Know your Variari from your Jeeru

Also known as ajwain or carom, it has a bitter, pungent taste with notes of anise and oregano. It’s a common flavoring for lentil dishes in Indian cuisine.

Made from dried unripe green mangoes, amchoor has a delicious fragrance similar to honey and a fruity, sour flavor. It’s a popular ingredient in Northern Indian cooking.

In Indian cuisine, bay leaves are most often used in rice dishes like biryani and as an ingredient in garam masala.

Cardamom has a pungent yet elusive flavor, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance.

Cardamom has a pungent yet elusive flavor, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance.

The word ‘chaat’ means ‘lick’ in Hindi and the word ‘masala’ means ‘spice’. It is generallly a blend of mango powder, black salt, cumin, black pepper, ajowan, guajillo chiles, peppermint and citric acid.

One of the world’s oldest spices, cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. It is commonly available in two forms; cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon powder. With a wonderful warm and sweet flavour, cinnamon is a delicious ingredient for sweet and savoury dishes alike.

One of the world’s oldest spices, cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. It is commonly available in two forms; cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon powder. With a wonderful warm and sweet flavour, cinnamon is a delicious ingredient for sweet and savoury dishes alike.

Cloves are the most well-known spice in the group of spices known as “flower spices,” and have a strong, sweet flavor.

Dhana Jeeru is an Indian spice mix consisting primarily of ground, roasted cumin and coriander seeds. Some cooks add a variety of other spices such as red chili powder, cassia leaves, cinnamon bark, and black pepper, which makes the mixture somewhat similar to Hot Curry Powder (Garam Masala).

Coriander seeds are commonly toasted before use – heat it in a dry pan until you begin to smell its delightful aroma.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes have a medium heat without being overwhelming. They are often used as a table condiment, adding a pleasant heat and attractive appearance to any dish.

These little seeds have a strong, earthy flavor that’s essential to Latin, Indian, and some Middle Eastern cooking. Besides using them in recipes, try sprinkling freshly toasted seeds as a lovely garnish

Curry leaves have a light, slightly nutty and grassy flavor, used in many curries and vegetable dishes; fresh curry leaves are often preferred and so it is common in most Indian household to have a curry leaf plant.

Fennel seed has sweet, grassy flavor with delicate notes of anise and licorice. These whole seeds add wonderful pops of flavor to dishes but its commonly chewed after meals to sweeten breath.

Fenugreek leaves, also known as kasuri methi, are popular in the cuisine of India, the Middle East and North Africa. Fenugreek leaves are found in various curry masalas and make a tasty addition to flatbreads, potato dishes and soups.

Fenugreek seeds are mainly found in Indian cooking and are a popular ingredient in curries and chutneys. These dense, glossy seeds can be toasted before being ground fresh for use, or used whole in pickling blends.

With a rich, complex base of classic curry flavor and a kick of heat from added ginger and cayenne pepper, this flavorful spicy curry powder blend is ideal for bringing some heat anywhere curry powder is called for.

Kokum primarlily is used as a souring agent, it is used as an alternative to tamarind in curries and other dishes from the Goa and Konkan region. It is also used in cuisine from Gujarat, where it is frequently used to add flavor and tartness to Daal.

Brown mustard seeds, or Brassica juncea, are derived from a plant common to India, China and Africa. These sharp whole mustard seeds are preferred to their yellow counterparts in many Indian dishes due to their hotter, more pungent flavor.

Parsley can be used either fresh or dried and brings a certain freshness to dishes that cannot be duplicated by any other her; it iss mainly used as a garnish or breath freshener due to the crisp clean flavor it possesses. It is rich in vitamins A and C, and contains iron, copper and iodine.

These small, dark berries pack an aromatic punch with citrus and pine flavors and quite a bit of heat. 

Dried red chilli are powdered after being sun-dried until they are very crisp. Red chilli powder is an indispensable ingredient in most Indian dishes. The colour and flavor of red chilli powder depends on the variety of red chillies used to make the powder.

Rosemary is an herb from the mint family and is the pine needle-like one inch leaves off of a small evergreen shrub.

Essential to curry powder, turmeric spice is a member of the ginger family. Turmeric powder has a light, musky flavor and brilliant golden-orange color, for which it is famous throughout the world. Turmeric spice contains the compound curcumin, which is a strong anti-inflammatory.