Spice Hut

When I first learned how to cook I had no clue which spice had what kind of flavor. I looked at recipes and added them to a dish accordingly and as time went by understood that each spice had its own personality. To throw them unknowingly into the cooking pot was sacrilege.

No two people ever agree on the exact recipe of a favourite dish. Recipes are handed down from generation to generation, verbally in the kitchen or from hand-me-down cookbooks---all of which are closely guarded secrets in most cases. But all agree, a dish is well cooked when the spices blend into the gravy and the meat. The spices should not be have disparate flavours, or taste raw. No one spice should over-power the other and be so intrusive as to completely hide the true taste of the vegetable or meat being cooked. It should enhance the character of the dish, give it colour and fragrance and leave you wanting more!

So for an Indian kitchen what are the essential must-haves?


Asafoetida ( Hing )

Bay Leaf ( Tej Patta )

Black Cardamom ( Badi Elaichi )

Black Cumin Seed (Shahi Jeera )

Black Mustard Seeds ( Rai)

Cardamom ( Elaichi)

Cashew nuts ( Kaju )

Cinnamon ( Dalchini )

Clarified butter ( Ghee )

Cloves ( Lavang )

Coriander Powder ( Dhania powder )

Coriander seeds ( Dhania )

Cumin seeds ( Jeera )

Curry Leaves ( Kaddipatta )

Fennel seeds ( Saunf )

Fenugreek Leaves - dried ( Kasoor Methi )

Fenugreek leaves ( Methi Leaves )

Fenugreek seeds ( Methi seeds )

Garlic ( Lahsun )

Ginger ( Aadrak )

Golden raisins ( Kishmish )

Gram Flour ( Besan )

Green Cardamom (Elaichi)

Mint ( Pudina )

Moong Daal

Mustard Oil

Nutmeg ( Jaiphal )

Pistachio nuts ( Pista )

Plain Flour ( Maida )

Plain yogurt ( Dahi )

Poppy seeds ( Khus Khus)

Red chilies powder ( Lal Mirchi powder)

Red Lentils ( Masur daal )

Red chilies ( Lal Mirchi )

Red Kidney beans ( Rajmah )

Saffron ( Kesar )

Salt ( Namak )

Sesame seeds (Til )

Spice Blend ( Garam Masala )

Tamarind ( Imli )

Turmeric ( Haldi )

Wheat Flour (Aata)

Yellow Lentils ( Tur Dal)

And Panch Phoron which is often used in Bengali cooking is nothing but:
•1 quantity whole cumin seeds
•1 quantity whole fennel seeds
•1 quantity whole yellow mustard seeds
•1 quantity whole fenugreek seeds
•1 quantity whole nigella (kalonji) seeds