Understanding spices, and a Chicken Curry recipe for the win

There’s much to share about spices. This first part will help you build a strong, long-term and rewarding relationship with them. My next newsletter will tackle how to use them effectively.

India is the spiritual home of spices. We are not the only nation that grows them or uses them. But we do have a centuries old ability to absorb them from around the world into our palates, medication, beauty routines and more. As Marryam H. Reshii, food writer and author of “The Flavour of Spice” aptly sums up: “India co-opted spices that came from all over the world and integrated them seamlessly with the host of regional cuisines that exist within its borders… In fact, spices are so integral to our culture, that they’ve moved out of our kitchens and into every aspect of our daily lives.”

It takes a little bit of this spice and and a little bit of that to create the magic that is the food of India. But while wars were fought, seas were sailed and trades were made, there is still much to be addressed in the way we use them to their full transformational potential.

This they have in plenty. And it would take a book to go through each of them and justice may still not be served. As a spice company co-founder, I possess 35 single varieties for Indian cooking alone, not counting the higgledy-piggledly collection of sterilised former condiment jars filled with home-made blends. Some I make myself. Others I get as loving gifts from friends’ family homes. One is from a beloved cousin who breast cancer took too early. It’s four years old and is still full of life and her love.

Instead of detailing each spice, I’m going to cover some dos and don’ts. Firstly, I don’t believe in categorising spices because this is subjective to say the least. They can be classed by usage (seeds vs ground), strength (hot vs mild), aroma (fragrant vs warm) and more. There is also plenty of overlap in these groupings. So cumin, while earthy and aromatic, is also a cooling spice. In fact, the words spicy or spiced don’t imply heat. It simply means “using spices”.

Here are some of my top insights on spices:

With spices, you get what you pay for. The higher the quality, the more it will cost. There are many tricks of the trade to used to brings costs down. Delicate Ceylon or “True” Cinnamon, for instance, is pricier and less toxic than Cassia, which is widely sold as cinnamon at a lower price point.

There are other tricks of the trade used to ramp up profit margins. Cheaper ingredients like rice flour, paprika, cornstarch, salt, sugar, coriander and cumin are often used as “bulkers” or “fillers”. Look out for expensive aromatics like cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg – they may be minimal in quantity or even missing in action.

Spices don’t spoil, but they do weaken over time. This is because they get their flavour from the essential oils in them. You can warm them up or toast and grind them from whole to increase their punch. We tend never to throw them out.

Buy small quantities of well-labelled spices and then use them, unless you’re catering of course. One of the greatest travesties is that the same people who buy quality meat and vegetables will often use fusty old spices that have been gathering dust in the back of cupboards to flavour them. They are the ultimate flavour injection, and cost a fraction of everything else, please don’t scrimp on them!

Should you grind your own whole spices? I tapped into my favourite aunties on Facebook for this one to get a pulse on the state of the nation so to speak, and several of my friends waded in too. Spice blends are best made at home. Every family will make its own garam masala, for instance. Or buy it from a reputable source. Freshly toasted and ground cumin and coriander seeds is popular. Toasting and then grinding cumin seeds does take their flavour to earthier depths.

Saying that, buying excellent quality ground spices in small quantities is commonplace. My mother swears by a local brand. Often, and especially in the main cities, time doesn’t permit grinding at home. One of my friends knows families where a local tradesman grinds spices and blends to specific family recipes, and another where a lady comes to the house to painstakingly hand grind their required stash.

Bottom line: small quantities of ready ground, reassuringly-expensive spices from a reputable brand are absolutely a-okay.

What you buy depends on you. My mother calls her particular combination of Delhi spices the “usual masalas”, and covers cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli and garam masala. But this varies from place to place. Gujaratis, for example, have Dhana Jeeru, which is pre-prepared roasted and ground coriander and cumin. I would use a recipe that tweaks your interest as the building block for a collection. If in doubt, reach for turmeric, cumin and garam masala (ideally an expensive one that hasn’t been bulked with coriander and cumin).

Store them in airtight containers in a dark place. Once you have your collection in place, you have to keep them clear of light, humidity and extreme temperatures. My sister kept hers in the fridge when she lived in Singapore, but this is controversial! The most important thing to do is to label them, and make sure they are easy to reach. If not, you’ll end up with “death by cumin” where it’s easier to buy a new jar of spice than check whether you already have some collecting dust in a corner.

While on the subject of labels and language… be wary of marketing terms like “single origin”. This works for coffee for a number of reasons, but sometimes you’ll want to blend crops and origins to get a robust final spice. A lot of smaller artisanal players don’t have the scale to do this, but that doesn’t mean it’s a marketing Unique Selling Point. Our turmeric is a blend of Nigerian (high oil content), Indian (great for vibrant colour) and Indonesian (potent curcumin). Proudly multiple origin, it is the very best I have used in my professional opinion.

Two important words for Indian cooking are tadka and masala. Tadka is the act of tempering of sizzling your spices in hot oil before pouring it over a dish like raita or dal. Sometimes the tadka is more substantial and it works the other way, i.e. you pour ingredients into it. The term “masala” can mean spices, a mix of spices or a spice. It also means someone or something that comprises a varied mix of elements.

This is what inspired the name of my second book. I hope you enjoy every bit of masala henceforth too! To be continued…

Chicken curry for the win

This Bengali-style Murgir Jhol, or Chicken Curry, is testament to the magical transformation of the Holy Trinity of spices - turmeric, chilli and garam masala alone. There are whole spices in the hot oil at the outset, when a pinch of sugar caramelises to give the curry its crimson glow. I hope you enjoy cooking it and much as you love watching the spices do their thing.

• 4 tablespoons oil

• 1 inch whole cinnamon

• 4 green cardamoms

• 4 cloves

• 1 large bay leaf

• Pinch of white sugar

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic, grated

• 1 and a half inch stick of ginger, grated

• 1 level teaspoon of chilli powder

• Half teaspoon of turmeric powder

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

• Hot water

• 500gm skinless chicken thigh and drumsticks

• Half teaspoon of garam masala

• Salt to taste

• Fresh coriander and red chillies to garnish (optional)

Bring the oil to medium high heat in a pan, wok or kadai. When it’s hot, add the sugar and whole spices. As they sizzle, mix in the chopped onions.

Saute the chopped onions for five to seven minutes until they start taking colour. Then tip in the garlic and ginger, and stir for another five minutes until the masala starts turning golden.

Now mix in the turmeric and chilli powders for a minute, and then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook the lot until the tomatoes soften and you can see oil escaping them. You can a dash of hot water to loosen the masala if it gets stuck.

Next drop in the chicken and mix well to seal, coating the pieces in the spice paste for a minute. Add half a cup of water, cover and cook on a high simmer for 20 minutes stirring regularly.

Take the lid off for a final 10 minutes to allow oil to surface as a happy sign of the spices and ingredients marrying. Stir through salt to your taste, garnish with love and serve with steaming hot Basmati.