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Jaipu ' Guid T ..
India Spice
Jaipur of Chigwell, 734 Chigwell Road IG8 8AL
Telephone: 020 8504 0248
Tabl Of Content 01 Introduction 02 Where to buy Indian Spices 03 Your Guide to Indian Spices
Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
Introductio T Th
Spice Of Indi .......
For many, cooking with spices can be
rather confusing and overwhelming.
This either makes them buy a range
and not know what to do with them or
not buy at all and play it safe.
To conquer your spice confusion, here
is a list of the top 28 commonly used
spices in alphabetical order with their
picture and Indian name. Explore and
enjoy! Jaipur of Chigwell
1 www.jaipurofchigwell.com
Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
Wher T Bu India
Spice
It is so easy to purchase Indian spices today.
You could take a trip to Green Street in Forest
Gate or to Ilford Lane in Redbridge but actually
you'll find most of what you want in
mainstream supermarkets. If not, E-Bay and
Amazon are great alternatives if, for whatever
reason, you can't get out.
You might be surprised by the numerous health
benefits of Indian spices, including lowering
blood sugar levels and cholesterol. It is worth
carrying our your own resaerch and seeking
medical advice before taking these as
supplements. For example, there is some
Most spices, with some exceptions –
scientific evidence to suggest that fenugreek
notably, nutmeg – are dry-roasted to
can help with a range of conditions from
release their essential oils before being
drandruff to diabetes!
ground into spice mixes.
Flowers, leaves, roots, bark, seeds and bulbs (the
simplest of natural ingredients) are used in endless While some spices can be blended using a
combinations to produce an infinite variety of flavors:
sweet, sharp, hot, sour, spicy, aromatic, tart, mild, mortar and pestle, Iti is normally
fragrant or pungent. Their tastes and aromas recommended to use a spice grinder or
combine to create a kaleidoscope of exotic flavors to
delight the plate. Don't be afraid to experiment -
powerful blender to make sure your
their use in your cooking is really only limited by your mixes are nely ground, especially
imagination!
because some spices, like cassia bark, are
very hard and tough to blend down to a
ne powder.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The contents of this E-Book are for guidance only and end
users must always decide for themselves on the appropriate use of the material
contained herein, including but not limited to taking account of the risk of any allergies.
As such Jaipur of Chigwell cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury whatsoever as
a result of whatsoever. If in doubt, please seek professional advice.
2 www.jaipurofchigwell.com
Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
Your Guide to Indian Spices
Here is a range of the most commonly used spices in India and their uses. You will nd
the Hindi name of the spice in brackets after the English name. This is because some
retailers, particularly Asian outlets, may refer to the product by the name used in India.
1. Cardamom (Elaichi)
There are two types of cardamom used in Indian cooking:
green and black. Green is the more common variety, used
for everything from spice mixes to lassis to Indian
desserts. The avour is light and sweet, with a mild
eucalyptus note. Green cardamom can be blended whole
when making spice mixes, like garam masala, however
when using them in sweets or desserts, you would pop
the pod open and lightly crush the fragrant black seeds
before using.
Black cardamom, on the other hand, is very powerful and
smoky, and needs to be used with a lot of caution.
Normally only the seeds would be used, and if using the
whole pod, it’s best to pull it out before serving the dish,
as it can be very spicy to bite into.
Cook with cardamom: Lamb Rogan Josh
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Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
2. Cloves (Laung, lavang)
Clove is a common spice in Indian cooking and its anise
notes are easily recognizable in many Indian
preparations. The strong, almost medicinal avour of
clove comes from the concentration of essential oils.
Cloves are technically owers, and a lot of their oils are
pressed out before they are dried and used in cooking.
Cloves can be used whole or blended into spice mixes.
They do need to be used with caution, however, as they
can tend to overpower more delicate spices.
Cook with cloves: Kerala Coconut Chicken Curry
3. Cassia bark (Taj)
Cassia bark is an interesting spice. Also known as Chinese
cinnamon, it is a genus of the cinnamon tree. Cinnamon
is a little bit di erent from cassia, and usually
di erentiated by being called “true cinnamon.” Cassia is
cheaper to produce, and the majority of ground cinnamon
is actually made from cassia bark. Indians use cassia
instead of true cinnamon in their cooking, as it has a
milder avour and can be used in larger quantities.
Cassia can also be used whole or ground in spice mixes. It
is easily distinguishable by its rough, tree bark-like
texture, and the best way to check for freshness is to rub
a little on your ngers. If you can smell a cinnamon
fragrance, then the bark is fresh.
If substituting cinnamon for cassia, use less, as the
avour of true cinnamon is more intense.
Cook with cassia bark: Paneer Mughlai Curry
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4. Black pepper (kali mirch)
Black pepper is actually native to India, primarily from
the Western Ghats and Malabar region. It is a
surprisingly hard spice to grow, as it depends on many
natural cycles, like a set amount of rainfall, which is
why prices for fresh pepper vary a lot.
Like most spices, black pepper needs to be toasted
before blending. For the best avor, however, fresh
black pepper can also be ground directly into dishes.
Cook with black pepper: Indian Chili Chicken
5. Cumin (kala jeera)
Cumin is used frequently whole and in spice mixes to add
a characteristic smoky note to Indian dishes. It can be
identi ed by its distinct ridged brown seeds and intense
fragrance. It is sometimes confused with fennel, caraway,
and anise seeds, but you can tell the di erence by looking
at its colour (brown, as opposed to green fennel) and
taste (smoky, as opposed to a stronger liquorice taste).
Cumin is best used freshly ground for the most intense
avour. One thing to keep in mind while dry-roasting this
spice is that it burns really easily, and burnt cumin tastes
very bitter and will be very noticeable your dish. Toast
this spice until your nose just gets a whi of smoke and
fragrance (about 30 seconds max), and then let it cool
before blending into mixes.
Cook with cumin: Red Kidney Bean Curry with Rice
(Rajmah Chawal)
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Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
6. Coriander (Dhania)
Coriander is probably the most ubiquitous of spices in
the Indian spice rack. It is one of the oldest-known
spices in the world, and it’s characterized by its golden-
yellow colour and gently ridged texture. The seeds are
very aromatic with citrus notes.
Whole coriander is used as a base for many spice
mixes, and ground coriander is one of the most
commonly used ground spices in Indian cuisine. Like
cumin, it needs to be dry-roasted until you can start
seeing a light golden-brown tinge to the seeds and
they start “dancing” and popping in the pan.
Cook with coriander: Chicken Tikka Masala
7. Nutmeg and mace (Jaiphal and
Javitri)
Two of my favourite spices, nutmeg and mace, are used a
lot in Indian cooking. Mace is the dark-red outer covering
of the nutmeg. Fresh nutmeg is processed by removing
the pulpy outside and sliding o the mace. It has a tough
outer covering that needs to be cracked o before
grating.
When dried, mace turns golden-orange and adds hints of
warm avour. Once nutmeg is dried, it lasts pretty much
forever, so it is best to buy it whole and grate as required
into your dishes. I rarely ever use ground nutmeg, as it is
one of those spices whose avour degrades very fast once
it is ground. Nutmeg does not need to be toasted before
blending into spices, as toasting wrecks its delicate
avour.
Cook with nutmeg or mace: Massaman Curry with Beef
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Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
8. Mustard seeds (Rai, Sarson)
Mustard seeds can be yellow, black, or brown and are
used interchangeably in Indian cooking. The avour of
mustard seeds is released when they are crushed or
cooked in oil. Their smoky, nutty avour is a staple in
curries and curry powders, and mustard oil is
commonly used in the North of India.
Cook with mustard seeds: Kerala Spiced Peas
9. Fenugreek (Methi)
Fenugreek is the spice which gives Madras curry
powder its very characteristic, earthy, musky “curry”
avour and fragrance. The seeds are yellowish and look
like tiny wheat kernels. Fenugreek leaves are also dried
and used as a spice (they are commonly called kasuri
methi) and are what make butter chicken unique.
Fenugreek seeds are strongly fragranced and should be
used with caution, just like cloves. They are also used in
traditional medicine, and strangely enough, to make fake
maple syrup.
Cook with fenugreek: Spiced Yellow Dal with Rice
(Kitchari)
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Jaipur of Chigwell, Fine Indian Cuisine Tel: 020 8504 0248
10. Turmeric (Haldi)
Turmeric is another common Indian spice. Grown as a
rhizome, it can be used fresh (like ginger) or dried. It
has been known to have a host of health bene ts and
is used in a lot of spice mixes and curries. The avour
of fresh turmeric is slightly stronger than dried, and it
stains very easily, so make sure you are careful with
your clothes and utensils while using it.
It has a pungent, earthy fragrance; I use it in small
quantities to give my curries a beautiful golden colour.
Cook with turmeric: Indian Scrambled Eggs (Egg Bhurji)
We hope that you have enjoyed this journey through the top ten spices of India and that
it has inspired you to experiment and enjoy. At Jaipur of Chigwell we only use the nest
quality herbs and spices in all of our cuisine and where possible, we select those without
arti cial additives and colours. In that way, you can be con dent of enjoying the nest
Indian cuisine at Jaipur of Chigwell. We look forward to serving you soon.
PHOTO & TEXT CREDITS: Michelle Peters-Jones
Read more online at:
https://www.thekitchn.com/11-essential-spices-for-indian-cooking-223152
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