The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Rice the Indian Way (10 page)

Cardamom (
Elaichi
):

Please note that the left hand side picture is of brown
cardamom and the right hand side picture is of green cardamom.

These come in two varieties: one is small, pale-green and
the other is large and brown/black. The pale green variety is used in many
Indian dishes including desserts. The brown variety is used for making curries
or
pulaos,
but not in sweetmeats.

Chilli (Kashmiri Red variety):

In our recipes, we have suggested the use of Kashmiri Red
Chillies as these impart a nice red colour and are not as hot as are the other
red chillies. In case, you like your food to be really hot, then you can use
the other red chillies available in the market which are much hotter.

Cinnamon (
Dalchini
):

 This looks like the thin bark of a tree and imparts a
lovely flavour both to the sweet and curried dishes. In India, however, it is
more used for curries as Indians like Cardamom in their desserts much more than
Cinnamon.

Cloves (
Laung
):

These look like dried flower buds and add a lovely flavour
to the food. Cloves are supposed to have antiseptic qualities which helps
preserve food.

Coconut (
Nariyal
) powder or milk:

This is used commonly in many South Indian and coastal
Indian preparations.

Coriander seeds and fresh green leaves (
Dhania
and
Dhania patta
):

The dried seeds of Coriander form an essential part of
Indian curries and are used quite extensively. The fresh green leaves are used
for making Chutneys (Indian sauce) as well as for sprinkling on curries. Since
the fresh leaves have a strong flavour, they should only be used by those who
really like it.

Cumin seeds (
Jeera
):

Cumin is another essential ingredient of Indian cuisine and
is generally the first spice to go into the heated cooking oil before other
items are added.

Curry leaves (
Kare-patta
):

These leaves have a lovely flavour and are absolutely
essential if you like South Indian cuisine. In India, it grows in abundance and
so is easily the cheapest herb to use. Generally used fresh, these can also be
dried and used as they retain much of their fragrance even in the dried form.

Garam Masala
:

This is a mixture in equal quantities of cinnamon, cloves,
cardamom (both pale-green and brown variety) and whole black pepper corns.
These can be ground together and kept in air tight containers for future use
for up to a week. Some dishes can also be made by putting the whole spices in
oil/ clarified butter (
Ghee
).

All lovers of Indian cooking must learn to use this mixture
properly. If you cook Indian dishes only occasionally, you may be tempted to
use the commercially available
Garam Masala
powders. Please remember,
however, that to economise on costs, some manufacturers skimp on the more
expensive ingredients mentioned above  and instead add lots of coriander
powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder etc. to add volume.
They even add
Kastoori Methi
which just drowns the subtle flavours of
other
Garam Masalas
. So do check before you buy such a ready mix of
spices.

Mustard seeds black (
Rai
):

These are black mustard seeds which look the same as the
yellow variety but are supposed to be more pungent than their yellow cousins.
This mustard seed is used a lot in South Indian and Western Indian cooking.