10 Must-have Spices for Indian Cooking

The most amazing thing about Indian food is the history behind it. Indian spices have changed world culinary over hundreds of years (what would the world do without pepper?) You will can influences of Indian cooking in African, Middle Eastern and South East Asian cuisines and at the same time India adopted spices and cooking techniques from the many countries it traded with giving Indian food a dizzying variety, flavour and depth to choose. It's no wonder that Indian food to know where to begin when it comes to cooking.

Are someone who would love to cook Indian food, but get intimidated by the list of ingredients in a recipe? A good place to begin would be to and get familiar with these must-have spices and keep them on hand to get ready to cook some Indian food.

Turmeric Powder (Haldi):  Turmeric, a drop of golden sunshine to brighten up your food. It may be a fad super-food, and health fanatics maybe going gaga over the benefits of turmeric, but no matter if those claims are true or not, turmeric is a must have in cooking Indian food. We use it in dals, curries, vegetables, rice and as a medicine for sore throats and cuts. The best part is turmeric is easily available in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.

Red Chilli Powder(Lal Mirch): You would have probably guessed this one. Even though chilli was first introduced to India by the Portuguese, it has gone on to become India's most beloved spice. No matter what your spice tolerance level is, you can't cook Indian food without a bit of chilli. While a lot of Indian cooking uses fresh green chilies which you may not have on hand a good quality Kashmiri or Cayenne red chilli powder will sufice. We also use whole dried red chillies when we need the flavour, but not the overpowering heat while we use the bright red powder for adding both heat and colour to the food.

Cumin (Jeera): Cumin has a lovely nutty, tangy, earthy, mildly bitter but warm flavour. It is used both as whole seeds or roasted and ground into powder. Buy cumin seeds as well as the powdered form. This ingredient is a definite must-have in most Indian curries.

Coriander Powder (Dhania): Coriander seeds are roasted and used whole or ground into powder and is used in most Indian dishes.  A well-balanced curry usually has the sweetness of coriander seeds to balance the bitterness of cumin in it.

Mustard Seeds: Whole black mustard seeds are normally added to hot oil to temper along with cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies as a flavour enhancer in many dishes, especially vegetable stir-fries.

Green Cardamom (Elaichi): Cardamom is native to India and gives many Indian dishes its distinctive flavour. We use cardamom in curries, sweets, desserts and in making chai! There are two different types of cardamom, black and green, black cardamom has a stronger more pungent flavour and can be a bit more expensive, but having green cardamom on hand is enough for basic Indian cooking. When buying, buy whole green cardamom which can be stored longer than the powdered form.   

Cinnamon or Cassia bark (Dalchini): You probably already have this one with you. This great smelling spice can add a surprising amount of heat and sweetness to your food. We normally use cassia bark in Indian cooking as it has a milder flavour, but you can always use regular cinnamon if you cant find cassia bark. We store and use cinnamon as a whole spice.

Cloves (Laung): A classsic spice that packs a surprising amount of heat and one that Indian food just cannot do without.

Black Pepper(Kali Mirch): Pepper needs no introduction, but did you know that before chili was introduced to India, Indian food mainly used black pepper to spice things up. Black Pepper is native to India and is used both whole or powdered.

Garam Masala:  Garam means heat and masala means a spice mix. It is a blend of many spices and is added to a dish to give it a well-rounded flavour. Most Indian homes make their own blend of garam masala and store it, but you can always buy a packet of garam masala from your local Indian store or even at the spice aisle of your supermarket.