ingredients

We've compiled a list of ingredients you are likely to encounter while cooking (or eating) Indian food. Whenever possible, we've included the Hindi word for the ingredient, tips on purchasing, use and storage, possible substitutions, and potential pitfalls.

Many cookbooks include glossaries or other notes on ingredients. In the case of both this list and cookbooks, if you see information that seems wrong, don't be afraid to cross-reference it. If you find an error here, please let us know! We've made every effort at accuracy, but we're only human.

A note about spices:
Ideally, you should buy whole spices and grind them as you need them. Most spices lose flavor when stored ground for very long, many of them very quickly.

Store your spices in airtight containers and keep them in a cool dark place, preferably a cabinet with an opaque door. Pretty jars of ground spices may give
your kitchen a homey touch, but they don't do much for your cooking.

It's much more economical to purchase your spices in bulk from a specialty store.
If you don't have an Indian grocery in your town, it's worth the trip to go farther afield.

Catalog and internet spice stores are another option, and larger grocery stores have also begun to stock whole spices in their "ethnic" or "international" foods sections. However, don't let lack of access to whole spices deter you from trying to cook Indian food. You may already have some of these spices on your shelf, and you can prepare many Indian dishes with spices purchased from your local grocery.
Be aware, though, that you can save a lot of money if you buy from a local Indian grocer.

asafetida (hing, heeng), also spelled asafoetida

the gum resin of the giant fennel plant, sold either as a coarse powder or in pieces

the strong odor dissipates as it cooks, but you are strongly urged to keep the powder in a tightly sealed container or the odor will take over your kitchen and linger for a very long time

you may need a hammer to break off pieces from the dried form

also used as a digestive

some people hate the smell of this stuff, including Copeland Marks and the colonial British Empire

used a lot in vegetarian cooking (see garlic)

black peppercorns (kali mirchi)

black salt (kala namak)

actually pinkish-brown

used in pickles and Chat Masala (a northern Indian spice mix sprinkled over fresh fruit)

carom (ajowan)

small brown seeds that taste like thyme

not used very often

cardamom pods (eliachi)

chewed after dinner to aid digestions

pods are brownish green (and sometimes are bleached white in the West)

avoid the bleached pods if you can, they are not as flavorful or aromatic

when left whole in a dish they are not intended to be eaten

Black cardamom (kala eliachi) is bigger and brownish black and tastes a little smoky.

there are other related species like Thai cardamom (not as strong and beige colored) and grains of paradise (used in east African cooking) which are even bigger than black cardamom.

cilantro (dhaniya)

also often called Chinese Parsley or fresh coriander

can be founds in Southeast Asian, Indian and Latin American markets, and most grocery stores

if you plant your coriander seeds you will grow cilantro

Thai's use the cilantro roots as well as the leaves

the roots taste different from the leaves. Neither of these tastes remotely like the seeds (coriander)

chick-pea flour (besan)

an excellent sauce thickener

available in Indian and Middle Eastern markets

made from ground chick peas or chana dal

cinnamon (dalchini)

the bark of the cinnamon tree

cassia bark is sold as cinnamon but its very similar

buy sticks whenever possible

available both as sticks and powder

when left whole in a dish they are not intended to be eaten

cloves (lavang or laung)

clove oil has anaesthetic properties

when left whole in a dish they are not intended to be eaten

coconuts

important in South Indian curries

available fresh, as dried flakes, or as canned coconut milk

look for frozen grated fresh coconut in Thai markets, a great time saver for south Indian cooking.

Thailand also produces the best canned coconut milk.

coriander seeds (dhaniya)

seeds of the cilantro plant, very round and brown

used extensively in north Indian cooking

very fragrant but the ground seeds will quickly loose potency so buy and grind whole seeds as needed.

cumin seeds (jeera)

originally from Egypt these seeds are used extensively, especially in north Indian cooking.

looks like caraway seeds but darker and a maybe a little smaller

They can be fried whole in oil, or ground, or roasted and ground, or ground and then roasted, all with different results

one of the predominant flavors of North Indian cooking.

one of the five spices in the Bengali panchporan (five spice) mixture

also: black cumin (kala jeera) or royal cumin (shah jeera) (these are the same thing). This is a similar but different spice used in fancy (Mughal) cooking. Sometimes it's fried with whole garam spices at the beginning of a dish.

curry leaves (karipatha)

NOT an ingredient of curry powder

very important in south Indian cooking, hardly used in the north.

the fresh leaves are used whole and often fried in oil

tastes nothing like "curry" (i.e. what westerners associate with the smell and taste of curry)

dried curry leave don't have much flavor. If you can't find them fresh leave them out

curry powder (kari masala)

varies regionally and from dish to dish

most assuredly NOT the same product as Western "curry" powder, do NOT try to substitute

curry powder is used extensively by the Indians of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica etc.)

ground coriander and cumin make up the bulk of most commercial curry powders

dal

there's a lot to be said about dal, or legumes

the best way to learn about the many, many different types of dal is to read a lot of cookbooks, visit your local grocer, and start experimenting!

for a general discussion of dal and some general preparation and cooking tips go to the post on dal

fennel seeds (sounf)

similar to anise

has a pronounced licorice flavor

one of the five spices in the Bengali panchporan (five spice) mixture

looks a lot like cumin seeds only they are green

fenugreek (methi)

a bitter spice well-suited for potato or eggplant dishes

one of the five spices in the Bengali panchporan (five spice) mixture

in commercial western curry powder this spice is predominant

fenugreek is actually a dal

the greens are also used and sometimes are available fresh at Indian groceries

garam masala

powdered blend of spices that may include cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorns, nutmeg, mace.

garam means "hot", but not chili hot, hot in the sense that these spices are said to increase body temperature. Interestingly, many of these spices are used in deserts in western cooking (i.e. cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace)

different regions use different mixtures (masalas) and proportions. Garam masala will also vary from household to household.

powdered garam masala is often added at the end of cooking in small quantities

whole garam masala is used in north Indian cooking, especially meat dishes. A whole garam masala could include whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom (black or green), whole mace, and black peppercorns. Often these are fried in hot oil before other wet ingredients such as meat, onions, garlic, and/or ginger are added. When fried these spices release a wonderful botanical odor that fills your house and neighborhood.

garlic (lahsun)

yum!

many Hindu vegetarians avoid onions and garlic because they make you passionate

the Hindu Brahmin caste of the Kashmir eat meat (unlike other Brahmins) but avoid onions and garlic (go figure)

vegetarians throughout India substitute hing (asafetida) for the pungency of onions and garlic

garlic is, incidentally, believed to be one of the oldest cultivated plants

if you have a sunny place in your garden that you aren't using for a year, enrich the soil and grow some garlic! Fresh garlic is verrry tasty.

Garlic is also believed to have many health benefits and first aid applications, and can also protect you from vampires.

ghee

clarified butter, i.e. oil made from butter. You can fry things at high temperatures with ghee

fragrant, delicious and not very good for you in large quantities.

unlike French clarified butter, the butter solids are allowed to brown before the oil is strained, producing a rich, nutty flavor.

ginger (adrak)

fresh ginger is essential

peel the fingers with a vegetable peeler or edge of a teaspoon

avoid old ginger, it will be fibrous and hard to chop

store unwrapped in the refrigerator or other cool dry place

dried powdered ginger is used in Kashmiri cooking, but is not a substitute for fresh ginger.

jaggery (palm sugar)

raw (unrefined) sugar

often sold in conical blocks

very yummy

mace (jaivitri)

available whole or ground

mace is actually the fiber that surrounds the outer shell of nutmeg. Amaze your friends with that bit of trivia!

cloves and mace/nutmeg are from western Indonesian region of Maluku (the spice islands) and were an important factor in trade and commerce throughout the ancient world.

mango, dried (amchoor)

raw, dried, ground mango is tangy and sour, in a pinch, lemon can be substituted

mango, fresh

ripen fresh unripe mangos by wrapping them in newspaper or placing each in a brown paper bag and storing them in an onion basket. They will be slightly soft and fragrant when ripe, and can then be refrigerated

mint leaves

use fresh

it's rare to be unable to find fresh mint in your local grocery store. If you find you do have trouble locating it, consider growing your own in a window sill, it's attractive, extremely hardy and grows fast. Do not just plant mint in your yard, it is extremely invasive and destructive if not properly contained

mustard seeds (black)

black mustard seeds are used throughout India. They are powdered and used in pickles in the north. They are popped in hot oil throughout the subcontinent especially in the south. When fried like this they are nutty and not pungent. When ground they are pungent and mustardy.

one of the five spices in the Bengali panchporan (five spice) mixture

nigella (kalonji)

small black seed, sometimes called onion seeds, although they are not really seeds from onions

used in Bengali and North Indian cooking, often sprinkled on naan (bread)

one of the five spices in the Bengali panchporan (five spice) mixture

you can find these at both middle eastern and south Asian groceries. Often labeled black caraway in middle eastern stores.

nutmeg

buy whole and grate as needed

see mace above

oils

for Indian cooking use any vegetable oil

oils that stand up to high heat like peanut oil are ideal.

onion seeds

see nigella

palm sugar

see jaggery

poppy seeds (khus khus)

white

rice

you can't really talk about Asian food without talking about rice

we'll be adding some information about different types of rice and basic preparation and cooking tips in a seperate post.

rice flour (chawal atta)

saffron (kesar or zafran)

very expensive because of the short harvest season (10 days per year!) and intensive labor needed for harvest

some cooks soak the threads in hot milk for about 15 minutes before using to bring out the color

used in fancy Mughal dishes, not usually in everyday cooking

sesame seeds (til)

very small seeds

generally roasted and then ground

star anise

a collection of small brownish black pods

used in Southeast Asian cooking as well. Not used extensively in India, but when it is used it can be treated like a garam spice and fried whole in oil.

tamarind (imli)

pul, cake or concentrate made from a fruit pod

extract the juice by soaking in boiling water for 20 - 30 minutes, squeeze the cake and strain

this is a souring ingredient so you can substitute lemon juice. It does however have its own unique flavor.

some cooks don't strain it through a sive but just pour off the liquid after its been soaked and mushed around.

also sold in Latin American markets.

tumeric (haldi)

a dried root (rhizome) from the ginger family

reputed medicinal properties and supposed odor killing powers make this one of the most popular South Asian ingredients.

tumeric gives Indian food its yellow color and is an ingredient in commercial western curry powder

tumeric is used as a saffron substitute but does not have the same flavor or aroma, if possible avoid doing this

wipe up spills immediately, tumeric is an excellent dye and will leave yellow stains on counters and clothes

yogurt

Indians throughout the subcontinent, as well as the other South Asians, eat a lot of yogurt.

you don't often see yogurt sold at Indian grocers, but you will see gallons of whole milk. Most Indian families make their own yogurt (from the milk)

yogurt is used a souring ingredient in many dishes and is often cooked in sauces

Posted by eric at July 19, 2002 05:54 PM