Hello my dear ones,
as you already know, I love indian food and now and then I try to cook some dishes.
I would love to cook more but first, it´s really time consuming with all it´s preparations and secondly..well, with all the chapatis, naan, oil and ghee.. it´s not the best way to keep your weight. ;)
All this is different when you´re in India. Due to the heat you sweat a lot and so you can have couple of more calories. ;)
But here in Germany we don´t have such a weather at all, so I have to be a bit careful of course.
I already posted some recipes here but when it comes to cooking one should start at the beginning.
And there are the spices.
Even my friends are asking me how to use the spices and which flavour does each spice have?
Well, first of all let me say that this yellow curry powder which is known here in western countries is definitely no curry and won´t be used in any indian household. That powder was invented by the british when they left Inida. It was their try to combine the complexity of the tasteful cuisine they enjoyed in India.
India is definitely the Home of spices and there is no other country in the world that produces as many kinds of spices as India. They play an important role in the indian cooking with all their flavours and they also have many health benefits. So when indians are using the spices they also use it for their health.
The spices can be combined to make specific mixtures and the best known one is Garam Masala.
Garam means hot, hot as the spices mixture is about to increase the body temperature.
Masala is a common word in indian cooking and means spice.
There is no single Garam Masala recipe as the ingedients varie from region to region and chef to chef.
But for the most part it will include coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and cinnamon and nutmeg. It may also include tumeric, saffrom, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, tamarind, fenugreek or bay leaves.
You see, everything is possible.
This spice mixture is mostly added to a dish near the end of cooking so that the full aroma isn´t lost.
The typical spices used for an indian curry are: Tumeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic and chili. Other spices are possible too.
Coriander (Powder or seeds, I mostly use powder and fresh one): It´s indispensable for indian cooking and has a mild flavour. The roasted powder has an aromatic flavour and enhances the taste of many dishes.
It´s often used fresh and added at as a final for a cooling taste.
Health benefits: It helps purifying the blood and curing fever and as well as various allergies. It´s also good for digestion.
Turmeric powder: I love it! No dish without it. It´s bright yellow colour and the slight scent of ginger gives something special to every dish. It´s mildly aromatic and has many health benefits as it´s said to prevent cancer, relieves athritis, controls diabetics. reduces cholestorol, is an immun booster and can help to control the weight. It also should provide from Alzheimer´s and liver desease.
Cumin (Seeds or power): As I mentioned before it is one of the main ingedients of garam masala. Used as a single spice it leads a sweet and mild yet a distinctive flavour to the dishes. Roasted seeds release more aroma and also this spice has many health benefits. It´s an immun booster, fights asthma and is good for hair treatments as well as for skin.
Chili powder: Not many words needed for chili, right? The indian chili powder is made from grounded chilis and is often hotter than the chili powders which are availabe in normal european stores.
It has a strong and pungent aroma but is essential for indian cooking.
Some health benefits are: They can reduce/ lower cholesterol, clear congetion and boost immunity.
Black mustard seeds: In western countries the yellow seeds are more popular than the small black ones used in India. I love to use them with fried potatoes as they give a pleasing flavour.
They are used mainly in pickles and vegetable dishes.
Health benefits: They are known to give relief of migraine, increases the appetite and helps for digestion.
Those are the basic spices I regulary use and if you want to start with indian cooking, these are the ones you should always have in your masala dabba. (Indian spice box as you can see on the picture above)
Of course there are many more complementary spices like:
Fenugreek seeds: It´s actually a lentil and gives a distinctive flavour. They have a strong aroma and bitter taste. After turmeric it´s the most used spice for it´s health benefits. It may help control cholesterol, triglyceride as well as high blood sugar.
Fennel seeds: They aren´t essential though they are a basic spice in India. The seeds are widely used in fish, and vegetable dishes. In addition you will find sugarcoated fennel seeds in indian restaurants as a condiment after food to improve digestion.
Due to all the different regions, spices and likes, no dish will ever taste the same everywhere. The variety is so big that it´s always a surprise to taste an indian meal and you can be sure that it´s always tasty.
I hope this guide is a bit helpful for you and makes you wanna try some more indian cooking.
Your SunShine
as you already know, I love indian food and now and then I try to cook some dishes.
I would love to cook more but first, it´s really time consuming with all it´s preparations and secondly..well, with all the chapatis, naan, oil and ghee.. it´s not the best way to keep your weight. ;)
All this is different when you´re in India. Due to the heat you sweat a lot and so you can have couple of more calories. ;)
But here in Germany we don´t have such a weather at all, so I have to be a bit careful of course.
I already posted some recipes here but when it comes to cooking one should start at the beginning.
And there are the spices.
Even my friends are asking me how to use the spices and which flavour does each spice have?
Well, first of all let me say that this yellow curry powder which is known here in western countries is definitely no curry and won´t be used in any indian household. That powder was invented by the british when they left Inida. It was their try to combine the complexity of the tasteful cuisine they enjoyed in India.
India is definitely the Home of spices and there is no other country in the world that produces as many kinds of spices as India. They play an important role in the indian cooking with all their flavours and they also have many health benefits. So when indians are using the spices they also use it for their health.
The spices can be combined to make specific mixtures and the best known one is Garam Masala.
Garam means hot, hot as the spices mixture is about to increase the body temperature.
Masala is a common word in indian cooking and means spice.
There is no single Garam Masala recipe as the ingedients varie from region to region and chef to chef.
But for the most part it will include coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and cinnamon and nutmeg. It may also include tumeric, saffrom, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, tamarind, fenugreek or bay leaves.
You see, everything is possible.
This spice mixture is mostly added to a dish near the end of cooking so that the full aroma isn´t lost.
The typical spices used for an indian curry are: Tumeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic and chili. Other spices are possible too.
Coriander (Powder or seeds, I mostly use powder and fresh one): It´s indispensable for indian cooking and has a mild flavour. The roasted powder has an aromatic flavour and enhances the taste of many dishes.
It´s often used fresh and added at as a final for a cooling taste.
Health benefits: It helps purifying the blood and curing fever and as well as various allergies. It´s also good for digestion.
Turmeric powder: I love it! No dish without it. It´s bright yellow colour and the slight scent of ginger gives something special to every dish. It´s mildly aromatic and has many health benefits as it´s said to prevent cancer, relieves athritis, controls diabetics. reduces cholestorol, is an immun booster and can help to control the weight. It also should provide from Alzheimer´s and liver desease.
Cumin (Seeds or power): As I mentioned before it is one of the main ingedients of garam masala. Used as a single spice it leads a sweet and mild yet a distinctive flavour to the dishes. Roasted seeds release more aroma and also this spice has many health benefits. It´s an immun booster, fights asthma and is good for hair treatments as well as for skin.
Chili powder: Not many words needed for chili, right? The indian chili powder is made from grounded chilis and is often hotter than the chili powders which are availabe in normal european stores.
It has a strong and pungent aroma but is essential for indian cooking.
Some health benefits are: They can reduce/ lower cholesterol, clear congetion and boost immunity.
Black mustard seeds: In western countries the yellow seeds are more popular than the small black ones used in India. I love to use them with fried potatoes as they give a pleasing flavour.
They are used mainly in pickles and vegetable dishes.
Health benefits: They are known to give relief of migraine, increases the appetite and helps for digestion.
Those are the basic spices I regulary use and if you want to start with indian cooking, these are the ones you should always have in your masala dabba. (Indian spice box as you can see on the picture above)
Of course there are many more complementary spices like:
Fenugreek seeds: It´s actually a lentil and gives a distinctive flavour. They have a strong aroma and bitter taste. After turmeric it´s the most used spice for it´s health benefits. It may help control cholesterol, triglyceride as well as high blood sugar.
Fennel seeds: They aren´t essential though they are a basic spice in India. The seeds are widely used in fish, and vegetable dishes. In addition you will find sugarcoated fennel seeds in indian restaurants as a condiment after food to improve digestion.
Green cardamom (whole and powder): This is such a delicate spice which can be used for flavouring foods, soups and also refreshing drinks like Nimbu Paani (Lemon water). You will also find it in sweet dishes and desserts.
If you need whole cardamoms in a recipe, then it should be cracked a bit so that it can release it´s full flavour.
Cinnamon sticks: While here in western countries cinnamon is mainly used during winter/ christmas time, in India it´s used in many curries and gives a mellow-sweet flavour to the dish.
I could go on and on, the list is almost endless. But you can be sure that many households also use the following spices for special flavouring:
Black peppercorn
Curry leaves (I love them. They give such a full taste to dishes)
Ginger
Garlic (Most of the time I use ginger garlic paste)
Bay leaves
Coconut (like milk or dried.)
Cloves
Due to all the different regions, spices and likes, no dish will ever taste the same everywhere. The variety is so big that it´s always a surprise to taste an indian meal and you can be sure that it´s always tasty.
I hope this guide is a bit helpful for you and makes you wanna try some more indian cooking.
Your SunShine
