How many Indian spices do you need? The answer depends on how you cook, what recipes you follow, and who you listen to. Traditional Indian spice boxes (masala dabba) usually have room for seven spices, but of course, some families keep more than one box. A quick google search for Indian spices turns up between six and 23 must-have spice recommendations!
To start your adventure, we recommend perusing a few recipes and making a list of the common spices to help you decide what to keep on hand. You probably already have some of them in your spice cabinet. You can add from there as needed for a specific recipe or in some cases substitute with a different ingredient. Note that many recipes call for good quality whole seeds, dry toasted in a skillet, and ground yourself, which will provide the most intense flavors and aromatics. Just a few spices can create a whole variety of flavors or masalas (mixtures).
The spices below are those we use to make our own signature curry blends, as well as some hard-to-find ingredients. Our curries and masalas are pre-mixed blends. Enjoy!
Showing 1–12 of 30 results
Bird’s Eye Chile Pepper
$7.00 – $18.90Small red Chile that packs a punch! Ranges from 100,000 to 225,000 on the Scoville scale. Use in soups, salads, stir fries, and curries.
Cardamom Pod, Green
$22.00Though India produces more Cardamom than Guatemala, it consumes most that it produces, making Guatemala the world’s largest supplier. The Cardamom Pod is typically transported in small batches from the mountainous regions in which it grows.
While cardamom seeds hold the flavor, once the pod is opened, that flavor begins to dissipate. For full cardamom flavor, use the whole pod (or a slightly crushed pod), in dishes like soups or stews.
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Cardamom Seed
$22.50Part of the ginger family, Cardamom means grains of paradise. Historically, Cardamom has been used to flavor foods, as an ingredient in perfumes, and even for medicinal purposes.
Known for its sweet and spicy taste, Cardamom seed is used equally in sweet dishes such as breads and cakes and in savory dishes such as meats and curries. Use in baked goods, sprinkle on oatmeal, ice cream, or iced melon, and add to curry. Cardamom has a sharp aroma and distinctive flavor that can be compared to anise or eucalyptus. For a Middle Eastern treat, sprinkle in your coffee.
Suggested Recipes:
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Cinnamon ~ Indonesian Cassia
$3.00 – $21.60The Greek poet, Sappho, referenced Cassia in 7th century B.C. Though not the “true” Cinnamon, Cassia (also called Chinese Cinnamon) is often sold as Cinnamon in the U.S., where it’s preferred for its strong, spicy and lingering flavor.
Use in both sweet and strong savory dishes: candies, baked goods, meats, preserves, curries, and hot beverages. Cassia, with its intense aromatic qualities and taste, is the popular choice for Cinnamon Rolls.
Available whole in 2 3/4-inch quills (approximately 9 sticks per standard pouch; approximately 15 sticks per plus 50 pouch) or milled to a powder.
Cinnamon ~ Saigon Cassia
$10.00 – $27.00Saigon Cinnamon (aka Vietnamese Cinnamon) is the strongest and sweetest species of Cinnamon available. Ours is freshly milled from organically grown bark to get the most intense flavor possible. Holds up to Vietnamese Pho and full-flavor meats; makes a great addition to yogurt; or ratchet up your baking with this powerful, nearly hot cinnamon flavor.
Watch Chef AJ making decadent desserts with our Saigon Cinnamon: LINK
Quick Tips:
- Add 1-2 tsp Saigon Cinnamon to 1 cup Straus Family Organic yogurt.
Cloves
$9.25 – $25.00Despite attempts at clove monopolies, by the 18th century cloves were grown in many places including Brazil, Tanzania, and Madagascar. The whole Clove looks much like a nail, hence its French namesake, “clou” (nail).
Use in pastries, puddings, cooked fruits, and cakes, or sprinkle on oatmeal for a treat. Also yummy in stews and vegetables. Pairs well with nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
Coriander
$7.25 – $19.60Coriander is one of the world’s oldest spices and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It is reported that coriander can sooth the stomach and that coriander tea might give colicky babies some relief.
Coriander has a citrusy flavor. Use in curry, meat, fish, and chili recipes. For a little kick of flavor, add coriander to cream cheese and cottage cheese or rub on fresh pork before roasting.
Cumin
$8.50 – $24.30Native to the Mediterranean and South Asia, Cumin is also a signature flavor for Central American and European cuisines. As a symbol of love and fidelity during the Middle Ages, wedding guests carried Cumin in their pockets, and wives of soldiers added it to baked bread for their husbands. Our Cumin is hand harvested, and has a high percentage of essential oils, delivering more powerful aromatics, and a slightly astringent, citrusy quality.
Curry Leaf
$7.50 – $20.25The curry tree (Murraya koenigii) is native to India and Sri Lanka. The leaf of this tree, commonly known as Curry Leaf, also translated as “sweet neem leaf,” is a key ingredient to curry dishes.
Add to curries or to flavor Southeast Asian rice, vegetable, and meat dishes. [Curry Leaf]
Curry Trio Gift Box
$32.00Curry Trio
Bo Kaap
Mild aromatic curry from South Africa, named after an area of Cape Town. Bo-Kaap Curry dishes are generally made using fresh flavorful ingredients.
Madras
Originally from Chennai, India, this spicy sweet curry was intended for vegetarian dishes, but also complements proteins.
La Kama
Moroccan spice blend with an aromatic sweet and warming flavor found in dishes throughout the Barbary Coast and Middle East.
Kraft gift box contains three unique curry spices (Bo Kaap, Madras, La Kama) in our gold-top jars. Gift is complete with a tailored message (above) and tied with a Local Spicery bow.
Darjeeling Black Tea
$16.00 – $17.00Grown on the Southern Slopes of the Himalayan Mountains in the Indian province of Bengal, true Darjeeling can only come from one of 78 Tea Gardens recognized by the Tea Board of India.
To make Local Spicery’s Darjeeling, only the flowering tips of the Second Flush of the plant are harvested, and fermented for several hours to create the aromatic, sweet, and slightly astringent complex flavors of Darjeeling. No aromatic oils ~ Just pure Darjeeling Tea.
de Arbol Chile Pepper
$5.00 – $9.80Popular in wreaths and other decorations because they retain a bright red color after drying, the Chile De Arbol (“tree-like” in Spanish) is named for its long, woody stem. Be sure to wash your hands after handling, since this Chile carries a strong punch.
Use in Salsa and other Southwest and Central American dishes. De Arbol Chiles are a good substitute for Cayenne, bringing a slightly smoky, crisp Chile flavor.
