The Essential Indian Pantry

Guide by Sarah Breckenridge

With these spices and staples, he complex flavors of Indian food can you’ll be well stocked for lead cooks to assume that the ingre- dients are exotic and hard to find. In tackling many Indian recipes fact, many of the most-used spices in theT 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 actually a generic (and anglicized) term for masala, 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 common 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. Photos: Scott Phillips, unless otherwise notedotherwiseunlessPhillips, Scott Photos:

Bay Spear-shaped leaves, usually used Adds a floral, spicy, slightly minty Dried leaves are added to rice pilafs for their leaves in dried form. fragrance to foods. 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 Green cardamom has a sweet floral- An important ingredient in garam masala; seedpods containing black seeds; citrus scent with hints of ginger and also added whole to rice pilafs for aroma. the green pods are smaller than pine. Black cardamom has a smoky Green pods are used in desserts and sweets. the black. scent and flavor.

Chiles Red chiles 2 to 3 inches long. Spicy hot with fruity notes. Whole dried chiles are crumbled into stir- (dried) fries and curries. Ground chile (or cayenne) is an ingredient in some masalas.

Cilantro Sprigs of broad bright-green Powerful, clean-smelling aroma; Chopped fresh cilantro leaves are a common leaves; resembles flat-leaf parsley, bright flavor adds a cooling note to garnish. Both the leaves and stems are used but the leaves are more feathery spicy dishes. in sauces and chutneys. and have a more delicate texture.

Cinnamon Tightly rolled, dried inner bark of Sweet and fragrant with a touch Ground cinnamon is an essential ingredient certain laurel-type trees. There are of heat. Cassia cinnamon is most in garam masala. Whole sticks are added to two varieties of cinnamon, cassia common in the U.S. and can be meat curries and rice pilafs for fragrance. (reddish-brown, more common in substituted for Ceylon cinnamon. northern India) and Ceylon (more common in the South).

Cloves Nail-shaped dried flower buds with Warm and sweet, with an almost An ingredient in garam masala. a plump, round head. peppery bite and a fruity aroma.

Coriander Round, tan, papery seeds of the Slightly lemony, warm, piny flavor One of the most common spices in Indian seeds cilantro plant. with a whiff of caraway. cuisine, coriander is used in all kinds of curries and lentil dishes, both whole and ground.

Cumin Small, slender, brown ribbed Deep, pungent smoky flavor, Another very common spice. Cumin is often seeds seeds. piquant with an earthy aroma. used in a tarka—a combination of spices fried in oil and poured over a finished dish to flavor it.

Curry Spear-shaped, dark-green leaves A pleasantly bitter flavor. Despite Usually fried in oil before being incorporated leaves that look a bit like bay leaves. the curry-like aroma, they are not an in a dish. ingredient in curry powder.

www.finecooking.com Photos: Cilantro, Steve Hunter Herbs and Spices continued

Appearance Flavor Profile How It’s Used

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

Fenugreek Available fresh or dried. Fresh Herbal, grassy, and bitter with a Dried leaves are used to flavor savory dishes, leaves leaves grow several sprigs to a peanutty overtone. especially vegetables and curries, and as a stem, and the leaves themselves filling for layered paratha bread. The fresh are teardrop-shaped. leaves are eaten as a vegetable.

Fenugreek Squarish, yellow-brown seeds. Bitter, with a slightly maple-syrup Part of the five-spice mixture panch phoran; seeds fragrance. usually fried in oil to mellow its flavor before adding to curries or vegetable dishes.

Ginger Fresh ginger “root” is actually Sweet, peppery, spicy, and warm. Many northern Indian meat dishes start a rhizome—an underground, out by sautéeing ginger, garlic, and onion. horizontally growing stem—of the It’s the most important aromatic for many Zingiber officinaleplant. vegetarian dishes, which often omit onion and garlic.

Mace Mace is the lacy red membrane Sweet, rich, nutmeg-like aroma. Used in northern Indian meat dishes and that covers a whole nutmeg; it’s curries, and sometimes in garam masala. most often available dried and ground.

Mustard Small, round hard seeds. Yellow- Pungent, sharp and hot—brown Ubiquitous in southern Indian cooking, seeds brown seeds are most common in seeds are hotter than the yellow mustard seeds are usually fried in oil to the U.S., but the brownish-black ones. Seeds must be crushed or release their flavor before adding to a dish; seeds (from a different variety moistened to develop the flavor. also used as a pickling spice. of mustard plant) are far more common in Indian cooking.

Nigella Pointed black seeds that resemble Sharp, astringent, with an oniony Often sprinkled on flatbreads, nigella adds seeds black sesame seeds. aroma. a visual and flavor punch. It’s also used in pickling spices and panch phoran.

Nutmeg The dried, brown marble-size seed Sweet, warm with a tropical Used in masalas, particularly in northern of a tropical tree. fragrance. India.

Turmeric Turmeric is a bright orange-yellow Earthy with a bitter, peppery bite. Lends color to many curries and meat dishes. rhizome related to ginger; it’s most The flavor is strong, so a little goes a long way. often available dried and ground.

www.finecooking.com Other Essentials Appearance Flavor Profile How It’s Used

Red lentils Pinkish-orange split round lentils. Like many lentils, masoor dal have a Indian cooks use many different kinds of (Masoor dal) warm, earthy flavor. 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 Skinless urad dal are very mild- In southern Indian cuisine, urad dal is used whole lentils, they’re actually tasting; when fried they have a as a spice as well as a legume; it’s often stir- black-skinned, but the split version slightly nutty flavor. fried with mustard seeds and then added as usually comes skinless. 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 Nutty, rich, mellow and cooling. An important ingredient in India’s coastal coconut (or canned coconut milk) Coconut meat or milk acts as a regions, grated coconut is used to make is the best substitute for the fresh counterpoint to spicy foods. fresh coconut milk—the base of many curries coconut that’s such a staple in and desserts. Coconut chutney is a typical southern Indian food. Be sure to condiment on southern Indian tables. buy unsweetened coconut.

Basmati Fragrant white rice, with longer Basmati’s nutty aroma is an Rice is the major staple of the Indian diet, rice grains than American long-grain essential element of Indian food. and there are many regional varieties, but rice. 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).

Spice Blends Mail-Order Sources Adriana’s Caravan Garam Masala Panch Phoran www.adrianascaravan.com Yield: 1⁄2 cup Yield: About 1⁄4 cup Penzeys Ltd Garam masala, which means “warm spice,” This blend, which literally trans- is a mix of toasted, ground spices used lates to “five spices,” is a mix of www.penzeys.com throughout northern India, though the whole seeds that are toasted 800-741-7787 components and proportions vary a bit in oil and added to vegetable from region to region. It’s generally added dishes in the Bengal region of Kalustyan’s in the last step of cooking a dish. This northeastern India. www.kalustyans.com version comes from Julie Sahni’s samosa 800-352-3451 recipe at FineCooking.com. 1 Tbs. nigella seeds 1 Tbs. fenugreek seeds 2 Tbs. cumin seeds 1 Tbs. fennel seeds 2 Tbs. coriander seeds 1 Tbs. cumin seeds 2 Tbs. black peppercorns 1 Tbs. brown mustard seeds 2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from about 8 pods) 1 tsp. whole cloves Combine all spices. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid until ready 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken and slightly Fine Cooking magazine to use. crushed features hands-on, how- 3 bay leaves, bruised 1⁄2 tsp. grated nutmeg to cooking information for cooks of all skill Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add levels. The magazine is all the spices except the nutmeg, and toast, published seven times shaking the pan occasionally, until spices a year. 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 Visit FineCooking.com in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. to subscribe today.