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Chapter 1

Indian Spice Mixes

Indian cooking is all about spices and flavor. To the Indian cook, the two are one in the same: spice equals flavor. I learned this from my mother and grandmother, who often spent several of their afternoon hours preparing the spices to be used for our daily meals. And it is from them that I learned the benefit of grinding fresh spices and most importantly how the subtle flavors hidden within the spices are gently released when they are slightly roasted before being ground.

To understand Indian cooking is to understand how to use spices individually and in combination to enhance food. The specific mixture of spices in the food is referred to as a masala, which means a blend of spices or herbs. It is this unique combination of spices or herbs that creates the distinctive taste of each dish. This section includes recipes for masalas and other basic flavor components that form the building blocks of Indian cooking.

Masalas can be in the form of a powder or a paste. Different Indian recipes may call for a different blend of masalas in either form. Often a recipe will call for a just a sprinkling of mustard seeds and ground turmeric, whereas some recipes may call for a masala that is a blend of over twenty different spices. Do not be alarmed! I have not included such elaborate spice blends in this book. In fact, even a minimal use of spices will lend a wonderful, aromatic accent to a dish. So do not hesitate to use just a few spices to create your masalas. Sprinkle cumin seeds when you cook potatoes or add a stick of cinnamon while boiling rice. Even a single spice can bring out the flavor of a dish.

The proportion of ingredients in these spice blends, as well as the amount used in a recipe, can be adjusted to suit your taste. I urge you to be adventurous with the spice blends in this book. Begin by trying the different blends in this section. You will soon be able to identify the unique flavor each brings to a dish. Then experiment with tweaking the spice profiles to arrive at your own personal versions. The only guideline I would suggest is to maintain a balance between the hot flavors (like peppercorn and cloves) and the aromatic flavors (like cardamom, cinnamon and mace).

You can also substitute many of these masalas with store-bought, premade spice mixes. However, for the best flavor, I recommend using freshly blended spices. When making masalas at home, you are able to slightly roast the spices before grinding them into a powder or a paste, an extra step that helps to release the flavors and oils of spices into the blend, thus adding more potency (and magic!) to the spice mixture.

Indian Five Spice Mix Panch Phoran

This is the Indian equivalent of Chinese five spice powder. It is a popular blend used in Bengali cuisine. Panch phoron is a colorful blend of equal quantities of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and nigella seeds. There are two traditional versions of this spice mix: one whole and one ground. When used whole, the spices are added to hot oil before adding the vegetables, lentils or legumes. This method, known as tempering, is a very common technique in Indian cooking. When used in its ground form, this spice blend is added at the very end of the cooking process to flavor dishes. My favorite technique is to coarsely grind the blend and use it to crust fish fillets and chicken breasts. In the recipes in this book I call for using it in its ground form only. But I encourage you to try using the whole seeds. Nigella seeds can be found in Middle Eastern or Indian food stores as well as specialty food markets. They are also known as black onion seeds. If you don’t have nigella seeds, substitute celery seeds.

Makes about 1 cup (125 g)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon nigella seeds or celery seeds

1 If you plan to use this spice mixture in its ground form, dry roast the whole spices over medium heat in a small, nonstick skillet, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 1¹/₂ minutes.

2 Remove the spices from the skillet and set aside to cool completely.

3 Finely or coarsely grind the whole spices in an electric coffee grinder and store in an airtight jar. Note: Some recipes call for a coarsely ground blend. Remember to check the recipe you’re planning to make to see if this is the case before grinding the spices.

TIPS FOR USING WHOLE PANCH PHORAN If you plan to use the spices whole, simply mix all of the spice together and store in an airtight jar. To use this spice mix in its whole-seed form, you might sauté some of the whole spice mixture in ghee until fragrant and drizzle the mixture on food as a garnish to liven flavor. Alternatively, to make a simple Bengali vegetable dish, add 2 tablespoons of whole Panch Phoran to a tablespoon of hot oil and, when fragrant (about 25 to 30 seconds), add a teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, a pinch of ground turmeric and salt to taste along with a mix of diced, fresh seasonal vegetables (1 pound/ 500 g total). Sauté the vegetables until tender and serve hot as a side dish.

Ginger-Garlic Paste Pissa Adrak Lahsoon

A lot of Indian recipes call for this smooth, flavorful paste. Although you can easily find this ginger-garlic paste at Asian markets, it is simple enough to make it at home and it keeps well in the refrigerator. Plus the homemade paste gives the dish a much better flavor than the store-bought one. Basically it is just equal amounts of fresh ginger and garlic pulsed together.

Makes about 1¹/₂ cups (500 g)

¹/₂ lb (250 g) ginger (2 pieces, each about 4 in/10 cm in length), peeled and coarsely chopped

¹/₂ lb (250 g) garlic (about 6 to 7 heads), coarsely chopped

¹/₄ cup (65 ml) water

1 Place the ginger and garlic in a food processor or a blender. Add the water and process to make a fine paste.

2 Store the paste in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator up to 3 to 4 weeks.

Red Masala Paste

Lal Mirch Masala

The flavor of this paste is something I grew up, and it’s one

of my favorite flavors. This masala paste is frequently used to marinate fish and is used when preparing bone-in coconut chicken curry with fresh curry leaves or a south Indian lamb stew. To make this masala, the spices and dried red chilies are tempered in oil first and then ground to a paste. Traditionally the masala ingredients are ground in a stone grinder, but for convenience I use a food processor or blender. I make this masala paste in large batches. And for a good reason! If you have some on hand, you can whip up a quick flavor-packed meal in minutes. I love to smear this on fish fillets like tilapia, sea bass or halibut and pan-fry them. Sometimes I make a quick curry by boiling meat or vegetables with coconut milk, Red Masala Paste and fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).

Makes about 1 ¹/₂ cups (600 g)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 7 minutes

1 tablespoon oil

15 dried red chili peppers, broken into small pieces

3 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Two ¹/₂ -in (1.25-cm) cinnamon sticks

¹/₂ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)

15 cloves garlic

One ¹/₂-in (1.25-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled

1 tablespoon shredded, unsweetened coconut (frozen, reconstituted dried, or freshly grated) (page 24)

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

¹/₂ teaspoon ground turmeric About ¹/₂ cup (125 ml) water

1 Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chili peppers, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon, fenugreek, if using, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring until aromatic, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the spices from the skillet and let cool slightly.

2 Place the spice mixture in a food processor or blender. Add the coconut, tamarind and turmeric. Process the mixture to make a smooth paste adding water a little at a time. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the processor.

3 Transfer to an airtight container. Store the masala in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

TIP For a longer shelf life always use a clean spoon each time you dip into your masala jar. It is a common habit for new cooks, especially those in training in busy professional kitchens, to use dirty spoons or double dip spice pastes or masalas, which will cause the blend to go rancid sooner than it would otherwise. It’s a shame to waste a large batch of this spice paste simply from a bad habit!

Indian Grilling and Roasting Rub

Making your own fresh spice blends and pastes makes a world of difference in your cooking. This is an aromatic blend that I created inspired by aromatic Indian spices and the western grilling rubs. This blend is ideal for marinating steak, fish or chicken. This can be used as a dry rub or can be mixed in oil to create a flavorful marinade. I like to blend this mixture into a coarse mix, where I can feel the crunch of the spices with the food.

Makes about 1 cup (125 g)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon whole cloves

¹/₂ tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried mint leaves

1 teaspoon salt