Indian Spices- List of Indian spices

I was just going through my blog. I was pleasantly surprised to see there are readers from many countries. I was wondering do my readers understand all the ingredients that I am discussing? So to give you an insight about Indian spices and common names given to many of the ingredients, I will come up with a glossary. Yes I need time will do some market research and come back with photographs and interesting information. 

May be I will come back with some more interesting recipes too!! Keep guessing my dear friends. You truly inspire me.

Few of my kitchen spices. Yet to go for market research!

 

Mustard seed/Rai/Kaduku this is used for giving that special taste to curries and gravies. Mustard is added to mango pickle - avakkai. In North India in many regions mustard oil is used for cooking. 

 

Red chilly used for tadka, used as chilly powder and the main ingredients in making pickle.

Jeera also used for tadka, we use jeera powder in many recipes.

   

Dhaniya/coriander seed used as whole and as powder. Dhaniya leaves are used to garnish and to make dhaniya chutney.

 

Methi seed used in pickles and for tadka, some time we use methi in making sambhar masala, rasam masala and few other powders. Methis leaves are used to make methi parathas, and we dry methis leaves and use as kasuri methi. Very useful plant indeed.

Turmeric powder is an essential ingredient in Indian cooking. Its an antibiotic. Turmeric root is used to make pickle! I have tasted very yummy turmeric pickle. Its a Gujarati pickle. will share the recipe sometime.




 

Asafoetida/hing powder and bar. This adds a delicate flavour to curries and gravies. We use very less quantity as its very strong.

Cinnamon is used as stick as well as powder. Cinnamon has many medicinal value. Have a pinch of cinnamon powder in a 1 tsp of honey on empty stomach in the morning. 

For more detailed description and names used in different language please refer Wikipedia.

Wikipedia did help me with the description and photographs. Thank God I tought to myself. It will be of great help to my friends world over to get a glimpse of Indian spices.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_spices