Spice Secrets

Indian cooking is about an assortment of spices, a fusion of flavours and a certain sensibility and art that goes into the creation of a dish.

Taste and Spices: Indian cooking categorizes foods into six tastes - sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent. This principle explains the use of numerous spice combinations and depth of flavor in Indian recipes. Several spices used in Indian cooking were used for their medicinal properties as well as the unique flavour that each spice could bring to a dish. Spices were also used for preservation purposes, as refrigeration was not an option in olden times.

Wet spices: Water, vinegar, yogurt or other liquids are sometimes added to the ground spices. This wet mixture is called ‘wet masala’ and is used as a marinade or sautéed in oil before adding the main vegetable or meat so that the delicate flavors of the spices are released in the recipe.

Roasting and grinding spices: Once the whole spices have been dry-roasted and cooled, they are ground into powders to release their flavours with a mortar-pestle or in a mixie. Storing Spices: Spices degrade quickly if they are exposed to either light or air. Light has a detrimental ‘leaching’ effect whilst exposure allows the essential oils to escape. Therefore, many Indians often use a special spice storage box.

Spice Box: An Indian spice box or masala dabba is an important part of the kitchen. Round in shape and made of stainless steel, a spice box has seven round compartments and a small teaspoon measure which fits in the box. The spice box will have a tight fitting lid and a compact structure to prevent flavours from escaping or mixing. You can fill each of these seven compartments with your favourite spices.

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by Chandana Banerjee