How2Day: Information on Indian Spices

Indian spices can be ground, roasted or made into paste. spices image by Bartlomiej Nowak from Fotolia.com
According to Medical Treatment in India, the south Asian subcontinent is host to six major climatic subtypes. Thus, countries like India can accommodate a wide variety of spice-bearing plants adapted to a variety of weather and terrain, from arid desert to tropical rainforest. Many Indian spices are used to flavor curry, which is not a spice, but rather a gravy or side dish that accompanies a meal. In Indian food preparation, the cook adds stronger spices first and milder spices last.

Indian cuisine makes frequent use of the black mustard seed --- which translates in English as "rai" --- as a spice. It is particularly common in the south. Though the seed does not have a fragrance, it delivers a pungent flavor as it breaks down in the mouth. In India, the seeds are always toasted or fried in fat before use, after which they lose their pungency and acquire a nutty, smoky taste.

The oil of black mustard is the preferred cooking medium in India's West Bengal region. Not only is it used to cook foods, but it is often dribbled over boiled vegetables before serving. Raw mustard seeds are used to make the south Indian mango pickle known as avakaya.

Cumin, because of its appearance and perhaps also its flavor, is often confused with the caraway seed. Caraway can substitute for cumin in some dishes, but in Indian cuisine cumin is essential. Due to its abundance of essential oils, cumin is very aromatic when cooked. It contributes an earthy, slightly bitter, warm flavor to a dish. Cumin is sometimes added to basmati rice for flavoring.

Turmeric is a tropical plant in the ginger family, native to South Asia and is a common spice in Indian curries. It has a deep, earthy yellow color, and it is sometimes used as a food dye in cheeses, butters, yogurt and salad dressings.

In addition to a mustardy, slightly peppery flavor, turmeric has a number of medicinal properties. It is used to treat a variety of gastrointestinal ailments, as well as headaches, fever, menstrual trouble and other conditions.

Asafoetida is a flowering plant that has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw. In fact, chefs seal it away from other spices so that its smell does not contaminate the rest of the kitchen. However, when sauteed with oil or ghee, a type of clarified butter used in Indian cuisine, asafoetida acquires a smooth flavor not unlike that of onion and garlic. The spice is a staple ingredient in the series of lentil-based side dishes known collectively as dal.

Indians sometimes smear an asafoetida paste on the abdomen to aid indigestion. In some parts of India it is the most common treatment for flatulence and constipation.

Like basil leaves, the sprouts and leaves of fenugreek are eaten either raw as young greens or dried and used as an herb. The seeds are used as a spice, and they are roasted longer for more flavor before use. A common component of Indian curry powders, fenugreek seeds add a tangy flavor and curry aroma to vegetable and lentil dishes.

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