5 Spices You Need to Start Cooking More Indian Food (2024)

FAQs

5 Spices You Need to Start Cooking More Indian Food? ›

Garam masala

This spice blend is usually made with ground coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon bark and cloves, but you could always add to it or, like my biji, create your own using the spices you like best.

Garam masala

This spice blend is usually made with ground coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon bark and cloves, but you could always add to it or, like my biji, create your own using the spices you like best.

Five spice powder usually has clove, star anise, Szechuan pepper, cinnamon & fennel seed. Some regions switch out one of these and add ginger root. It was created to use all five tastes such as sweet, bitter, sour, salty and spicy.

Black Pepper is considered the 'king of spices' and rightfully so. Unlike its perennial companion, salt, which is easily available in any nook and corner of the world, the black pepper owes its origins to Kerala – a state in South India.

You'll find hing or asafatida in about 90% of Indian recipes. It's that pale looking spice that smells a bit like eggs and tastes rather bitter. But don't be put off by hing's foul odour - most Indians certainly aren't. Hing is the spice responsible for giving Indian food its heady and authentic flavour.

Several of the spices in 'indian' cooking will impart a sense of heat - ginger, peppercorns etc - but the single ingredient used in restaurants & take-aways as a last-minute heat booster is Cayenne chilli powder.

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

TURMERIC. That is the go to spice in any South Indian kitchen to enhance a dish.

What are the best spices to add to curry? ›

If you want to delve into the blend of spices that make up curry blends, you'll need turmeric, ginger, mustard, cumin, and black pepper. Depending on the use or flavor you're looking for, the seasoning might include garlic, cinnamon, coriander, fenugreek, and more.

Indian cuisine has some of the spiciest dishes on the world menu. Most of my cooking class clients ask me the same question. "What makes Indian food spicy?" And the answer to the question is just two words - "Thai green chili" and "Chili powder".

Indian Origins

Spices and herbs such as black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom have been used by Indians for thousands of years for both culinary and health purposes. Spices indigenous to India (such as cardamom and turmeric) were cultivated as early as the 8th century BC in the gardens of Babylon (2).

Garam masala consists of ground spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, bay leaf, mace and black pepper. Some versions even consist of fennel seeds, red chilies and black cardamoms.