Atreyee Poddar
Everyone thinks they know Indian and Middle Eastern cooking because they’ve heard of cumin, turmeric, and maybe cardamom if they’re feeling fancy. But let’s be honest—your spice rack is basic. So go on, dust off your spice shelf and make room. Your cumin can share the limelight.
Tiny, thyme-scented, peppery little grenades. Ajwain isn’t shy—it barges into fried foods, cutting the grease like a pro. A pinch in parathas or pakoras, and suddenly they don’t just taste indulgent, they taste balanced. Also doubles as nature’s antacid, so yes, it’s the spice that saves you from your own overeating.
These black, tear-shaped beauties are the hipsters of the spice world—slightly bitter, oniony, nutty, and criminally underused. Toss them onto flatbreads and suddenly you’ve upgraded to “artisan.” Put them in pickles, and your cucumbers will stop sulking. They don’t just season, they swagger.
You think black pepper is spicy? Cute. Long pepper laughs in black pepper’s face. It’s hotter, moodier, with hints of ginger and a complexity that would make your pepper grinder blush. Ancient Romans couldn’t get enough of it. Why did we forget about it? Blame colonialism and laziness. Time to fix that—your dals and marinades are waiting.
Green cardamom’s big, smoky cousin. While the green pods are dainty and floral, black cardamom is all leather and campfire. It doesn’t belong in your chai—it belongs in your pulao, your braised meats, your slow-cooked curries. It brings depth, heat, and a whiff of drama. Think less “perfume counter,” more “smokehouse.”
Fenugreek is the ultimate shapeshifter. Raw seeds? Bitter. Roasted? Sweet and maple-like. Dried leaves (methi)? They’ll make any curry taste like someone’s mother who actually cares cooked it. It’s the secret note in butter chicken and countless spice blends, quietly doing the heavy lifting while turmeric hogs the spotlight.