savory ones.

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.
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