Whole Spices

Whole spices, khada masala in Hindi, are spices left as nature made them: cumin and mustard seeds, cinnamon bark, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise and peppercorns. They are fried in oil or ghee at the start of cooking to release their flavour, the step called tarka, chhonk or thalippu, or simmered whole in biryani, pulao and slow meat curries and picked out at the table.

The seeds are the everyday workers: cumin seeds and mustard seeds for tempering, fennel and ajwain for North Indian breads and snacks, methi for batters and pickles, and sesame for sweets. The aromatics, such as cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns, go into garam masala, rice dishes and chai, and there are Bengali panch phoron and older roots and barks for traditional cooking.

Whole spices keep their aroma for a year or more in a sealed jar, far longer than powders, which makes them the better buy for anything you use only now and then. Toast seeds in a dry pan over a medium flame, shaking until they darken a shade and smell fragrant, then cool before grinding in a spice mill. Have the next ingredient ready when you temper, because mustard and cumin go from popped to burnt in seconds.

For the ready ground versions, see ground spices, and for chillies, masalas and curry powders, the full spices and masalas department.