Some Common Indian Spices

 Whenever you enter an Indian household food fragrance floats universally, and it also manages to enter the neighborhood. While Indians are known to use a wide array of spices or masalas some ingredients are routinely used.

People use almost 80 spices in their recipes in India. Of these, a large number of spices are grown in India to be consumed locally and exported as well. Remember almost all the masalas used in the country contribute to health and contain many antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals besides the medicinal properties. Some are even able to fight cancer, reduce cholesterol, and ward off common diseases. Spices used in everyday cooking as well as in special recipes are:

Coriander is used in the wholesome form and in powdered form. If you peek into the kitchen in an Indian household you will find round container comprises of smaller containers that contain spices and coriander is one of them. It is the best curry flavor with a citrusy fragrance a not-so-sweet taste with a nutty aroma. In many recipes, the whole spice coriander can be fun to crunch

Turmeric is known globally for a plethora of medicinal properties the woody spice is a dried rhizome. It is used both as a whole as well as in the powdered form. Usually, it is available as whole rhizomes and powdered before use.

Cumin is used as a whole especially during blooming along with its powdered form in most of the recipes and curries. It is simply indispensable. It is savory, nutty, and mildly pungent. Remember masalas when used in conjunction change the flavor and aroma of the recipes and rarely dominate as independent.  

Mustard seeds are used as a whole and rarely grounded. They have a strong pungent taste like mustard oil but the seeds are odorless.  

In India, most housewives store the masalas as a whole and ground them in measured quantities, and stored them for daily use. Small flour mills do the job of grinding for a small charge. Wholesome spices are readily available in Indian markets. Living Beyond sells wholesome spices in attractive packing. It also sells premix recipes in wholesome form.   

Spice Variation in Our Kitchens

 Indian cuisine is vast and complex apart from base matter like vegetables, meat, and cooking oil, a large chunk of space is taken by spices.  In the forefront are the most common masalas which are used daily, while some rare spices also find storage in the cupboard. 

In India, as you travel across the country the flavors change for the same particular dish. You must note that even spices across the country change subtly in flavor. This is called regional variation. The regional variation makes the same recipe pan India different. It is these regional variations among the spices that change food dynamics in India.

Desi Masalas

Chefs and even housewives are known to make special efforts to procure these spices preserve them in their pantries, and use them when required. These rare spices vary from region to region take for example chilis (red pepper). Some masalas like saffron, Jaiphal, or nutmeg and mace are not rare, but nevertheless, they are used rarely in special dishes. Both spices are used in conjunction with others usually in a recipe masala.  

Mind Boggling Varieties

There are mindboggling varieties of chillis in the country, and this applies to almost all common spices. Bhoot Jhalokia chili and Guntur chilies are supposed to be very hot, and highly pungent. When you enter a friend's kitchen you will realize the difference in the aroma that permeates the house. This indicates that a special variation of common spices is being used. Well, this is not always the case, even the cooking style makes a difference not to speak of the base materials being used. Due to variations, the top note or the base note may change. But the variation is very subtle hence a pav bhaji will taste like a pav bhaji only a little different. Yum!      

For the uninitiated, the Indian cuisine mainstay is the masalas, and they are used vigorously in all the kitchens pan India. Perhaps the extensive use of masalas is limited only to the Indian subcontinent and nowhere else.

In a masala, several spices are used in varied proportions. Coming back to variation, the percentage addition of each masala changes the taste subtly. Hence many factors influence the taste, aroma, and flavor of Indian recipes.

One more variation arises from how the masalas are preserved and used traditionally. Using a mix of whole spices makes a major difference in Indian cuisine. Unlike the overheated adulterated powdered spices, in this case, you can see and feel the masalas. Living Beyond sells whole spices in India in attractive packing. You have to open the packet, roast, grind them and add them as per the recipe.    

Three Most Common Spices of India That are Healthy

In the Ayurvedic System of medicine, spices are used not for taste but more so for their use as health ingredients or therapeutics. The same spices are used in Indian kitchens, they are used as flavors but the health benefits accrue. Very few people in other countries realize the health benefits of Indian spices. The role of spices is used in flavoring, coloring, and even as a preservative. Most of the spices are also used in the industry in pharmaceutical industry, medical, cosmetic, and perfumery.

The masalas also cure many diseases like heart disease, diabetes, skin disorders, and anti-inflammatory agents. They contain vital chemicals, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Some of the spices are also linked to preventing  AIDs, cancers, and other disabling diseases. Some of the spices are well touted for a healthy heart.    

The spices are used in various Indian recipes, and there are hardly any recipes where the masalas are not added. They are most often used in tampering. Some of the commonly used spices are:

Cumin

Cumin is universally used, except in sweets, it is called Jeera by many other vernacular names in different regions of India. Jeera has an aromatic odor and a sweet spicey taste. It is used as condiments but goes well with curries, soups, and even fried food where the powder is sprinkled over the whole seeds. Cumin is often roasted grounded and then used in the recipes. Cumin is used all over India in local and regional dishes hence, it is indispensable.    Nutritional Values.

Calories- 350Kcal,

Protein- 18.7g,

Total Fats- 15g,

Carbohydrates- 36.6g,

Fibre- 1.2g,

Minerals- 5.8g,

Calcium- 1080mg,

Phosphorus- 511mg,

Iron- 11mg

 

Turmeric 

Turmeric is a rhizome, that grows in India, and is also imported from Afghanistan. Its use is widespread, and pan India. It has a woody taste but obliterates when used in curry powders, and other masalas.  It is not very aromatic but often smells like orange and ginger. Turmeric is known as haldi in Hindi and has many other vernacular and regional names. It is easily recognizable because of its bright orange color and thus, it is often used as a dye in the industry.

Mustard Seeds  

Mustard is also known as "sarsonh" in Hindi, and many other vernacular and regional names. It's a small seed shaped like small round balls.  They are used as a whole and in powdered form. Oil is also extracted from mustard.  and is known as sarsonh oil in India. It is widely used in North India for frying.

Nowadays, spice is available as whole mustard seeds in beautiful packings.  It is sold all over India by Living Beyond company based in India. It is also available in whole-spice curry recipes sold by Living Beyond in India.

Spices Powdered and Whole Spices

The spices or masala inventory is an indispensable part of Indian kitchens these include powdered spices, fresh and dried herbs, and whole spices. Some spices are kept stored as whole spices since they are easier to store, easy to preserve, and remain stable for a long time. In comparison, preground spices are vulnerable to weather and moisture in storage rooms.

As compared to preground spices whole spices retain flavor for a long time as less surface area is exposed. The preground spices lose their flavor much faster. While being grounded they are subject to heat which further impacts their flavor. Thus, cooks all over the World prefer whole spices to powdered spices for precisely the reasons mentioned here.            

Nowadays many spice companies are marketing whole spices and premixed whole spices as they can be authenticated for freshness, and quality.  Coriander, cinnamon, chilis, clove, mustard, and cumin are used whole during blooming. The spices are best bloomed in ghee or clarified butter or mustard oil and lightly fried for the taste and flavor to mix with the rest of the ingredients.  Blooming is carried out for a few seconds so that the flavors and fragrances come out without causing the masala to get burned. Some of the herbs used as a whole are sacred Basil or tulsi, coriander, mint, and curry leaves.   

Some popular Indian spices are available in whole form as well. Many a lightly roasted and ground before adding them to recipes.

Asafoetida: is extremely fragrant and exudes an acrid pungent smell. But asafoetida is indispensable in many vegetarian recipes. Those unfamiliar with the spice may find it overwhelming but its fragrance which gels well with vegetarians adds much to the flavor and aroma of the dish. The spice is preserved in containers that are tightly closed else the smell will linger for a long in the kitchen.

Black Peppercorns: Black peppercorns are used both ways as whole or in powdered forms. In many recipes, most of the spices are added in whole form and black peppercorn is one of them.

Cardamom Pods are used in both nonvegetarians as well in vegetarian recipes. Cardamom pods with seeds inside create a sweet aroma and gel well with the masala mix while being cooked.  

Chilis are used in dried form and added during blooming. They are also cut into small pieces and added to recipes that impart pungency. But remember for most of the Indians who love spicey food chilis are indispensable. 

Coriander is stored dried and added directly to the recipes as well in powdered form. It is more used in powdered form.

Cinnamon finds its place in meat or rice dishes in Indian cuisine. Whole cinnamon sticks are usually added.

Cloves are also stored as a whole and added directly to the recipes. They impart a pungent, hot, and strong fragrance and cannot be consumed directly.

Using whole spices in Indian recipes is common practice all over the country. Whole spices are now widely available in attractive packing in India. Living Beyond a spice company in India sells wholesome spices in pure form as well as premix recipes for popular dishes.