A Teaspoon of Turmeric

Have you ever looked at an Indian recipe and counted how many spices are needed to make that wonderful dish you’re eyeing to its perfection? Very complex Indian recipes may call for up to twenty individual spices! Now that can be daunting if you have something missing from the list.

In the cooking classes we teach, we recommend having a basic set of spices on hand that can be used for most Indian dishes. With these top basic Indian spices stocked in your pantry, you can be sure to make most dishes pretty well even if you’re missing the odd spice here or there.

Below are some of the spices you’ll need to stock your basic Indian pantry (or should I say Masala Dabba/Box?!):

Here are some of the basic spices you'll need to stock your Indian spice pantry.

Arvinda’s Curry Masala is a nice blend to replace many of these basic spices. Garam Masala is also an important finishing spice blend.

And if you don’t yet have a masala dabba (or box), you’re missing out on a wonderful kitchen gadget for storing your spices! It keeps your spices ultra fresh. You can purchase them here.

And don’t forget, turmeric can be put into more than just your curries! Try adding it to your breakfast Masala Chai, hot chocolate, pasta sauce, vinagrettes…and so on. As always, I go crazy for this!

A teaspoon of: The Weeknd. Listening to: High For This.