Taste of India: The Spice Box

Posted by Supal on April 14, 2011 in Condiments, Featured, Recipes, Reviews

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This post is by Eat With Me Contributor Supal! The original post can be found at Supal’s blog.

In this post I will start with an introduction, very similar to the one that my mother gave me, actually the same introduction but in a different language. When a young girl turns 16 years old, she often receives a car, her first pair of diamond earrings, or a strand of pearls from her parents. Well, my 16th birthday, I woke up to a spice box. I mean I wasn’t thrilled about this silver container at first, but I realised it was something unique that my parents have gifted me that no other girl has EVER received on her 16th birthday. I mean, I’m still a little bitter, but you will thoroughly enjoy putting together your spice box if you’re an enthused cook and a lover of spices and flavors of India.

The spice box, or masala dabba, is a circular, silver container with 5-7 miniature bowls and spoons neatly organized. These minature bowls are dedicated for the staple Indian spices necessary for a traditional Indian aromatic pantry. You can add or subtract whatever spices you use the most or least. I have 7 spices in my box and believe they are THE key ingredients to making a perfect Indian meal.

The Spice Box


Ground Coriander

You can have the whole coriander seeds if you would like, but most Indian dishes ask for it grounded. It is a small, light brown-yellow color. The seed has a rough exterior. Though it has a mild taste and fragrance, its flavor is very different from any other spices used. The purpose of ground coriander is to thicken the curry and bring out the other spices of the curry dish.

 

Cumin Seeds

Beware! Cumin seeds can be easily mistaken for fennel seeds if you don’t know your spices too well. Cumin seeds are small, pale brown long seeds with ridges on its shell. It has a strong, pungent earthy flavor, but has fantastic taste in Indian food. You can also find cumin seeds ground but they lose their taste faster than ground coriander. You can use cumin whole or ground in Indian recipes.


 

Brown Mustard Seeds

These small seeds are not advised to be ground. The small, golden brown seeds are much more flavorful and hotter than the yellow mustard seeds. The purpose of this spice is to bring out the spice and chillies in the curry. These little mustard seeds are deceptive. They may look like a spice that doesn’t really matter, but I dare you to make a curry without them.

 

 

Red Chili Powder

This is an absolute stable. One cannot have Indian food without red chili powder. It is made by drying out and finely grinding red chillies. The spice level of every single packet you will ever find and/or purchase will vary, so be sure to add accordingly, and not directly to the recipe. The red chili powder will also add a great traditional deep red color to the curry.

 

 

Ground Turmeric

Ground turmeric was often put in food in traditional Indian meals because it is known to be a medicine. Now it has become a staple spice in Indian cooking and provides more than just great health. It is developed from a dried ground root of fresh turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family. It has a mild, but smokey flavor and provides great color with the red chili powder.

 

 

Garam Masala

This is a very strong spice made up of ground cinnamon, pepper, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, and mace. The variations of the spice vary, but the bold taste is usually the same. Be careful not to add too much of garam masala to the food, the flavor of the spice develops the longer it cooks and sits in the curry.

 

 

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves have a strong taste and smell and brings a little bitterness to a curry dish to calm the citric flavors of the curry. A bay leaf should always be put in whole, because the dried leaf often remains stiff while cooking, so be sure to always remove the bay leaf before serving.

 

 

 

Things to Note:

1.  Ground versus Whole: Grounded spices often lose their flavors rather quickly. The one you would want to look out for is ground coriander. It will lose its flavor in 2 months. I would either buy small amounts of the ground coriander or buy coriander seeds and if you have a spice grinder, grind them accordingly.
2.  Curry Powder: Curry powder is a new phenomena and its use is on the incline in ultra commercialized Indian cooking. If you ask an Indian, curry powder usually brings out an artificial Indian taste and is often more expensive than the spices above.

 

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2 Responses to “Taste of India: The Spice Box”

  1. Eve says:
    April 14, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    Thanks for this great post! I was recently given a masala dabba spice box and have been trying to decide what to fill it with, so your guide is extremely useful to me. I look forward to your next post!

  2. Supal says:
    April 15, 2011 at 9:11 am

    Thank you Eve! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Remember that you can put whatever you want in each container, just go crazy!

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