6 More Spices we Love at Purple Poppadom

6 More Spices: A guide to Popular Indian Spices

Indian spices are among the most popular in our cuisines, and they make for delicious, enjoyable, and tasty dishes. Curries and other such dishes to come out of India are among the most popular exports in the Western world. Here are 5 popular Indian spices for you to consider right now.

Kashmiri Chilli

Kashmiri red chillis are characterised by their dark red colour, and the delicious flavour they add to food. One of the best and most popular elements of this chilli is the fact that it adds definitive flavour to dishes, without making them too pungent or spicy. One of the things many of us struggle with when it comes to spices is overpowering our meals, but this is not a convent with Kashmiri chilli. The chillis tend to be found in the Jammu and Kashmir areas of the country, and are considered fairly mild for how chillis typically taste. Kashmiri chilli is generally used in dishes such as tandoori chicken, as well as colouring foods like pav bhaji.

Purple Poppadom dishes featuring Kashmiri Chillies: Chicken Connoisseur, Tandoori King Prawns

Curry Leaves

Curry leaves are synonymous with Indian cooking, and are a signature ingreient and flavour in Southeast Asian cooking. Curry leaves are a little more subtle than using curry powder, and, whilst they adre not an overly dominant taste in cooking, they do offer a robust and enjoyable flavour, enhancing the taste of meals and making them richer in the process. Curry leaves are one of the most common options for dishes like curries, soups, and dals.

Purple Poppadom dishes featuring curry leaves: Tiffin Sea Bass, Malabar Fish Curry

 

Tamarind

Tamarind is a spice you might have tasted before, but you may not be aware of it. This is a tropical fruit with reported great health benefits, and tends to be found in southern Asia, Mexico, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Tamarind is commonly used in sauces, marinades, chutneys and desserts. It is also one of the ingredients present in Worcestershire sauce, and this might make it a familiar taste to many.

Purple Poppadom dishes featuring Tamarind: Streets of Mumbai (Tamarind Chutney)

 

 

Malabar Tamarind

At Purple Poppadom we also use Malabar Tamarind, the tropical Garcinia gummi-gutta plant whose fruits look like a small pumpkins. Known as Kudampuli in Kerala, the yellow fruits are dried and smoked to give gives a sour and fruity tase to our fish curries.

Purple Poppadom dish featuring Malabar Tamarind: Malabar Fish Curry

 

 

 

Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds are the small black, brown, or white seeds taken from mustard plants, and used to flavour and add strength and taste to dishes. Mustard works wonderfully well with all kinds of meats and seafood. Mustard seeds are a great way of adding a strong and distinctive flavour, and they can either be ground to a spice, or added to oil. Mustard seeds are commonly used in condiments, sauces, curries, and other types of Asian dishes.

Purple Poppadom dishes featuring Mustard Seeds – Thoran

 

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a spice common in India and the Middle East, and is most commonly found in stews and curries. A clover-like plant, its seeds are used as a spice, and omit a flavour and aroma similar to syrup, except with added bitterness. When added to dishes there is a nuttiness to the flavour as well, and this is something that can really enhance. Using fenugreek in yoghurt, soup, sauces, curries and seafood dishes can be a welcome addition.

 Purple Poppadom dishes featuring Fenugreek: Saag Gosht, Murgh Makhani, Paneer Makhani