Hey fellow adventurers! A lot of things come to mind when I think about India and spices are definitely one of them. India produces over 70% of the world’s spices. They love their spices! And I can’t blame them. I love using spices to make up for my terrible cooking skills. Now, I’m not saying Indians do this (Indian is my favorite food), but you can. When I’m talking about spices, I don’t just mean spicy spices but everything. I can’t handle anything spicy, personally. Unfortunately, I can’t talk about every spice that comes from India but I’ll cover the most popular.
Corianders Seeds (Dhania) and Powder
Corianders is sweet and tangy with a slight citrusy taste. It is commonly used in making pastries, bread, and fish. It is also occasionally used as a replacement for salt in savory meals and is a key ingredient in curry.
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
Cumin seeds have a nutty, somewhat bitter taste with a slight hint of lemon. It is used to flavor rice and stuffed vegetables, as well as add to a lot of savory dishes and curries (especially beef dishes). Often times, cilantro is also added.
Cardamom Black (Badi Elaichi or Kali Elaichi)
Cardamom is one of India’s favorite spices. It’s commonly used in curries, savory and sweet dishes, ice cream and custards. It is also the 3rd most expensive spice in the world. Cardamom has a sweet, lemony, eucalyptus flavor.
Mustard Seeds (Sarson/Shorshe/Rai)
Mustard seeds have a mild, somewhat bitter taste. Raw food can be cooked in oil flavored with mustard seeds or it can be poured over some dishes just before serving. They help emulsify liquids use in salad dressing recipes to help blend oil and vinegar and add a spicy zip. They are a popular addition to vegetable dishes, beans, pastries and pickles.
Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
Turmeric has a pungent, bitter flavor with scents of orange and ginger. It is one of India’s favorite spices and the 9th most expensive spice in the world. It is used in curries, fish dishes and with beans. Sometimes people use turmeric instead of saffron because of its bright, yellow color.
Red Chili Powder
Red chili powder is very hot because it is made from the hottest part of the chili, the dried, ground seeds of the chili. Unlike other chili powders, Indian chili powder is pure ground chilis.
Ginger (Adrak)
Ginger is both spicy and sweet. It can be used in sweet dishes, desserts, or in savory dishes such as hot curries and stir fries. It is considered an aphrodisiac.
Garam Masala
Garam Masala means “hot spices” and is made up of a mixture of ground spices (often cloves, cardamom, cumin, peppercorn, cinnamon, and bay leaves). The portions and spices change depending on what you’re making. Garam Masala is different for a fish recipe versus a beef or chicken recipe.
Cinnamon (Darchini)
Cinnamon is a sweet tasting spice and many find the smell of it to be calming. It’s the 5th most expensive spice in the world. It is available as a powder but a lot of people prefer it in stick form. Whole cinnamon is used for spacing hot drinks, ground – in cakes, sweet dishes, fruit pies (especially apples), as well as being used in more savory dishes, such as curries, and combines perfectly with chicken.
Cloves (Laung/Lavang/Grambu)
Cloves have been used in India for thousands of years, not only in cooking, but to sweeten the breath and to relieve the pain of toothache. They contain a mild anesthetic. It’s the 4th most expensive spice in the world. Whole cloves are frequently used to flavor meat dishes, curries, and soups.
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
Fenugreek seeds have a curry-like taste. In fact, it is one of the main ingredients of curry powders. It is also used to add flavor to meat dishes. And is considered an aphrodisiac.
Fennel Seeds (Saunf or Mouri)
Fennel seeds taste like a more bitter version of black licorice. It’s used to sweeten curry dishes and is sometimes paired with peanuts or citrus fruits. They’re most popularly roasted and eaten after a meal to freshen the breath.
Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
Nutmeg has a slightly sweet, nutty taste. It is the 7th most expensive spice in the world. Nutmeg is used to add sweet and savory flavor to dishes such as pies, custards, puddings, cakes, soufflés, vegetables, egg dishes, lamb, fish, and beverages.
Peppercorns (Kali Mirchi)
Peppercorns have a pungent, woody aroma and hot, biting taste. It is the 8th most expensive spice in the world. Pepper is the only spice that is used to flavor food before, during and after cooking. Whole or grounded peppercorns can be added to most savory dishes.
Asafoetida
Asafoetida is also known as devil’s dung due to its pungent smell while raw. Most commonly used in powder form, asafoetida gets a truffle-like flavor and garlicy smell once cooked. It is mainly used for digestive purposes due to its supposed antiflatulence properties.
Saffron (Zaffran)
Saffron has a distinctively pungent, honey-like flavor and aroma. It is by far the most expensive spice in the world with one pound costing anywhere between $2,200-8,000. It’s available in either thread and powder form. The threads can be lightly roasted, crumbled in a hot water and left to infuse to bring out their full strength. Saffron is used to color rice dishes, sweets, puddings, sauces and soups to bright yellow.
If there’s any spices you think should have been on the list that wasn’t, please comment below! Until our next adventure!
Greetings! I’ve been following your website for
some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a
shout out from Humble Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep
up the fantastic work!
Simply wish to say your article is as astonishing.
The clarity to your post is simply spectacular and i could suppose you are knowledgeable on this subject.
Fine together with your permission allow me to clutch your
feed to stay up to date with drawing close post. Thank you 1,000,
000 and please carry on the enjoyable work.
This article offers clear idea for the new viewers of
blogging, that really how to do blogging and site-building.
It’s truly a great and helpful piece of info.
I am glad that you just shared this helpful information with us.
Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
It is the best time to make a few plans for the long run and it is time to be
happy. I’ve learn this publish and if I could I desire to suggest you some interesting things
or advice. Perhaps you could write next articles
referring to this article. I desire to read even more issues about it!
Have you ever thought about creating an ebook or guest authoring on other sites?
I have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have
you share some stories/information. I know my readers
would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.
I absolutely love your blog and find the
majority of your post’s to be what precisely I’m looking for.
Would you offer guest writers to write content for you?
I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write related to here.
Again, awesome blog!
I’m not sure exactly why but this weblog is loading very slow for me.
Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end?
I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
I’m not sure exactly why but this blog is loading incredibly slow for
me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end?
I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉
I may revisit once again since I bookmarked it.
Money and freedom is the greatest way to change,
may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re working with?
I’m having some small security problems with my latest website and I’d like
to find something more risk-free. Do you have any suggestions?
Hey there! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead
and give you a shout out from Austin Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up
the fantastic job!
Wonderful views on that!
Hello, I wish for to subscribe for this website to take latest updates, so where can i do
it please assist.
After I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new
comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive
4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is
a way you can remove me from that service?
Thank you!
Hi would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re utilizing?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog
loads a lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good hosting provider at a honest price?
Cheers, I appreciate it!
Post writing is also a fun, if you know afterward you can write otherwise it is complex
to write.
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several e-mails with the same
comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Appreciate it!
I didn’t know that.
With havin so much written content do you ever run into
any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My blog
has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my permission. Do you know any ways to help prevent content from
being stolen? I’d really appreciate it.
This is the right blog for anyone who wants to understand this topic.
You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa).
You certainly put a new spin on a subject that
has been written about for years. Wonderful stuff, just great!
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up plus the rest of the site is
also very good.
Useful info. Lucky me I found your web site unintentionally,
and I’m surprised why this coincidence did not came about earlier!
I bookmarked it.
Remarkable things here. I am very satisfied to peer your post.
Thank you a lot and I’m taking a look forward to touch you.
Will you please drop me a e-mail?
Your method of telling the whole thing in this paragraph is genuinely good, all can easily
know it, Thanks a lot.
You can certainly see your skills in the work you write.
The arena hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to mention how they believe.
Always go after your heart.
It’s an amazing piece of writing in favor of all the online viewers; they will
take benefit from it I am sure.
With havin so much written content do you ever run into any issues
of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of completely
unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of
it is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any methods to help prevent content from being stolen? I’d truly appreciate it.
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital
to assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts.
Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement
you access consistently quickly.
Very soon this website will be famous amid all blog users,
due to it’s pleasant articles or reviews
I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here.
The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish.
nonetheless, you command get bought an shakiness over that
you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the
same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.
You can certainly see your enthusiasm in the article you write.
The world hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to say how they believe.
All the time follow your heart.
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this webpage’s articles or reviews everyday along with a
cup of coffee.
Terrific post but I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject?
I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little
bit further. Cheers!
Pretty portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to say that I acquire in fact
loved account your blog posts. Any way I’ll
be subscribing to your feeds or even I achievement you get right of entry to constantly
fast.
This piece of writing will assist the internet people for building up new blog or even a
blog from start to end.
I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet visitors, its really really
good article on building up new webpage.
Someone necessarily help to make severely posts I’d state.
That is the first time I frequented your web page
and to this point? I amazed with the research you made to create this particular
submit amazing. Fantastic process!
Just desire to say your article is as surprising.
The clearness in your post is simply cool and i can assume you are an expert on this
subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to
keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the
gratifying work.
I relish, cause I discovered exactly what I used to be looking for.
You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a
nice day. Bye
I think this is among the most significant info for me. And i am
glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general
things, The site style is great, the articles is really excellent : D.
Good job, cheers
For the reason that the admin of this site is working,
no doubt very rapidly it will be well-known, due to its quality contents.
I really like what you guys are usually up too.
This sort of clever work and reporting! Keep up the very good works guys I’ve included you guys to blogroll.
I do consider all of the concepts you’ve offered in your post.
They are very convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are too brief for newbies.
May just you please prolong them a little from next time?
Thank you for the post.
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something
that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and very
broad for me. I am looking forward for your next
post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!
Hello, all is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that’s really good, keep up writing.
This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am actually pleassant
to read everthing at single place.
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you need to publish more on this subject, it may not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t discuss these topics.
To the next! Kind regards!!
It is really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you just shared this helpful information with us.
Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post.
Thank you for providing this information.