Indian Recipes And Spices: History, Present And Benefits

For centuries south asian region has been rich. Rich with it’s spices and food recipes. For years, the region lured various different crusaders to invade the region over centuries. Beginning from the 14th century, the moghuls invaded and ruled, what is today the Indian subcontinent, for over three centuries. And then came the marvelous voyages of Christopher Columbus taking upon the arduous long voyage and Vasco De Gama of Portugal, all because of the lure of rich and vast variety of spices in the sub-continent.
Vast fortunes have been made and squandered, powerful rulers seduced, ailments cured and nations have been discovered. All in the name of spices. Spices have always cast a spell on our imaginations. Spices flatter our senses; our sight with their vibrant colors, our smell with their enticing fragrances and our taste with their distinct unique flavors.

Today, India is one of the largest exporting nation of spices in the world. Vast variety of spices grow due to natural conditions available in various parts of India. The major western, south-west, south and south-east is tropical in weather conditions, north-west, north are dry with less humidity and north-east and east have pre-dominantly high-rainy seasons.
Due to the abundance in availability of spices in India, Indian food is never bland. Most of the recipies originating from the Indian sub-continent contains spices in the list of ingredients. Spices in Indian food are not heavy and although Indian food is not bland, most Indian dishes are delicately spiced to enhance the flavor of the main cooking ingredient. Curry powder sitting on the grocers shelf may be like saw dust when one compares it to the fine spices roasted, combined and dry ground or wet ground in the traditional Indian traditions. Today one of the most famous entrée in the west consists of curry – a blend created mixing various different ground spices in right proportions with the water. However there are many delicacies in Indian recipes due to the inclusion of variety of spices.
Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and will be chosen according to the nature of the dish, season, individual and family. Some of the common Indian spices available are red chilli pepper, turmeric, black pepper, nutmegs, cloves and many more.
Other then the usage of spices in culinary, they are also used as medicine. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe the herbs and spices for curative and therapeutic functions. Ayurvedic scripts dating back to 3000 years, list the preventive and curative properties of various spices. Looking at curative properties of some of the spices - Ginger prevents dyspepsia, garlic reduces cholesterol and hypertension and fenugreek is a good resistance builder and with pepper often serve as antihistamines, turmeric is used for stomach ulcers and for glow of the skin.
Spices have been used to make the food last longer in the days when refrigeration was absent. And even today in some remote parts of India where electricity is not available, spices are used in food for preservation.
In India the western after dinner mint is substituted by the fragrant spices such as fennel, cardamom or cloves. Effective mouth fresheners, they aid digestion, prevent heartburn and curb nausea. Others such as asafoetida and ginger root, have been known to counteract flatulence and colic, and are added to lentils, a must with every Indian meal.

Garam Masala

Spices have always been the essence of Indian cuisine with the famous garam masala crowning the list. Literally meaning "hot mixture", it is a wonderful blend of the most aromatic and flavorful Indian spices, and is used not only in India but in many Asian countries and even worldwide.

Although garam masala components may vary, a traditional mix is based on cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg and cardamom. In addition to that, it may include dried red chilies, black peppercorns, coriander, ginger powder, bay leaves, mace, fennel, fenugreek seeds, and dried garlic. There is really no best recipe for it, as every particular blend has its own special flavor and may or may not be preferred by each individual cook.
Various ready-made blends are available nowadays, but most Indian households still prefer home-made blend for its incomparable aroma, which is often lost in commercially produced product. The recipe is not difficult provided you have all the ingredients.
In traditional garam masala preparation you have to roast all the spices except for cardamom and ginger until they become a few shades darker. It is important not to try and speed up the process as all the ingredients should be roasted evenly and not burnt. After the roasted spices are cooled, you can add cardamom seeds and ginger powder if you are using it in the recipe. The last step is to grind all the spices together into fine powder (work with small quantities every time to achieve better result).
Garam masala should be stored in an air-tight container, preferably in a cool and dry place - this will assure that it stays fresh for longer. Normally, it should last up to 6 months after which it tends to lose its distinctive flavor.
Drastic temperature change and wrong packaging can affect the properties of garam masala. Therefore, prepared mixes available in stores often lack that fragrance and taste it is supposed to give. One more drawback of commercially produced blends is that there is no possibility to check how old the spices are and if they were handled properly. Also, coriander powder is often added in large quantities as a filler to replace more expensive spices in garam masala blend.
As for cooking, the best thing about it is that you can't really go wrong with it. If used sparingly, it can enhance the taste and smell of almost any dish - both meat and vegetarian. Add it to sauces and gravies (curries), stewed vegetables, various marinades, stuffing mixes and meat dishes. It will add that exotic taste to any dish, not only Indian fare.
Unlike many other spices, garam masala is best to be added at the end of cooking to preserve its aroma to the fullest. Although it has the word "hot" in its name, it is not that hot as chilies, for example; its taste is rather pungent and it usually goes well with people who normally can't eat too spicy food.
The properties of spices garam masala consists of are very well known in Eastern alternative healing practices and have been used to promote well-being for centuries. Being a stimulant, garam masala helps in good digestion and also works as a powerful antioxidant - one more reason to add the exotic blend to your kitchen spice shelf.

Exotic Indian Dishes

Indian cuisine is renowned the world over for its unusual spices and preference for an eclectic range of vegetables. Hence, it is not at all hard or complicated for individuals to cook up Indian vegetarian dishes. The recipes listed below fall into distinct food groups.
Different types of breads are used in Indian vegetarian dishes. Individuals can prepare an unbelievable gamut of recipes such as, flat bread stuffed with potatoes, fried potato dumplings, chapatti made of brown sugar, chapattis made of whole wheat, clarified butter, flat breads of cornmeal, fried flat breads with seasoned corn stuffing, sour pancakes, seasoned pancakes and flat breads made of whole wheat with grated seasoned radishes.
Also included are fried puffed flat breads made of whole wheat, Oriental salad made of napa cabbage and noodles, fried potatoes stuffed dough pockets, seasoned whole wheat with chickpea rounds, fried leavened flat breads made of white flour, yogurt and spinach seasoned salad and sweet chapatti.
Further recipes are spicy sauce meant for dipping, flat breads made of whole wheat stuffed with sweetened bean paste, baked flat breads made of whole wheat, toasted sandwiches with delicious tofu crumbles and seasoned rice and pancakes made of chickpea flour with tomatoes. Lip smacking chutneys can be relished by individuals in Indian vegetarian cuisine. They can prepare tasty green tomato chutney, coconut chutney, apple and butter chutney, coriander chutney, garlic chutney, dosa chutney, mango chutney, hot pepper chutney, onion chutney, date and tamarind chutney, peanut chutney, sugar and tamarind chutney, zucchini spine chutney and yogurt chutney.
Scrumptious and sinful desserts in the Indian vegetarian cuisine can be delightfully lapped up by individuals. They can rustle up carrot burfi, egg less flaky cookies and coconut, sweet glazed doughnut disks, fudge made of brown sugar, sesame brittle, sweet balls made of chickpea, fluffy halva, and coconut burfi - sweet squares made of fresh coconut and milk. Other dishes include wheat balls with cream, rich fluffy peanut squares, wheat halva with cream, milk balls soaked in sweet syrup, rasmalai, sweet squares made of chickpea flour and Indian specialty fruit salad.
Still more recipes are sweet balls made of whole wheat flour, noodle payasam, sheera, chickpea squares roasted, spicy rice pudding, shrikhand, sweet chirote, fudge made of powdered milk, sweet shankir palla and sweetened fried dough.
Indian vegetarian cuisine rice preparations can be savored by individuals. They can cook rice pilaf, eggplant rice, spicy rice, sweet saffron rice, porridge made of rice flakes, rice with green moong beans, yogurt rice, and mixed vegetables rice. They can also rustle up delectable salads such as cabbage salad, beet salad, cucumber and yogurt seasoned salad, carrot and moon beans salad and carrot salad.
Authentic vegetable preparations and appetizing soups in Indian vegetarian cuisine can be enjoyed by individuals. The individuals can concoct tasty dishes such as, peanut soup, vegetable lentil soup, lentil soup, yogurt soup, chickpeas with pungent spices, lentils with spices and scallion, spices and peanuts in mashed eggplant, onions and tomatoes in spicy chick peas, black eyed peas curry, and ricotta squares with seasoned spinach.