If there’s one thing India is famous for (besides Bollywood, of course), it’s the vibrant and spicy cuisine. For many who are not familiar with Indian food preparation, it can seem like a daunting task to decipher what purpose each spice is used for and how to integrate them into dishes. Indian cooks have it down to a science, and those who wish to venture into Indian cooking may be surprised at how simple it is to incorporate spices into their meals and transform their dishes.
The story of Spicy Organic began in 1980, when the Kumar family opened a small spice shop in their hometown of Lisora, India, to provide local Indian households with spices and herbs sourced directly from their farm to the community. Indian recipes require intricate preparations and a balance of specific ingredients to create ancient dishes, many of which are based on Ayurvedic principles.
Their small spice shop quickly grew in popularity, and they built a loyal customer base. After a few years, they decided to relocate their family to McKinney, Texas, where they would attempt to break into the North American spice market.
Fortunately, North America was ready for them. The 1980s were the perfect time to establish a spice company in the United States as there not many other players on the market, and the popularity of Indian spices and demand was growing every year. Immigration, globalization, and different world cuisines gaining popularity in the West increased the demand for Indian spices.
After many years of hard work and juggling their business between two continents, Spicy Organic is now the largest supplier of certified organic herbs and spices in North America. Over the years, they formed connections with over 10,000 farmers and growers around the world and supply certified organic herbs, spices, and aromatherapy products.
The variety of products Spicy Organic supplies are extremely diverse and central to many other culinary traditions such as those of North Africa, the Middle East, Latin American Central Asia, and China. The following list of 16 essential ingredients will allow home cooks to experiment with recipes from all over the world.
Spices Every Home Cook Needs in Their Kitchen
- Cumin: Cumin is fundamental to Indian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic cuisines. It has a slightly earthy, warm, and hearty flavor that adds complexity to dishes. If you’ve ever had barbecue sauce, biryani or fajitas, chances are cumin was used during preparation.
- Cloves: Cloves are slightly sweet, warm, and pungent. They are an important ingredient in chai tea and garam masala. They are used in both sweet and savory dishes and are featured in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines. Use them in whole form and remove before eating, or grind them into a fine powder. Try adding them to meat rubs.
- Coriander: Coriander comes from the same plant as cilantro. Cilantro is the leaf, while coriander is the seed. Coriander seeds can be added whole to dishes or used in cracked or ground form. They are often used for pickling and added to rice and meat dishes. Coriander is also an ingredient in garam masala.
- Allspice: Allspice is used in Jamaican jerk seasoning, sausages, Middle Eastern, and Indian dishes. In the West, it’s often used to flavor baked goods and other desserts. Its flavor and aroma are similar to that of cinnamon and cloves.
- Green Cardamom: Green cardamom is used in both sweet and savory dishes. It is an important ingredient in chai tea as well as garam masala. Try adding a few cardamom pods next time you make basmati rice, and you’ll see how its floral notes kick up the flavor. In Scandinavia, cardamom is often added to baked goods.
- Turmeric: Turmeric has an earthy flavor and is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties, especially in treating arthritis. It adds a beautiful yellow color to dishes. Try adding it to white long grain rice.
- Garlic Powder: To make garlic powder, garlic cloves are dehydrated after harvest and ground to a fine texture. Garlic powder is incredibly versatile and helps infuse a unique garlic flavor into many dishes and add balance. It’s a great addition to meat marinades, sauces, and vegetable-based dishes.
- Onion Powder: Onion powder, similar to garlic, helps round out savory dishes. It adds just the right touch to meat marinades, rice dishes, curries, stews, and any dish lacking a little something. It’s simple but really makes a difference.
- Cayenne Pepper: In North America, cayenne pepper is most often associated with Mexican cooking- tacos, fajitas, enchiladas. It’s also important in Indian curries and other cuisines around the world.
- Red pepper flakes: Szechuan cuisine is probably most well known for its use of red chili flakes. However, these are native to Central and South America and were brought to Asia only centuries ago. They are great to have in your kitchen simply to sprinkle onto pizza or pasta when you need a little heat, or for more complex recipes.
- Paprika: Paprika is made from dehydrated red peppers. It’s not spicy and has a very mild flavor but adds color to gravies and other dishes. Smoked paprika is used for Hungarian goulash. If you’ve ever had fried chicken, paprika is often mixed into the breading to give it a deeper color.
- Fenugreek: Fenugreek seeds have a sweet and nutty taste and are often added to pickled vegetables. They are an important ingredient in curries, and their taste can be compared to that of maple syrup. They are important in African, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines and are also used in many home remedies.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg has a warm and slightly sweet taste and aroma that makes it excellent in baked goods, but also allows it to complement meat and other savory dishes as well. It’s great with root vegetables such as carrots. Nutmeg is incredibly versatile and adds a special something to dishes.
- Star Anise: Star anise is an essential ingredient in Chinese 5-spice blend. Its flavor is often compared to that of licorice. It is shaped like a star and great for sweet dishes but can also be added to soups, sauces, stews in whole or ground form. Star anise is one of the spices used to flavor Vietnamese pho.
- Mace: Mace has a flavor that is reminiscent of cinnamon and clove- slightly sweet and pungent. It adds a warm, light orange color to dishes like desserts, curries, and stews.
- Cassia cinnamon: Cassia cinnamon is simply known as “cinnamon” in the west. It has a sweet and slightly spicy flavor and aroma that not only enhances baked goods but is used extensively in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines in savory dishes.
With these 16 spices in your pantry, you will be able to create recipes from all over the world without having to run to the store and shop for more ingredients. Visit www.spicyorganic.com to browse their inventory of organic spices, herbs, and aromatherapy products.