There are almost 40 different spices in India. Many, like stone blossom and garcinia, are unknown and only utilised in specific areas. We’ve compiled a list of 24 key spices that may be found in almost all Indian dishes, spanning centuries of culinary traditions from across the subcontinent.
It’s almost mystical to combine traditional spices to create wonderful food. Exploring Indian cuisine would undoubtedly broaden your culinary horizons.
Top 24 Spice Indian Spice
The top 24 spices used in Indian cookery are listed below. Getting to know these spices is a terrific way to start learning more about them.
1. Cumin (Jira)
Cumin seed is a spice that tastes like caraway or dill and is a common ingredient in Indian cookery and curries. Cumin seeds are best used whole and cooked in oil at the start of a recipe (the process called taarka).
Cumin seeds will brown quickly at a higher heat, in around 15 seconds. Make sure they don’t burn, and you’ll know they’re done when they start to pop. Ground cumin powder is another important spice in India, and it’s one of the main constituents of the garam masala spice blend.
2. Turmeric (Haldi)
Turmeric is required in Indian cuisine. Turmeric is a ground spice with an earthy undertone. This spice provides the most health advantages of all the spices used in Indian cookery, as well as a stunning yellow colour. A teaspoon is usually all that is needed to flavour and colour a dish for a family of four. If you’re using black pepper for health reasons, make sure to add at least a dash in your meals. Turmeric is an excellent anti-inflammatory, but its effects are lessened without the piperine found in black pepper.
3. Green Cardamom (Cchoti Ilayachi)
Green cardamom has an unmistakable flavour. Because of a component called cineole, it tastes like eucalyptus (and so like many cough lozenges). It’s delicious fried in hot oil at the start of an Indian meal. In an Indian cuisine, you’ll usually find between two and six entire cardamom pods.
4. Cilantro
Cilantro, which is made out of the leaves of the same plant, is an essential flavorful garnish for almost any dish, but it goes especially well with rich, deep-flavored dals and heartier meat dishes. When working with cilantro, keep in mind that some individuals think it tastes like soap.
5. Coriander
Coriander is a cilantro seed that is one of the most important spices on our list.
This seed has a citrus aroma with some leafy, woody undertones, and it’s utilised in a variety of recipes including Madras and Vindaloo. The best approach to use coriander seeds is to grind them into a powder before adding them to a sauce.
6. Black Cardamom (Kali Ilayachi)
The eucalyptus aroma of black cardamom seeds is similar to that of green cardamom seeds, and it is one of the most important spices on our list. The main distinction is that they are dried over a fire before being used in cooking, giving them a blackened and smoky flavour.
The distinct aroma of black cardamom cannot be duplicated. They’re used in a lot of dishes. In recipes for 4 persons or less, one or two full black cardamom pods are commonly used. These are commonly seen in Biriyani in Indian cuisine.
7. Garam Masala
Garam masala is India’s most famous seasoning. It’s actually a blend of dried spices like as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, coriander, tej patta, and others. It can be found in a variety of foods, including Chana Masala. While your onions are frying or your sauce is simmering, add one to two teaspoons. It’s sometimes used as a garnish.
Learn how to create garam masala and utilise it in Indian cooking in this post. It’s worth noting that garam masala is the most versatile of all the spices. It’s unlike any other spice in that the components used to manufacture it differ greatly from place to region, and thus the flavour does as well. Some have a lot of fennel, while others have only a little, but no matter what meal you eat in India, this spice, or a combination of spices, will almost certainly be present.
8. Ginger (Adarek)
Ginger is the most important Indian spice, and it is one half of the recipe for ginger garlic paste, which is used in almost all Indian dishes. This spice can be used dry. It’s even called for in some recipes. Ginger/garlic paste is used in almost all Indian recipes. If you don’t have any, chop a 1-2 inch length of raw ginger, grated or minced, and sauté it with your garlic once your onions have been clarified. Make sure the ginger is peeled first.
9. Garlic (Lahasun)
What does garlic have to do with Indian spices? Although it isn’t specifically Indian (or officially a spice), it is an important Indian seasoning.
In a 4 person recipe, using garlic cloves the size of commercial garlic, between 4 and 10 cloves will give you an excellent hearty garlic flavour. If you want a softer flavour, add it when you first start frying the onions, or if you want a stronger flavour, add it after the onions have softened, giving the garlic less time to cook.
10. Fenugreek (Methi)
Fenugreek is one of the most delicate Indian spices. The seeds of fenugreek are bitter, but they have a lot of health benefits. The leaves are a green aromatic spice with a lovely maple-like scent and are less prone to bitterness. This Indian spice “smells like curry,” according to some.
This spice may be the most important of all Indian spices. In a family-size meal, use up to a few tablespoons near the end of the cooking time, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds provide numerous health benefits as well.
11. Asafoetida (Hing)
One of our favourite Indian spices is asafoetida (hing). Cooking with hing means cooking with one of the world’s most potent aromatic spices.
To use hing, make sure your oil or butter is heated before adding it to your frying pan. Before adding onions, garlic, or ginger, let it sear for a few seconds (5-20). Expect to use between 14 and 12 teaspoons of hing for a four-person lunch. Make sure it’s kept in a well sealed container. On our asafoetida blog, you can learn more about this spice.
12. Mango Powder (Amchoor)
This powder is commonly referred to as amchoor. It’s one of our favourite spices, and it adds a wonderful sourness to any dish. It’s a sour Indian seasoning that’s widely used.
This powder is high in acids because it is made up of dried mango, and a little goes a long way. In this blog entry on how to utilise amchoor, you may learn more about this ingredient.
If you want to buy amchoor powder then click here to buy badshah amchoor/amchur powder.
13. Cinnamon/Cassia Bark (Dalachini)
Cassia bark is a common ingredient in Indian supermarkets. It is a close relative of cinnamon and can be used in the same way. As a result, this recommendation applies to both cinnamon and cassia. Typically, cinnamon and cassia bark are cooked whole and left in an Indian meal at the start of the cooking process.
14. Tej Patta
Tej Patta is used in Indian cookery in the same way that European bay is. It’s normally added as a full leaf and cooked for the duration of the dish before being removed right before serving. It has an aromatic flavour that is similar to cinnamon and clove.
Tej Patta leaves are typically browned with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, and other frying spices at the start of a dish.
15. Fennel (Saunf)
Fennel and anise are both closely related to black licorice. Fennel is a major element in the flavouring of madras and other curries, and it’s fantastic as a whole spice in taarka. As an after-dinner mint, candied fennel seed is commonly used in Indian eateries.
16. Carom (Ajwain)
Carom is a powerful spice that is used in a variety of Indian recipes. Each little carom fruit has a large amount of thymol, which gives it a flavour similar to thyme but much stronger. In India, carom is commonly used in breads.
It is used sparingly in Indian dishes, fried first to create a smokey flavour, and pairs well with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and other forceful flavours like mustard, cardamom, or cumin.
17. Star Anise (Chakra Phul)
Anise has a similar flavour to fennel, but it’s spicier and less fragrant. In some Garam Masala recipes, star anise is used. It’s a fantastic frying spice, and it’s the main flavour in the incredible tamarind chutney you’ll find in many restaurants or as a dipping sauce with chapatis, samosas, and other Indian street foods.
18. Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
Nutmeg, whole and grated, is a ubiquitous component in Indian cooking, notably in south Indian cuisine. You can either shave it with a sharp knife or use it whole as a spice. Use a sharp knife to shave the nutmeg for this spice. You can also use nutmeg in a taarka step if you leave it whole or break it into larger chunks.
Nutmeg is toasted and ground with coconut, sesame, poppy, and mustard seeds, as well as other spices, to prepare masalas (spice mixes) for Keralan chicken curries and thattukada (street vendor) meals in south Indian cuisine and many Indian dishes.
19. Cloves (Lavang)
If you’ve ever made an Easter Ham, you’re familiar with cloves. They’re powerful. If you use too much, it will dominate other, more subtle flavours. Depending on the cuisine, we use anything from four to ten entire cloves for a family-sized supper. They’re another crucial component in biryani. They’re in meals like Patiala chicken, all Biryanis, and a variety of flavorful Indian curries.
20. Mace (Javitri)
The nutmeg seed is wrapped in mace, which is a webbing or leaf-like spice. Mace has a more savoury, musky flavour than nutmeg, yet their flavours are so close that they’re often misunderstood.
Mace is frequently fried whole, and one blade or leaf of mace is usually sufficient to add a powerful flavour.
21. Mustard Seeds (Rai)
Mustard seeds, whether brown, yellow, or black, are a key component in Indian cooking, lending a nutty, pungent note to many curries, and, like many of the other spices we’ve covered, they’re frequently preferred for frying in oil at the start of a preparation.
22. Indian Red Chili (Lal Mirch)
The heat of Indian red chilli is similar to that of cayenne pepper, though it can be harsher or milder depending on where the chilies are cultivated and how they’re prepared. It has a brighter red colour and a more flowery flavour than cayenne. When managing the heat of your cuisine, this is a fantastic ingredient to add slowly at the end.
23. Black Pepper (Kali Mirch)
Black pepper has a distinct flavour that we are all familiar with. It’s worth noting that its sharpness is one of a kind in the pepper world. You’re more likely to taste black pepper’s heat before any other spicy ingredient, and it offers a robust high flavour note that no other spice can match.
24. Curry leaves (Kadhipatta)
Curry leaves are one of the most intriguing Indian spices, despite not being the least important. They’re Murraya koenigii leaves, and while they’re available dried, they’re best used fresh in the first or second stage of cooking, fried with onions and tadka spices to lend a pungent, citrus-like aroma.
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