Spice Rack Essentials For Cooking Delicious Food

Cooking Indian cuisine is incomplete without spices. All of us are aware of the spice trade and history associated with it which makes Indian spices special and in demand all over the world. In western countries, Indian cuisine is synonymous to spicy and flavourful food. In our day-to-day cooking, we require a set of spices that are used almost every dish to bring the right flavour. Indians add flavour to something as basic as egg by adding Egg Masala. The quantity may vary based on the type of cuisine. The North Indians are known to consume more heated gravies than the South Indians. However, a typical Indian household will have a certain set of spices that they can’t do without. What are these spices and how often do you need to use them? To understand the usage, one must understand what flavour in which degrees does this spice add to the dish. A delicious recipe is the perfect amalgamation of all the right spices in right quantities. For an amateur, it might take some time to master the art of using spices, but once you’re well-versed with the technique, cooking any recipe is a cakewalk. Let’s talk about the essentials in details.

1. Turmeric

The importance of turmeric in Indian cuisine is incomprehensible. Turmeric has found its way in ancient Indian Ayurveda. The uses of turmeric are well-known by the entire country and even the globe. Years ago, when Indian won the patent of turmeric, the entire world became aware of the importance of turmeric. While cooking, turmeric adds a warm flavour along with its yellow colour which is imperative in almost every Indian dish. Besides that, turmeric has infinite health benefits.

2. Black Pepper Powder

Black pepper is rightly referred to as the ‘King of Spices’. Black pepper is also one of the most popular spices in the world. In every global cuisine, black pepper is the main spice. The reason being its versatility in adapting the flavours of all cuisines. Chinese, Italian and Indian, all the cuisines will taste very different even after using the same black pepper as the main spice. Black pepper powder is also used in soups and sorbets in India.

3. Cumin

Cumin or jeera, as called locally, is one of the main spice in every tadka that a household adds to their food. Indian food is all about that spicy tadka and jeera is the major component of those. Jeera rice is also one dish that is consumed by the entire nation and loved. Jeera has a very soothing flavour that adds a nice twist to the recipe. Fennel which is used as mouth freshener post eating also belongs to the jeera family.

4. Cinnamon

Cinnamon, also called as dalchini, is a bark of the tree which is used as spice. Cinnamon as a whole is often spotted in Biryani. Cinnamon powder makes its way in many western desserts. The warm flavour of cinnamon is loved by all, especially in the countries with extreme winters.