How to Use Indian Seasonings in Cooking

The tangy spices of India, sought after for their aromatic quality, now line the shelves of American grocers and gourmet cooking stores. For thousands of years, India has produced seasonings and blends that tantalize the tongue and make eating a joy. With the wide availability of Indian seasonings, your meals will receive rave reviews if use spices the right way.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Pamper your palate with a dash of turmeric in your favorite relish or mayonnaise when making sandwiches or serving meat. Turmeric is an ingredient in curry powder formulations, known for its ability to soothe upset stomachs and regulate digestive problems.

2. Prepare savory meat and legume dishes with a dash of cumin for an aromatic addition that will fill your home with a tantalizing fragrance as it cooks. In addition, cumin seasons breads and cheese dishes; add only a pinch since cumin is an acquired taste.

3. Add a sprinkling of saffron to heighten the flavor of specialty breads, rice dishes, and chicken and beef entrees. This expensive spice, gathered from the stamens of the crocus flower, was once bartered for gold by early East Indian traders.

4. Sprinkle dried ground pomegranate seeds on grilled fish and add a squirt of lemon juice for an authentic Indian dish. Pomegranates, grown throughout India, impart a tangy sweet seasoning to breads and cakes as well as seafood.

5. Combine Indian seasonings to make your own custom blend. Fenugreek, turmeric, coriander and cardamom combine in curry powders and flavor meat and bean dishes. Make your own curry blends from one or more of the above and add a dash of ginger, fennel, kokam or tamarind to suit your own tastes.

Resources

• Detailed list of Indian spices and their uses

[tundranut]

on 3/24/2009 Indian food is my favorite and I've even cooked it. Thank you for a wonderful and easy to understand article. 5*