Garam masala is an Indian spice mix that typically includes cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns. The particular mix of spices depends on the cook and the region; garam masala may also include coriander, saffron, nutmeg, turmeric, mustard seeds or dried chiles.
In Hindi, garam masala means "warm spices," and you can probably tell by the list of possible ingredients that garam masala's flavors and smells evoke a sense of home, comfort and happiness.
You can usually find garam masala in the spice section of the grocery store. Or, you might have the ingredients on hand to make your own. Mix 2 tablespoons black pepper, 2 tablespoons cardamom seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, and 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick broken into pieces. Briefly toast the mix and then grind it into a powder using a spice grinder.
Authentic garam masala is made fresh every day, but you can keep your homemade version for two months in a spice jar.
A Chinese fruit shaped like its name and containing a small seed in each of its points, star anise is cultivated before ripening from small Southwestern Chinese evergreen trees. It is unrelated to anise seed, although both get their flavor from a compound called anethol.
Star anise has a more bitter taste than anise seed, and is used as a spice and infusion in Asian cuisines. It can also serve as cheaper alternative to anise in baked goods and liqueurs.
One of the five ingredients in Chinese five-spice powder and a major component of garam masala, star anise flavors Vietnamese pho broth and Southern Indian biryani. It is also an ingredient in the bird flu remedy Tamiflu.
Raita is a cool, salty yogurt dip used as a condiment to temper the heat in spicy Indian dishes. A cousin of Greek tzatziki, it is also called pachadi (though that word can mean several things depending on where you are in India).
The exact formula depends on the cook, but raita usually consists of thick yogurt that's been drained and then mixed with seeded cucumber and a spice mixture that can include cumin, cayenne pepper and a masala (garam or chat), plus finely chopped herbs such as cilantro and mint. Some leave the cucumber out, and add onion, eggplant or carrot.
Raita is always served cold and is best eaten when it is freshly made. A dessert version of raita can include yogurt mixed with chopped fruit, such as pineapple, mango and pomegranate seeds.
Recipe: Cucumber raita (Cookthink)
A vegetarian's friend, lentils are petite legume seeds that come whole or split in a variety of colors. Popular throughout the world, brown European lentils are the most common, if not the most delicious, variety. Because they tend to grow mushy when cooked, they are often used as a base for lentil soup.
The dark green-blue lentilles vertes du Puy are considered by many the apex of lentildom. These French lentils hold their shape and have a richer texture than common European lentils. Smaller and rounder orange (or red or yellow) lentils are more widely used in Asian cuisines.
Lentils are used in soups, stews and the Indian dish known as dal. Lentils eaten with rice are a common meat substitute in India, as they contain high amounts of protein as well as iron, phosphorus, calcium and vitamins A and B. The French, on the other hand, like to pair lentils with smoked pork sausage or bacon lardons.
Recipe: Lentil Salad With Garlic Vinaigrette
Recipe: Quickish Country Lentil Soup (Hogwash)
Recipe: Lentils Crostini With Ricotta And Basil
Dal comes from the Sanskrit word to split. Indians use the word dal to refer to dozens of varieties of dried split peas, beans, lentils and other pulses (meaning the dried seed of legumes such as lentils, beans and peas). Dal is the name of spicy, aromatic side dishes made with curry, onions, tomatoes and seasonings which are generally eaten with rice or bread and a dairy like yogurt to provide non-meat protein.
Dal is an everyday dish in India. Indian Masoor dal is made with salmon-colored, round, delicately flavored split lentils that turn a mellow shade of yellow when cooked. Moong dal (or mung daal) is a hulled, split version of the mung bean that is used to make bean sprouts and is very popular in North India. Chana dal is similar to split yellow peas, but has a sweeter, meatier taste, and can be found in Indian and Pakistani markets. Dal can also be soaked and ground to make the fritters or pancakes called dosas.
Cilantro is the parsley of the East, where it's known as "coriander leaves" or "dhani". (In Mexico, where it's also very popular, it's sometimes called "Mexican parsley".)
If you like cilantro (and some people don't at all), the herb is an easy way to add a beautifully fresh, sweet, fruity flavor to any dish.
To prep it, first rinse and shake dry the leaves. Hold the bouquet at an angle with the leaves against the cutting board. Run your knife down the side of the bouquet to slice away the leaves. It's fine to remove some of the tender stems along with the leaves. (In fact, for salsas, spice pastes, curries and some longer-cooking dishes, the stems add essential, concentrated cilantro flavor.)
Now just run your knife back and forth across the pile of leaves, chopping them as coarsely or as finely as you need to. The closer to the end of the cooking you plan to add the cilantro, the finer you'll want to chop it. But since cilantro is so tender it's usually okay to keep the the chop coarse.
Now that you know how to prep it, try some cilantro recipes at Cookthink.com.
Biryani is a one-dish rice-based meal that consists of layering cooked rice and meat in a casserole, before baking it in the oven. Originating in Persia and popular in India and the Middle East, biryani can be made with chicken, seafood or meat, and can also be made as a vegetarian casserole.
Biryani is normally made with basmati rice and flavored with cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, bay leaf, coriander, mint, ginger, garlic and onions. Traditionally, orange saffron milk was sprinkled on the top of the dish before baking, so that the rice grains had a variated white and yellow-orange color and a subtle saffron flavor; today the high cost of saffron means that many restaurants unfortunately use yellow food coloring instead.
Biryani is often served with a yogurt-based condiment such as raita or a tomato, onion and cilantro relish. It is good for crowds and a favorite at Bangladeshi wedding receptions, Indian family dinners and Muslim dinner tables in Thailand.
The word curry was invented by British colonialists in the 18th century. Most likely a bastardization of the Indian word kari (meaning sauce), it refers to a number of saucy dishes flavored with curry powder or curry paste.
The idea of curry began in India. By the beginning of the 18th century, the Dutch and the British were selling standardized curry powders. At the Universal Paris Exhibition of 1889, a curry decree set the composition of curry as having prescribed amounts of tamarind, onion, coriander, chilli pepper, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, pepper, and mustard.
Today, curry powder may also include cloves, cardamon, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, caraway, ajowan seeds, dried basil, mustard seeds, mace, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, saffron or cinnamon. The mix depends on the cook, as curry recipes can be found in the cuisines of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Caribbean.
While there is no rigid definition of "a curry," many restaurants use it as a generic term for sauce-based dishes that can vary in spice content and heat, and can contain meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, coconut milk, onions, fresh ginger, kaffir lime leaves and other ingredients.
Curry powder's flavors fade quickly, and Indian curry powder is ideally made to order depending on the dish. Madras curry powder is named after the southern Indian region from which it comes. Careful if you're not used to it, as it tends to pack a lot more heat.
Recipe: Curried Brussels Sprouts And Sweet Potatoes (cookthink)
Recipe: Red Curry Chicken Breasts (cookthink)
Tamarind is the fruit of a tropical evergreen tree from West Africa that is now grown in India, South-East Asia and the West Indies. It produces pods filled with dark brown, seed-laced, bittersweet pulp that is used to make chutneys, jams and condiments such as Worcestershire and Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce.
Tamarind is found throughout the world and particularly used to spice up Asian and Latin American cuisines. The Indians use dried tamarind pulp in spice mixes, salads, broths and other dishes and the Chinese use candied tamarind as a garnish for sweet-and-sour soup. The Egyptians use it as a base for a cold summer drink known as tamr hindi and the Mexicans have also developed a popular tamarind-based beverage called Agua de Tamarindo.
Turmeric root is a tropical, herbaceous plant that looks like ginger's jaundiced cousin. It has been used since 600 B.C; dried and powdered, turmeric adds an earthy, slight bitterness to curry powder and other Indian and Southeast Asian dishes. (Turmeric is what lends curry powder and American-style mustard that bright yellow color.)
Like most spices, turmeric's pungency and color fades with age; it should be kept in a dark place and used up quickly.
In India, turmeric is used as an antiseptic, and it is an ingredient in certain sunscreens. Turmeric is also the object of numerous medical studies examining its role in combating ailments including breast cancer and psoriasis.
Recipe: Malaysian Chicken Satay (Rasa Malaysia)
Recipe: Red Beans And Quinoa With Mint (Cookthink)
Devil's dung ring a bell? Stinking gum? Merde du Diable?
These are just a few of the unkind nicknames for this fetid-smelling spice, made from the resin-like sap of a fennel-like plant grown in India and Iran and used in small quantities (in lump or powdered form) in Indian pickles and vegetarian dishes such as curries.
Asafoetida mellows when fried in ghee, taking on the smell of fried onions and garlic. It is also believed to help children's colds, bronchitis and asthma and its scent is apparently attractive to the wolf.
What is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?
What is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?
Although the terms sweet potato and yam are often used interchangeably, the two vegetables are not technically related. Yams, which are native to Africa and Asia, are related to lillies and grasses. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are in the morning glory family.
If you look closely, you can tell them apart. Sweet potatoes are typically more uniformly shaped and have tapered ends. Yams have rough scaly brown or black skin and off-white, purple or red flesh. Sweet potatoes typically have yellow, red, purple or brown skin and yellow, orange or orange-red flesh.
In terns of flavor, yams tend to be sweeter and moister. Sweet potatoes differ in flavor depending on the variety -- paler, thinner-skinned sweet potatoes have lower sugar content and are dry and crumbly in texture, similar to a white baked potato. The more common, darker-skinned sweet potatoes have vivid orange flesh and are sweeter in taste and more moist in their texture -- these are the sweet potatoes often mistakenly called yams.
Despite their differences, commonly available varieties of both sweet potatoes and yams are fairly similar in taste and texture, you can generally use them interchangeably in recipes.
