|
|
| Ingredients |
| Allspice |
Allspice is the dried unripened fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant. The taste of allspice is similar to a mixture of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper - hence the name allspice. Allspice originally comes from the Caribbean. The Jamaican strain of the spice is regarded as the best (one of the alternative names for allspice is Jamaican pepper) and most of the world’s supply comes from Jamaica with the other main suppliers being Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. Allspice is a key ingredient in a lot of Caribbean dishes, including sausages as well as dishes such as curries. |
|
|
|
| Anise |
Anise is a plant that originated in the Middle East and is now widely grown in Europe, Asia and North America. Another name for anise is aniseed. The seeds and leaves have the taste and aroma of sweet liquorice and Indian anise has a slightly bitter taste. In India, anise is used mainly with breads and savoury dishes. The seeds are dry roasted and added to fish and vegetarian dishes. |
|
|
|
| Aniseed |
See Anise. |
|
|
|
| Asafoetida |
Asafoetida (sometimes called Hing) is a spice that is used extensively in vegetarian Indian curries. The asafoetida plant grows to a height of around six feet. The plant stems are from 2 to 3 inches in diameter at the base and sap is extracted from the stems. The sap hardens to a gum-like resin. This resin is difficult to grate and is usually pounded to a powder. The pure asafoetida powder is usually mixed with rice flour, gum arabic and turmeric to give the asafoetida powder that is used in cooking. Gum arabic is itself an edible resin and it is used as a food stabilizer. Asafoetida is very strong and should be used sparingly – follow the recipe and avoid the temptation to use too much. Asafoetida powder does not have a pleasant smell but this mellows in cooking, resulting in an onion/garlic taste. Asafoetida is widely used by Indian followers of Jainism who avoid eating onions and garlic. Asafoetida is sometimes hard to find in supermarkets. Garlic or onion powder can be used as a substitute. |
|
|
|
| Bay Leaf |
The Indian bay leaf comes from the cassia tree. A cooked bay leaf gives out a pungent aroma and has a mellow, spicy flavor. |
|
|
|
| Besan Flour |
Another name for Chickpea Flour. |
|
|
|
| Bhindi |
Bhindi is the Indian name for Okra. See the description for Okra. |
|
|
|
| Brinjal |
Brinjal is the Indian name for eggplant. |
|
|
|
| Caraway |
Caraway is an herb in the parsley family. Caraway has a pungent spicy taste and an aroma that is also spicy with a hint of anise. Be careful of seeing the word caraway in recipes for Indian dishes because often the spice that is meant is cumin. |
|
|
|
| Cardamom |
There are black and green cardamoms. The black cardamom is 4 times bigger than the green variety. Both varieties have a strong aroma and the aroma of the black cardamom is an essential part of garam masala. After saffron and cloves, cardamom is the third most expensive spice to buy. |
|
|
|
| Cassia |
Cassia is a spice that is often confused with cinnamon. In fact, the source, properties and tastes of cassia and cinnamon are very similar except that cassia has a more intense smell because of the higher level of volatile oil in cassia. Cassia is made from the bark of a tree. It is hard and woody, compared to cinnamon. Whereas cinnamon is fine and crumbly, cassia is coarser and stronger. This difference is easy to spot when buying the “sticks” but is more difficult when buying powdered spice – grinding cinnamon in a coffee grinder is easy but cassia is a lot tougher. To further blur the distinction between the two spices, cassia is often labeled and sold as cinnamon. |
|
|
|
| Cayenne Pepper |
Cayenne pepper is supposed to have originated from the Cayenne region of French Guiana (French Guiana is actually a department of France even though it is situated on the north coast of South America). Cayenne pepper has a hot and pungent taste and should be used sparingly in cooking (cayenne pepper is stronger than paprika). |
|
|
|
| Chana Dal |
This is a type of yellow lentils that are bigger than ordinary yelow lentils. The lentils have a nutty aroma. |
|
|
|
| Chickpea Flour |
Chickpea flour is made from ground split peas. It is a yellow color and has a spicy, nutty aroma. It is used to make snacks such as bhajis and pakoras, which are deep-fried snacks. |
|
|
|
| Chilli |
Chilli (or chili or chille) is a contained in most curries, either being added by itself or being part of curry powder and garam masala. Chillies differ greatly in heat from one variety to another and there is a scale that measures the heat called the Scoville scale. The jalpeno chilli is 4,000 on the Scoville scale and is often considered the watershed for chillies – below this is mild and above is medium and hot. Because there is a wide variety of chillies, you should be careful when using them in curries. Try a single chilli to start with and then experiment by adding mores chillies until you reach the heat level that you want. Make sure that you also know the variety of chilli that you are using as the heat level between varieties can differ dramatically (for instance, the bell pepper is zero, jalapeno around 4,000, habaneros around 300,000 – the Guinness Book of Records gives the record to a Red Savina Habanero which measured 577,000). |
|
|
|
| Cilantro |
Cilantro is a very important Indian cooking spice that has a mild, slightly sweet, orange-like flavour that blends with lots of other spices. It is a basic ingredient of curry powder and garam masala. It is mainly used as a powder that comes from the crushed seeds. Cilantro leaves are very aromatic and are often used as a garnish in Indian cooking. |
|
|
|
| Cinnamon |
Cinnamon is the inner bark of the laurel called Cinnamomum Zeylanicum. Cinnamon is used in cooking in either powder or rolled bark form. Cinnamon is an essential ingredient in garam masala. |
|
|
|
| Cloves |
Cloves have a warm aroma and a hot and bitter taste. Cloves are very strong spices and should be used sparingly because they can easily drown out the taste of other spices. In Indian cooking, cloves are a basic ingredient of garam masala and are often used in curry powders. |
|
|
|
| Coconut |
The coconut is the fruit of a palm tree. The fruit is large and covered in a very hard shell. Inside the shell is a liquid (coconut milk) and the white, sweet, coconut flesh. |
|
|
|
| Cumin |
Cumin is a very important Indian cooking spice, probably only second to cilantro. The combination of cumin and cilantro gives Indian dishes their distinctive pungent smell. Cumin’s aroma is very aromatic, and pungent, and cumin has a sharp, bitter and warm pungent flavor. Cumin is a key ingredient of curry powder and garam masala. |
|
|
|
| Curry Leaf |
Curry leaves come from a small deciduous tree. They are very aromatic and are used as an herb in cooking. The leaves give a mild spicy aroma with a hint of citrus and have a slightly bitter, lemon taste. The leaves are used in Indian cooking much like bay leaves and are often added to curries that contain fish or coconut milk. The leaves lose their potency very quickly so use fresh ones wherever possible. The leaves are typically fried in oil to release their fragrance and taste. |
|
|
|
| Curry Powder |
Curry powder is a mixture of ground spices. Each spice is roasted separately for the optimum time and is then ground into a powder. The different spice powders are mixed to make the curry powder. Some people shy clear of using curry powder, preferring to always use fresh spices when they are cooking. But if you don’t have a lot of preparation time, there is nothing wrong with using curry powder which keeps well if stored in an airtight container. You can readily buy curry powder from most supermarkets if you don’t make it yourself. |
|
|
|
| Dal |
See Pulses. |
|
|
|
| Dill |
Dill is an herb that grows to about 2 ft in height with feather-like leaves that grow to a length of about 6 in. Both the seeds and leaves (also known as dill weed) are used in cooking. In Indian cuisine, dill is often used to make masalas, curry powders and to flavor spinach and other leafy green vegetables. The dill seeds have a flavor that is similar to that of caraway seeds. Elsewhere, dill is probably best known for being used in pickling, such as in making dill pickles and sauerkraut. |
|
|
|
| Fennel |
Fennel is an aromatic spice that is used to give a slightly sweet flavor to foods. Fennel has an anise aroma and taste, although it is stronger than anise. Fennel is used to make garam masala and five spice powder. The refreshing taste of fennel has led to it being used as an after-meal breath freshener. |
|
|
|
| Fenugreek |
Fenugreek has a mild, pungent aroma and a bitter flavor that has a hint of celery. In India, fenugreek leaves (methi) are used as a vegetable (like spinach) and are also chopped up and mixed with dough for making naan bread. Fenugreek is a component of Bengali five spice powder (panch phoron). |
|
|
|
| Galangal |
Galangal is a spice from the ginger family and the root looks like ginger root. It is used a lot in Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian cooking and has similar properties to ginger when used culinary dishes. For this reason, you can often substitute ginger for galangal if you can’t get hold of galangal. But you should be able to find galangal in shops and supermarkets that sell a complete range of spices.
|
|
|
|
| Garam Masala |
Garam masala is a mixture of spices that give flavour and aroma to a curry. It is mainly used with meat dishes and sometimes with chicken and rice dishes. It is very rarely used in fish and vegetable dishes because of the strong aroma. You can make your own mixture or buy it from a good food store. There are lots of recipes for making garam masala so try them all out until you find the flavour that you like best. |
|
|
|
| Garlic |
A plant from the onion family. Garlic is used extensively in cooking and for medicinal purposes. Garlic has a pungent, spicy flavor that mellows with cooking. A full garlic bulb has many sections called cloves and the cloves are usually peeled and chopped when being used in cooking. |
|
|
|
| Garnish |
A garnish is something that is added to a dish either to add an extra flavor or to decorate the dish (or both). Common garnishes in Indian cuisine are cilantro, onions (raw and cooked) and sliced or chopped bell peppers. |
|
|
|
| Ghee |
Ghee is clarified butter. Most people use oil nowadays because of the high cholesterol in ghee. You can use any type of oil (such as groundnut, sesame, sunflower or corn). Do not fry in ordinary butter because it burns very quickly. You can buy ghee in cans or tubs from an Indian food store, or make your own. To make ghee, melt unsalted butter and simmer for around 50 minutes until the solids turn brown – then strain the mixture through a fine muslin cloth and refrigerate. |
|
|
|
| Ginger |
Ginger is a very common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is a plant root and is usually bought in pieces. You cut the outer skin off the ginger root before using it in cooking – most commonly you grate the ginger or chop it up into very fine pieces. Ginger has a warm, citrus like aroma and a hot flavor that has a bite. |
|
|
|
| Gram Flour |
Another name for Chickpea Flour. |
|
|
|
| Gur |
A dark, sticky, sugar made palm sugar. Similar to jaggery. |
|
|
|
| Hing |
See Asafoetida. |
|
|
|
| Jaggery |
A dark, sticky, sugar made from crushed cane sugar juice. Similar to gur. |
|
|
|
| Kaffir Lime |
Kaffir lime, also called makrut lime, is a lime that originated in Southeast Asia and is now grown in such diverse areas as Florida and Australia. The kaffir lime fruit is green in colour and has the shape of a pear. Both the leaves and rind are used in cooking, particularly in Thai cuisine. The leaves give a particularly tangy citrus taste and are used in curries, soups and salads. The rind has a slightly bitter citrus taste and is grated and used in curry pastes and fish cakes. The`zest (the fruit part of the rind) is used in Creole`cooking to add its distinctive citrus flavor. |
|
|
|
| Lemon Grass |
Lemon grass is a tropical grass that is grown in India, southeast Asia, Africa and central America. The grass has a bulb-like root at the bottom of the stalk and is used like an herb. It does have a citrus taste like lemon. Lemon grass can be used fresh, dried or as a powder. The chopped stalk is used in soups and stews to add flavor but is hard to eat. If you are going to eat the lemon grass stalk then you should pound it into a paste before adding to the dish. Most people avoid eating the lemon grass stalk because it stays so fibrous. |
|
|
|
| Mace |
Mace is the lacy covering of the nutmeg seed that is inside fruit of the nutmeg tree. Mace has a warm, rich aroma that has a hint of clove and pepper. Mace has a delicate, warm, bitter, taste that has a hint of lemon. |
|
|
|
| Masoor Dal |
This is red lentils and are the most common lentils in north India. |
|
|
|
| Methi |
Fenugreek leaves. |
|
|
|
| Mustard |
Mustard is a very pungent spice. When bought as seeds, mustard is often crushed into a powder that is mixed into a paste that is used in cooking. Sometimes mustard seeds are used whole in cooking where the mustard seeds are quickly fried to release the aroma and flavor. |
|
|
|
| Nigella |
A spice that has an aroma like oregano and a bitter taste like cracked pepper. Used a lot with Indian flat breads and also with Indian vegetarian dishes. |
|
|
|
| Nutmeg |
Nutmeg is the kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg (Myristica Fragans) tree. Nutmeg has a sweet, warm aroma with a hint of camphour. The nutmeg flavor is warm and bitter sweet with a hint of clove. The nutmeg kernels can be bought whole and kept for a long time in an airtight container. The nutmeg kernel is ground or grated into a powder when it is needed for cooking. The nutmeg powder quickly loses its flavor so you shouldn’t make too much powder at any one time. |
|
|
|
| Okra |
Okra is a plant that has edible green fruits that are delicious in a curry. The fruits are also called okra and are often called ladies, or lady’s, fingers. In the southern States, it is also known as gumbo. A common Indian curry that contains okra is bhindi bhaji. The okra fruits are pods that can grow up to about 18cm (7 inches) but the best ones for cooking are around 7cm (about 4 inches) in length. The pods have a sticky interior and the okra seeds are in the centre. When you cook okra, you eat everything. And why are they called ladies fingers? Because they are about the length of a finger, are slender and smooth. |
|
|
|
| Onions |
Onions are a staple ingredient of a curry. They are generally peeled, chopped and fried. |
|
|
|
| Paneer |
Indian cheese that is used in cooking. |
|
|
|
| Paprika |
There are lots of types of paprika. Traditionally, paprika is made from red bell peppers. The peppers are allowed to dry and then the stalks and the inside veins are discarded. The pepper fruit and seeds are separated from each other and separately ground into powder. This process is done for different types of bell pepper and the resultant powders are blended to produce the required taste. Some peppers are dried over fires to give them a woody flavor. And some pepper powders are mixed with powders from the fruits of other members of the capsicum family to give a paprika with heat (bell peppers, by themselves, have no heat as recorded on the Scoville heat scale). So you can get hot, sweet or bittersweet flavors of paprika depending on the peppers used and even where the peppers were grown – the same plants produce different flavor peppers in different parts of the world. |
|
|
|
| Passatta |
A concentrate mainly made from tomatoes (like a tomato puree). |
|
|
|
| Peppercorns |
Peppercorns are the most commonly used spice. Ground pepper is used in cooking and, like most spices, should be freshly ground when needed. |
|
|
|
| Poppy Seeds |
The poppy seeds that are used in cooking either come from the Blue Poppy or the White Poppy plants. The seeds are very similar and it is the seeds from the white poppy that are used in Indian cuisine. Poppy seeds have a nutty flavor that is fully released when the seeds have been toasted. Toasting only takes a few minutes for the sweet aroma to be released along with the flavor. The seeds are often ground to a powder and used to thicken Indian curry sauces. Also, the seeds are sprinkled over dry vegetarian or meat dishes. |
|
|
|
| Pulses |
Pulses are called dal, in Hindi. Pulses include lentils, peas and beans. There is a lot of protein in pulses and pulses are used widely in vegetarian dishes. |
|
|
|
| Rice Flour |
Flour made from basmati rice. |
|
|
|
| Saffron |
Saffron is made from the stigmas of the Saffron Cricus and is the most expensive spice in the world. It is used to add colour and aroma to dishes. Saffron is usually bought as threads that are infused with water before use. |
|
|
|
| Sambal |
Spicy relish, from Indonesia and Malaysia, with chillies as the main ingredient. |
|
|
|
| Tamarind |
Tamarind is extracted from the pods of the evergreen tamarind tree. The tamarind pods have a brown, sticky pulp that is the extract. Once extracted, the pulp is squeezed into flat blocks. The blocks are processed to produce tamarind paste and concentrate. Tamarind does not have much of an aroma and has a sour, fruity taste. Tamarind is added to curries (such as vindaloo) as well as pickles and chutneys to make best use of the sour taste. |
|
|
|
| Toor Dal |
This is a type of yellow lentils that have a nutty taste. |
|
|
|
| Turmeric |
Turmeric is yellow and has a slightly bitter flavour. It is often used instead of saffron as a colouring for rice. |
|
|
|
| Urad Dal |
This is split black lentils. |
|
|
|
| Yogurt |
Yogurt is a dairy product made from fermenting milk. Yogurt is added to a lot of vegetarian dishes and is a common ingredient in marinade. Yogurt is one of the best soothers for a mouth that is “burning” from hot chillis. |
|
|
|
