When most people think of Indian food the first thing that comes to mind is “its spicy” or “chicken tikka masala.” While that is true, I think not of its spiciness but of its rich flavor and aroma that permeates one’s palate. Compared to other cuisines and I’m not expert chef here, Indian food is flavored with many spices. We have our staples – turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander power, goda masala (sweet spices), and garam masala (hot spices). The latter two consist of several different spices ground together. What I also love about Indian food is that there really isn’t one way to cook it. Depending on the state or region of India you’re from, the way food is cooked, spices and ingredients that are used can vary quite a bit.
North indian food is fairly heavy – paneer, heavy cream, lentils, roti, meats – mainly chicken or goat- and anything fried is popular. Most Indian restaurants in the US offer north Indian cuisine. However, in southern India the food is much lighter with rice, lentils, dried red chilis, and sauces are not made with heavy cream as in the north. But even so there is quite a bit of variation regionally, statewide, and even locally. In the US going from New Jersey to Pennsylvania or New York will not make that much of a difference. In India it sure will. The states in India are more like European countries than US states.
As you can see spices are key in making food flavorful. One staple in most if not all Indian kitchens is the spice box! Not a spice rack but a spice box. This is a unique box used to keep the essential spices on hand. I started cooking several years ago when I moved into my first apartment after undergrad. Back then I had a makeshift spice box. An old Quality Street empty chocolate box with plastic containers or zip lock bags filled with spices. Everywhere I moved I would carry around my spices in zip lock bags. Easy transportation and very compact. But now that I have my first independent apartment it was time to get the real spice box. Time to become a real adult. Time to become a real Indian chef.
The stainless steel (it has to be stainless steel to be legit!) spice box has one round container, 7 smaller containers, an inner lid to keep spices from spilling and an outlet to keep to the whole contraption together. And lets not forget the perfectly sized spoon. When you buy these spice boxes they’re empty unlike most spice racks that have pre filled spices. While this is great, with my spice box I can really tailor it to my needs. Fill the box with spices that I use most frequently.
Here are the spices in my spice box:
- Turmeric
- Red Chili Powder
- Whole cloves
- Cumin seeds
- Mustard seeds
- Whole black peppercorns
- Mystery spice
My dad filled my spice box while I was at work and therefore the mystery spice.
I feel like a real adult now that I have my stainless steel spice box. No more zip lock baggies and old chocolate boxes. This is one step closer to cooking like my mom does.