Asia's Finest : Indian Curry Spices

If it could be said that any one component is the essence of Indian food, without question, that would be the spices. In order to really understand how important India is to the world's spice industry, we need to put things into proper perspective.

India produces about 44% of the world's spices. A country that produces just under half of the available spices in the world must be the largest exporter of spices anywhere. The use of spices and the way through which they are combined is what makes Indian cuisine as unique as it is.

Indian cuisine is unique for its blending of spices. When spices are carefully blended together, the combination is referred to as a Masala. A Masala can exist in a dry roasted form or as a paste. The most important Masala blend, especially in Northern Indian cooking is Garam Masala. It is a hot masala that is typically added to food just before serving. It is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.

So this past weekend, I was in NYC in search of Indian spices! So I went to Penzey's Spices, located at the Grand Central Market. The box set that I got was a great find as it includes not one, but FOUR spices: Tandoori Seasoning, Balti Seasoning, Garam Masala, and the grand daddy of all curry spices; the Maharaja.

Here's a brief description for each spices:

TANDOORI SEASONING: Tandoori originally referred to cooking food by slow-roasting it in a clay oven, or tandoor. In the West, tandoori has come to mean a specific flavor rather than a method of cooking. Even if you do not have a clay oven or pot, you can use this seasoning to make tandoori-style chicken or other poultry. Rub this blend directly on meat, or mix with plain yogurt for a marinade. Hand-mixed from: coriander, cumin, garlic, paprika, ginger, cardamom, and saffron.

BALTI SEASONING: Baltistan is an ancient region of northernmost Pakistan with influences from Persia, Tibet and China. Traditionally a "Balti" would be cooked and served in a karahi (small Indian wok), without utensils, and would be eaten with your fingers using naan to scoop the meal into your mouth. More recently "Balti" has been catching the imagination of people in the way Tandoori cooking swept the world in the 60's and 70's. Hand-mixed from: coriander, garlic, ginger, cumin, dundicut chilies, Ceylon cinnamon, brown mustard seeds, cardamom, clove, fennel, fenugreek, charnushka (kalonji, black onion seed), ajwain, star anise, black cardamom, cilantro, anise seed and bay leaf.

GARAM MASALA: The basic blend of ground spices common in Indian and other South Asian cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings. The word garam refers to spice intensity, not heat; garam masala is pungent, but not "hot" in the same way as a chili pepper.

MAHARAJA or the 'TAJ MAHAL' Curry: The highest quality curry powder, perfect for special meals. Maharajah is sweet, but not hot, with fragrant cardamom and a full pound of the rare jewel of all spices, Kashmir saffron, in every 50 lbs. of curry powder. Maharajah adds glorious color and incomparable flavor to chicken and seafood curries, and is great for Sunday omelets.