I am sure that many people would agree that Indian food is one of the most delicious cuisines on earth. The art of Indian cooking consists of Indian spice mixtures that can transform an ordinary dish into an extraordinary meal. There are over 20 spices associated with Indian food and mixing them properly is almost a spiritual act.

Due to favorable climate conditions, India is native to many kinds of spices such as turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, etc.  Indian spices were one of the most valuable items for trade in the ancient world. Whole, ground, chopped, or roasted, they are the foundation of Indian cooking.

Learning to Cook Indian at Home During Lockdown

It was my husband who challenged me to try Indian food first. As an artist, he quickly transitioned into Indian cooking just as he would with another form of art. Watching him meticulously shop and study Indian spices, mix and combine flavors to procuring the necessary cooking tools, Indian cooking has been all sorts of fun.

Since the beginning of the year, he’s been cooking Indian once a week, and this is now one of his favorite hobbies. This, in times of Covid-19 lockdown, has added diversity and expanded our cooking repertoire.

Indian Spices and Their Health Benefits

Many of the Indian spices have been commonly used in Indian folk medicine (Ayurveda) for their medicinal properties.  As an alternative remedy for some degenerative disorders, spices have also attracted the attention of science. 

Spices are very low in calories but rich in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory effects. They contain active compounds that act as preventive agents to common health disorders, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and cancer.

The fact that they are relatively inexpensive and have low to no side effects makes them a viable alternative and reduces healthcare costs.

Another interesting fact regarding Indian spices is that you’ll find most of them are also very powerful immunity herbs.

Cooking with Indian Spices

For the longest time, I thought the secrets to cooking great Indian food at home were out of reach and told myself that something so delicious just had to need special equipment to make.  I am happy to say that over the last year I have proven myself woefully wrong.  As it turns out, most Indian food can easily be made in a standard kitchen, and very few if any special equipment is required.  The secret is in the spice.

Listed below you’ll find a list of all the essential Indian spices you’ll need to get started cooking Indian food.  You’ll also find a short list of other spices that are useful to have on hand and a couple of equipment recommendations that will make your life easier. 

In fact, mastering the spices is the first step on the way to learning to cook Indian.

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List of Indian Spices with Pictures

Tumeric (Haldi)

Turmeric seems to be getting a lot of attention lately for its ascribed health benefits.  We’re going to put all of that way aside and focus on only one thing:  Turmeric is (expletive deleted) one of the most delicious Indian spices.  It has a mild, aromatic bitterness that serves as a great foundation for the other spices you’ll be adding to whatever dish you’re cooking.   You’ll see it in Indian recipes as haldi, and it gets put in a wide variety of dishes. 

Just be careful when using turmeric; it can easily stain just about anything.  One urban legend even posits that an unfortunate accident in a turmeric warehouse is responsible for Donald Trump’s orange complexion. 

Cumin (Jeera)

Cumin is a fairly common spice that also plays heavily in Mexican and Arabic cooking.  When cooking Indian it is important to have both whole cumin and powdered cumin on hand.

When it is used whole, this Indian spice is usually used at the beginning of recipes for tempering oil, while powdered jeera is often placed into a dish toward the middle of the cooking process along with several other spice powders.

Ground Red Pepper (Mirch)

Kashmiri Mirch and Deggi Mirch (which is a mixture) are powders made of finely ground red chilis. These powders are used to add that color and flavor to curries.  Load up on this one because it gets put in practically everything.

Coriander Powder (Dhania)

Many people have a genetic taste aversion to coriander. 

They think it tastes like soap. 

If you have one of these poor, unfortunate mutants in your life, or happen to be one yourself, you’ll be happy to know that Coriander powder tastes nothing like the soapy leaf that they (or you) hate so much. This is a powder created from the seeds of the plant that has a savory taste.

Mustard Seeds

Tiny little seeds that pack a massive amount of flavor.  These are usually added to oil before throwing in other ingredients to temper a dish with a subtle mustard flavor.   And yes, now that you have them in your cupboard, it is very easy to make your own fresh-ground mustard!

Ginger Garlic Paste

These are two ingredients you probably have in your home already.  If you want to forgo the effort to whip them together into a paste yourself, you can usually find Ginger Garlic Paste in jars. 

Otherwise, you can substitute the pasta with finely chopped ginger and garlic. We always keep jars of the stuff around to save time and effort.

Read more about the powerful benefits of ginger.

Garam Masala

Masala is a word that means melange, and with enough of this stuff you’ll be able to conduct interstellar travel both safely and accurately.  

   ….   I’ve just been informed that I may have my literature crossed. 

Masala is a word that means melange, which is just another word for mixture.  So Garam Masala is just a mixture of a bunch of different types of spices, and while it won’t turn your irises and sclera bright blue, it is still wonderful stuff.  It usually contains a number of the other essential Indian spices on this list along with cinnamon, black pepper, and bay leaves.  This can be bought as a pre-made mixture but can also be made at home with a grinder.

Dried Fenugreek (Kasuri Methi)

Whenever I’m cooking Indian at home, nothing I ever make smells quite right until I’ve added the Kasuri Methi. 

In my opinion, it may be the most addictive flavor in Indian cooking, which is probably why it has the word meth in its name. 

Kasuri Methi is the sundried leaves from the fenugreek plant. It has a taste somewhere between fennel and celery.  You’ve probably seen it sprinkled on top of most of your favorite curries.  The leaves are usually the final touch to a dish before it is plated.

Auxilary Indian Spices

Cardamom (Green & Black)

There are two types of cardamom pods that are generally used in Indian cooking.  First is the familiar, small, green pods that are commonly used in western desserts.  The other is a much larger dark brown pod with a smoky aroma. 

Both are used often enough which is good to keep a few on hand.  We always toss a few green cardamom pods in the rice cooker along with the basmati rice.

Clove

Most spice racks already come stocked with clove.  More often than not Indian recipes call for whole clove but having powdered on hand can work as well.  Just remember that three whole cloves are equal to 1/4 of a teaspoon of ground cloves.

Curry Leaves

Curry leaves are one of those ingredients that pop up from time to time in recipes. It won’t do to substitute curry powder for them as it’s quite different.  If you don’t have them, try making the recipe without. There will be a difference, but you can still make a decent curry without them.

Dried Red Chilis

Dried Red Chili Peppers are a fairly ubiquitous ingredient in any spicy cuisine.  So, they should be easy to come by.

Amchur Powder

This is dried mango powder.  It’s great stuff, but you can get by without it in most recipes.  Orange marmalade makes for a decent substitute, but if you can get your hands on the real thing, grab it.

Chana Masala

Another spice mixture like Garam Masala, Chana Masala is used less frequently.  If you plan on making a lot of curries with chickpeas, you’ll definitely want to pick this up.

Hing (Asafoetida)

This Indian spice is hard to come by outside of specialty markets, but it is worth it.  Hing is a very pungent powder that smells a bit like durian.  It smells so strange that the name for it contains the Latin for “fetid”. 

While I wouldn’t go making ice cream out of the stuff, a pinch of it does go a long way in a curry.  Grab it if you can, if only to film the reaction on your children’s faces when you break their trust getting them to try it raw.

Related Reads:

Ginger Benefits: Why You Need to Add More Ginger to Your Diet

Turmeric Benefits for Health, Uses, and Recipes

Tools to Have on Hand

Sieve / Strainer

This tool is very useful for dishes like Butter Chicken which needs to be creamy smooth.  Run your curry back into a pan through a strainer after blending it to achieve the effect.

Hand Blender

You can use a food processor or blender for mixing Indian spices as well but having a good hand blender will allow you to blend up your curries when necessary without having to make extra dishes for cleaning.

Pressure Cooker

Indian cuisine calls for a lot of beans.  You can use the canned variety, but if you want an authentic flavor, you’ll want to cook the beans raw.  The best way to get that smooth consistency is with a good pressure cooker.

Final Word

There you have it.  It’s certainly not a complete list, but it’s certainly everything you’ll need to start cooking Indian food and more.  Now that you have a list of essential Indian spices, what do you plan to make first?

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