Indian Curry Spices & Herbs

Healthy Dried Fruits & Nuts

Spicy Pickles & Chutneys

Asafoetida - Hing

An extremely pungent spice extracted from a plant of the giant fennel family, asafoetida is frequently used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. In fact, asafoetida's strong, garlicky, dung-like smell is quite off-putting. But if you can overcome the stink, which disappears in the cooking process, the smallest amount of it transforms vegetable dishes, meat stews and fish. Buy it in powdered form rather than chunks, which are hard to break down.

Black Onion Seed - Kalonji Nigella Sativa

Black Onion seed has a distinctive flavour and is typically used to flavour Naan Bread. It is also used as a spice in the preparation of oil based pickles. 

Cardamom Pods - Elaichi

Cardamom pods contain fragrant seeds, used throughout the world in both savory and sweet dish. Many Indian meat, rice and dessert dishes use cardamom as one of the main spices. Cardamoms are also essential parts of spice mixtures such as Garam Masala.

Chillies

The pungent chilli has played an important role in cuisines the world over, adding a distinctive kick to many a dish.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has a long history both as a spice and as a medicine. It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in its dried tubular form known as a quill or as ground powder.

Cloves - Laung - Lavang

Cloves can easily overpower a dish, particularly when ground, so only a few need be used. Whole cloves are often used to “stud” hams and pork, pushing the tapered end into the meat like a nail. Cloves are often used to enhance the flavour of game, especially venison, wild boar and hare. They are used in a number of spice mixtures including  curry powders, mulling spices and pickling spices.

Coriander Seed - Dhania

The commonest use of coriander seed is in curry powders, where it is the bulkiest constituent, often rough ground in India to give a crunchy texture. The seeds can be likewise used in stews and soups. They blend well with smoked meats and game and feature in traditional English black pudding recipes and Italian mortadella sausage. Coriander is an ingredient of garam masala, pickling spices and pudding spices and is used in cakes, breads and other baked foods.

Cumin - Jeera

Cumin is used mainly where highly spiced foods are preferred. It features in Indian, Eastern, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Portuguese and Spanish cookery. It is an ingredient of most curry powders and many savoury spice mixtures, and is used in stews, grills - especially lamb - and chicken dishes. It gives bite to plain rice, and to beans and cakes.

Curry Leaves - Kadi Patta

Highly aromatic leaves, used mainly in Southern Indian cooking. An essential ingredient of curry powder, green chutneys and marinade pastes. They feature in dishes from saags in Gujarat to the fish curries of Kerala. Curry leaves are vital in Madras the sole region in which they form the basis of most masalas.

Dried Mango Powder - Amchoor

Unripe green mangoes are dried and powdered to make amchoor powder, a tart pale beige to brownish powder used in dishes where acidity is required. Amchoor is used to add a sour tangy fruity flavor without moisture in northern Indian dishes. Used in stir fried vegetable dishes, soups, curries, and to tenderize meat and poultry.

Fennel Seed - Variahli

Fennel seeds are small, similar in size to cumin. They have a distinctive aniseed flavour and will add a lovely depth to more aromatic dishes. Fennel is quite strong so be careful to use sparingly.

Fenugreek - Methi

The spice funugreek is the small yellowish to brown, almost golden colored, odd-shaped seeds from the pod of a bean-like plant. The seeds are very hard and have many varied shapes, oblong, round and square. Their smell is warm and pungent. Their taste is very powerful and aromatic, bitter yet sweet. A small amount will complement many other spices, but is you add to much the taste can be overpowering.

Mace - Javitri

Mace like nutmeg is used to flavor cakes and other sweets, but mace is also used in many savory dishes. These include meats, sauces, curries, pickling, ketchup, and even Worcestershire sauce.
Mace can be used as a nutmeg substitute for in most recipes. This spice has a sweeter and milder, but similar flavor to nutmeg.

Mustard Seed - Rai

Mustard Seed's hot and spicy flavor enhances meats, fish, fowl, sauces, and salad dressings. Whole Mustard Seed may be used in pickling or in boiling vegetables such as cabbage or sauerkraut. Brown Mustard Seeds are an important flavoring in Indian dishes.

Paprika - Lal Mirch

Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red bell peppers . In many European countries the name paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add colour and flavour to dishes.

Peppercorns - Kali Mirch

Freshly ground peppercorns have much more flavour than ready-ground pepper, so buy fresh whole peppercorns and invest in a pepper grinder. Freshly ground or crushed black pepper adds a flavour of its own to dishes, as well as enhancing the taste of other ingredients. Lightly crushed or cracked peppercorns can be used to spice up creamy sauces or to coat fillet steaks or chicken breasts.

Saffron - Zafraan

Saffron can be bought whole in threads or strands (stigmas), which should be crushed just before using, or in powdered form. Spanish and Kashmiri saffron are reputed to be among the best quality.

Star Aniseed - Badayan

The fruit of a shrub native to the Far East, star anise is shaped like an eight-pointed star and contains shiny seeds with an aniseed flavour, which comes from the essential oil, anethole. It's used widely in Chinese cooking and is one of the five spices in Chinese five-spice powder.

Turmeric - Haldi

A bright yellow spice that comes from the rhizome of a plant in the ginger family. It's sometimes available fresh, but is usually sold dried and ground, in powder form. Turmeric is often a component of curry powder and it's used on its own in many Asian dishes, including fish curries, dhals, pilafs as well as in many North African meat and vegetable dishes.