Spice Mixture

 Garam Masala

In north India where winters are bitterly cold, a blend of spice called garam masala is preferred to Chillies which cool body by promoting perspiration. Some of the most expensive spice go into its making. Every house hold in India has their own recipe for it. Depending on individual taste, the proportion of the various ingredients can be adjusted.

 Sambhar Powder

It’s the special spice blend of south India. It acts as a flavouring as well as a thickening agent. This mix is so called because it is used to flavour a dal (lentils) of the same name (Sambhar), popular in this region. It is a Preparation of lentils and vegetables, spiked with different spices and laced with coriander.

 Tandoori Masala

In Punjabi, huge earthen or clay ovens (called tandoors), half buried in the ground are made red-hot with a coal fire at the bottom. Marinated fish, meat, chicken and cooked cheese is threaded on to skewers and cooked in it. The food gets flavored by a special tandori mixture of spices and charcoal. Tandori masala has a distinctive aroma. Very fragrant and spicy. It tastes hot, sour and salty with a predominant of cumin and coriander.

 Panch Phoron

In the northeastern side of India lies Bengal. The most popular spice here in panch phoron – Bengal’s equivalent of the Chinese 5 – spice powder. It is added to hot oil before adding vegetables, lentils or pulses. As it begins to splutter, the rest of the ingredients are added. The unique aroma of Bengali cuisine is largely due to it.