Name your spices

brishti

gardener:
a very simple way of using kalonji:

chop whatever vege's you're thinking of eating...
would suggest potatoes and cauliflower for the first splash

cut potatoes the french fries style
cauliflower - not too small pieces

heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok.
put in a lil less than half a tsp of kalinji.
[ a couple of slit green chillies would be great at this point! ]
put in the potatoes.
sugar [?] salt to taste.
stir, cover with a lid, sim cook till potatoes are soft.
put in cauliflower.
stir, lid. sim cook for 5 minutes more.

turmeric/chilli powder are optional
to be put in after kalinji.

you can mix an match any vege's, using the same recipe.


cardamom:
for that sour daal, try using pieces of raw mango, instead of the aamchur. peel, cut and boil the mango with the daal.
but use the yellow dal [moong] when cooking with mango.

paanch phoron!!!
i am so impressed - only hear that in a bengali household!!!
you can usually use that to cook any combo of vegetables - please try it and let us know. thanks.


:brishti

Nick-H

closely related, Green Mango Sambaar is delicious

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

snonymous

As far as possible, use fresh spices and herbs.
Basics apart from onions, ginger, garlic, green chilis and fresh green coriander are:

Turmeric powder, Red chili powder, Jeera - cumin seed, Dhania - coriander seed [latter 2 are often sold as Dhania Jeera powder however if you dry roast both whole seeds together and then pound / grind, you will get a far superior flavour], methi seed - fenugreek, mustard seed, grated coconut [ use dessicated ], black peppercorns, asafoetida [hing], tamarind [available as paste], curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, nutmeg [latter 5 used a lot in biryani] ... Im sure others will fill in what Ive left out.

Note: There are several Jain and other orthodox communities in India who cook absolutely delicious meals without using onion, ginger, garlic and other root vegetables.

Plenty of commercially available masala powders and pastes in various combinations which come in handy when you are in a hurry.

Cardamom

Wooo! so many good ideas here!

Thanks for the tip, brishti. I will have to try that out when I cook again this weekend!

-C

brishti

just make sure them raw mangoes are really raw cardamom.
sometimes they retain the greeness in the skin colour, whilst ripening inside

how do i know if a mango is really raw or not?
havent a clue - here i pluck them off a tree you see


:brishti

jyotirmoy

Chop & slice potatoes. Heat oil in a pan, when hot add some Panch Phoron, throw in some slitted green chilies, saute till the mustard seeds crackle, add potatoes, a pinch of sugar & salt to taste. Reduce heat and cover, stirr frequently, add a little water and cook.
Eat with Puris.

chAos

and isn't this normally mustard oil?

jyotirmoy

Yes we Bengalis use mustard oil which adds flavour & pungentness but any other vegetable oil should do.
We call it Aloo Chenchki. Very basic but quite delicious. This stuff with Puris can be packed and taken on a say long train journey.

theyyamdancer

This is what I have in my kitchen for Indian recipes:

Dried Red Chilis
Chili Powder
Black Peppercorns
Green Cardamom
Black Cardamom
Fresh Ginger
Ground Ginger
Cinnamon Sticks and Powder
Cloves
Star Anise
Turmeric
Fennel Seeds
Garam Masala
Fenugreek
Jeera (Cumin) - whole and ground
Dhania (Coriander) - whole and ground
Ajowan
Nigella
Mango (Amchoor)
Aniseed
Mustard seeds
Mace
Nutmeg
Tamarind

What's missing : Asfoetida and Curry Leaves

goangoangone

OK my spicy friends. I'm trying to track down allspice. I've found a few names for it but in Hindi I can only find Kebab Cheeni. I am told that cheeni also means sugar.
Here's what I found:

Allspice (English)

Kebab Cheeni (Hindi)

Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of Pimenta dioica,
an evergreen tree in the myrtle family.
It is not a blend of "all spices". After drying,
the berries are small, dark brown balls just a little larger
than peppercorns. It is not frequently used in Indian Cuisine.
Allspice is pungent and its taste and aroma does remind many
people of a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Do not grind allspice in a grinder with plastic parts,
because the oil in the spice can cloud the plastic
which cannot be restored. It has been known to have digestive
properties.
-----------

and.......

Allspice (Pimenta dioica [L.] Mer.)
English
Jamaica pepper, Myrtle pepper, Pimento, Newspice

Kannada
Gandha, Kankola

Nepali
Battis masala

-----------

I can substitute a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves but I want the real thing.

Over to you

chAos

I know allspice as Theppel. Hindi or Konkani? Don't know. Maybe neither? But that's how I learned it.