Spices are important to make food tasty, aromatic and visually stunning. The art of cooking with spices results in artfully blending spices so that the flavors enhance eachother with no one spice over-powering the other. Spice are used to enhance taste while maintaining the true taste of the vegetable or meat.
A blend of spices/masalas and herbs are ground together to form the basis for Indian sauces. Wet masala is ground in a stone mortar along with water, nuts, coconut, onion or garlic. Chaunk or tadka is a spice garnish where Whole dried spices like kashmiri chillies, cumin and coriander seeds, karipatta are added one by one to hot oil until they begin to sputter or pop. This tempering is then poured over dals and raitas.
Spices add that extra zing that makes Indian food so popular the world over! Spices are important for medicinal, preservative, and seasoning foods.
Spices have medicinal value as they heal, soothe and rejuvenate us. Ayurveda, the indigenous system of Indian medicine, uses a large number of spices in its combination of preventive and curative medicines. Ancient Ayurvedic treatise lists numerous spices for their medicinal properties. Pepper for digestive ailments. turmeric paste for burns, itchy skin, Ginger for tested remedy for liver complaints, anaemia and rheumatism, cadamom for nausea, fever, headaches, or eye diseases, coriander for insomnia, cloves for spleen, kidney, and intestinal disorders.
Indian Spices
The mastery of Indian spices define Indian Cuisine. The aroma, color,
taste and health properties of spices make Indian food unique. Spices are best sauteed or
fried in ghee to release the flavor and health properties. Spices may also be ground with
fresh coconut, fresh herbs and some water to make spice infusions.
Essential Indian Spices for Cooking
Turmeric: Golden in color it is one of the healthiest spice in the world, This is a very healthy spice that adds a wonderful golden hue to dishes. Use everyday in all your cooking.
Cardamom: Cardamom can be compared to Vanilla and Saffron. Is used in curries, rice pilafs and in desserts. Cardamom has a calming, rich, aromatic and delicious taste. Indian dishes are not the same without the regal taste of cardamom.
Garam Masala: This is an aromatic blend of spices. It is used sparingly as it is potent.
Try our Ajika Whole Spice Blend. It contains cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, black
pepper, and nutmeg.
Fennel
Seeds: A must in Kashmiri cuisine ans Bengali cuisine. Ajika Fennel Candy aid digestion
and freshen the breath after a meal. Ajika Fennel seeds may be roasted and ground or fried
in ghee to release its flavor
Curry
Powder: A blend of both aromatic and basic spices. It also included turmeric which results
in curry powder imparting a golden hue to dishes. use to flavor meats, fish, and/or
vegetables and in gravies.
Cumin:
Adds a wonderful peppey taste to foods and especially lentils and beans. Cumin seeds may
be roated and ground or fried in ghee to release its flavor. Used in curries,
raitas, salads, and chutneys.
Mustard Seed: Nutty and warm mustard seeds are fried in oil. very common in South Indian
dishes.
Asafoedita: has a glarlicky strong taste and is used sparingly. used in dals, vegetables, papad and in other savory dishes.
Cayenne and Chillies: Indian food generally includes the warmth, heat and color of cayennne in its dishes like meats, vegetables, dals, peas, beans, and lentils, and curries.
