The EssentialIndian Pantry Guide

The complex flavors of Indian food can lead cooks to assume that the ingre-dients are exotic and hard to find. In fact, many of the most-used spices in

the Indian kitchen are equally common to western cooks. The difference comes from how those spices are combined and used in a dish. What we call “curry powder” is actu-ally a generic (and anglicized) term for ma-sala, a spice blend that seasons Indian food and varies from region to region and dish to dish. Since ground spices lose their aromas quickly, most Indian cooks prefer to buy their spices whole and grind their masalas right before using them in a dish.

On the following pages are descriptions and flavor profiles of some of the most com-mon spices, herbs, and staples of the Indian kitchen—plus a few suggestions for how to combine them. Most of these spices can be found in a well-stocked grocery store, but for a few, like fenugreek and curry leaves, you may need to go to a specialty or Indian grocery store. We’ve included a few of our favorite mail-order sources as well, for the hard-to-find items.

With these spices and staples, you’ll be well stocked for tackling many Indian recipes

by Sarah breckenridge

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Appearance Flavor Profile How It’s Used

Bay leaves

Spear-shaped leaves, usually used in dried form.

Adds a floral, spicy, slightly minty fragrance to foods.

Dried leaves are added to rice pilafs for their aroma; the leaves are also toasted and then ground with other spices in the spice blend known as garam masala.

Cardamom Pale green or brown-black seedpods containing black seeds; the green pods are smaller than the black.

Green cardamom has a sweet floral-citrus scent with hints of ginger and pine. Black cardamom has a smoky scent and flavor.

An important ingredient in garam masala; also added whole to rice pilafs for aroma. Green pods are used in desserts and sweets.

Chiles (dried)

Red chiles � to 3 inches long. Spicy hot with fruity notes. Whole dried chiles are crumbled into stir-fries and curries. Ground chile (or cayenne) is an ingredient in some masalas.

Cilantro Sprigs of broad bright-green leaves; resembles flat-leaf parsley, but the leaves are more feathery and have a more delicate texture.

Powerful, clean-smelling aroma; bright flavor adds a cooling note to spicy dishes.

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves are a common garnish. Both the leaves and stems are used in sauces and chutneys.

Cinnamon Tightly rolled, dried inner bark of certain laurel-type trees. There are two varieties of cinnamon, cassia (reddish-brown, more common in northern India) and Ceylon (more common in the South).

Sweet and fragrant with a touch of heat. Cassia cinnamon is most common in the U.S. and can be substituted for Ceylon cinnamon.

Ground cinnamon is an essential ingredient in garam masala. Whole sticks are added to meat curries and rice pilafs for fragrance.

Cloves Nail-shaped dried flower buds with a plump, round head.

Warm and sweet, with an almost peppery bite and a fruity aroma.

An ingredient in garam masala.

Coriander seeds

Round, tan, papery seeds of the cilantro plant.

Slightly lemony, warm, piny flavor with a whiff of caraway.

One of the most common spices in Indian cuisine, coriander is used in all kinds of curries and lentil dishes, both whole and ground.

Cumin seeds

Small, slender, brown ribbed seeds.

Deep, pungent smoky flavor, piquant with an earthy aroma.

Another very common spice. Cumin is often used in a tarka—a combination of spices fried in oil and poured over a finished dish to flavor it.

Curry leaves

Spear-shaped, dark-green leaves that look a bit like bay leaves.

A pleasantly bitter flavor. Despite the curry-like aroma, they are not an ingredient in curry powder.

Usually fried in oil before being incorporated in a dish.

Herbs and Spices

3 www.finecooking.com Photos: Cilantro, Steve Hunter

Appearance Flavor Profile How It’s Used

Fennel seeds

Greenish-brown, narrow ribbed seeds.

Sweet, subtle licorice flavor. Part of the five-spice mixture panch phoran; whole fennel is also chewed after meals as a digestive. Ground, it shows up in savory dishes.

Fenugreek leaves

Available fresh or dried. Fresh leaves grow several sprigs to a stem, and the leaves themselves are teardrop-shaped.

Herbal, grassy, and bitter with a peanutty overtone.

Dried leaves are used to flavor savory dishes, especially vegetables and curries, and as a filling for layered paratha bread. The fresh leaves are eaten as a vegetable.

Fenugreek seeds

Squarish, yellow-brown seeds. Bitter, with a slightly maple-syrup fragrance.

Part of the five-spice mixture panch phoran; usually fried in oil to mellow its flavor before adding to curries or vegetable dishes.

Ginger Fresh ginger “root” is actually a rhizome—an underground, horizontally growing stem—of the Zingiber officinale plant.

Sweet, peppery, spicy, and warm. Many northern Indian meat dishes start out by sautéeing ginger, garlic, and onion. It’s the most important aromatic for many vegetarian dishes, which often omit onion and garlic.

Mace Mace is the lacy red membrane that covers a whole nutmeg; it’s most often available dried and ground.

Sweet, rich, nutmeg-like aroma. Used in northern Indian meat dishes and curries, and sometimes in garam masala.

Mustard seeds

Small, round hard seeds. Yellow-brown seeds are most common in the U.S., but the brownish-black seeds (from a different variety of mustard plant) are far more common in Indian cooking.

Pungent, sharp and hot—brown seeds are hotter than the yellow ones. Seeds must be crushed or moistened to develop the flavor.

Ubiquitous in southern Indian cooking, mustard seeds are usually fried in oil to release their flavor before adding to a dish; also used as a pickling spice.

Nigella seeds

Pointed black seeds that resemble black sesame seeds.

Sharp, astringent, with an oniony aroma.

Often sprinkled on flatbreads, nigella adds a visual and flavor punch. It’s also used in pickling spices and panch phoran.

Nutmeg The dried, brown marble-size seed of a tropical tree.

Sweet, warm with a tropical fragrance.

Used in masalas, particularly in northern India.

Turmeric Turmeric is a bright orange-yellow rhizome related to ginger; it’s most often available dried and ground.

Earthy with a bitter, peppery bite. Lends color to many curries and meat dishes. The flavor is strong, so a little goes a long way.

Herbs and Spices continued

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Appearance Flavor Profile How It’s Used

Red lentils (Masoor dal)

Pinkish-orange split round lentils. Like many lentils, masoor dal have a warm, earthy flavor.

Indian cooks use many different kinds of dried legumes for dals—essentially curried lentil dishes. Split red lentils are one of the fastest-cooking (and most widely available in North America).

Urad dal Tiny pale-beige split lentils. As whole lentils, they’re actually black-skinned, but the split version usually comes skinless.

Skinless urad dal are very mild-tasting; when fried they have a slightly nutty flavor.

In southern Indian cuisine, urad dal is used as a spice as well as a legume; it’s often stir-fried with mustard seeds and then added as a flavoring for various dishes. It’s also ground and combined with rice flour to make batter for the crêpes known as dosas.

Grated coconut Fine- or medium-shredded dried coconut (or canned coconut milk) is the best substitute for the fresh coconut that’s such a staple in southern Indian food. Be sure to buy unsweetened coconut.

Nutty, rich, mellow and cooling. Coconut meat or milk acts as a counterpoint to spicy foods.

An important ingredient in India’s coastal regions, grated coconut is used to make fresh coconut milk—the base of many curries and desserts. Coconut chutney is a typical condiment on southern Indian tables.

Basmati rice

Fragrant white rice, with longer grains than American long-grain rice.

Basmati’s nutty aroma is an essential element of Indian food.

Rice is the major staple of the Indian diet, and there are many regional varieties, but basmati is perhaps the best known outside India. In the North, it’s made into elaborately spiced pilafs and biryanis (casseroles that also include meat and vegetables).

Other Essentials

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Mail-Order SourcesAdriana’s Caravanwww.adrianascaravan.com

Penzeys Ltdwww.penzeys.com800-741-7787

Kalustyan’swww.kalustyans.com800-352-3451

Spice Blends

Panch PhoranYield: About 1⁄4 cup

This blend, which literally trans-lates to “five spices,” is a mix of whole seeds that are toasted in oil and added to vegetable dishes in the Bengal region of northeastern India.

1 Tbs. nigella seeds1 Tbs. fenugreek seeds1 Tbs. fennel seeds1 Tbs. cumin seeds1 Tbs. brown mustard seeds

Combine all spices. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid until ready to use.

Garam MasalaYield: 1⁄2 cup

Garam masala, which means “warm spice,” is a mix of toasted, ground spices used throughout northern India, though the components and proportions vary a bit from region to region. It’s generally added in the last step of cooking a dish. This version comes from Julie Sahni’s samosa recipe at FineCooking.com.

2 Tbs. cumin seeds 2 Tbs. coriander seeds 2 Tbs. black peppercorns 2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from about 8 pods) 1 tsp. whole cloves 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken and slightly

crushed 3 bay leaves, bruised 1⁄2 tsp. grated nutmeg

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add all the spices except the nutmeg, and toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until spices are several shades darker and very aromatic, about 6 minutes. Cool the spices on a plate, add the nutmeg, and grind to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

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