A staple in South Asian cuisine, the uses of cloves in cooking is far reaching and extensive. It is more than just a flavourful spice. The health benefits of cloves is steeped in the ancient study of Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine as it is packed with antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties. Small dark brown or black little buds that resemble tiny needles or nails and also quite similar to taste .. that is it is sharp and adds a flavour punch to the dish! Cloves grow on the evergreen clove tree and are the unopened pink flower buds. The buds are picked by hand when they are pink a ..read more

There are those odd occasions where you may have misjudged the heat of chilli or a particular spice blend or accidentally made a curry too hot to eat. So, how to make curry less spicy and salvage the dish without compromising the taste? Luckily there are some easy kitchen hacks on how to tone down spicy food even after adding too much chilli or pepper. In this post I share preventive tips on how to make food less spicy while cooking and follow good curry spice level guidelines. And in case you add too much spice these easy to follow tips will help in reducing spiciness in food. These tips to f ..read more

You may have come across a few Indian recipes that has Kashmiri chilli powder listed as the preferred red chilli powder to be used in the dish. And there is a good reason for that. There are hundreds of varieties of chillies. They are all different in terms of size, color, use, flavour, and taste. Kashmiri red chilli powder is one such type that appears frequently in Indian cuisine. Its main purpose is to give the foods a gorgeous crimson color along with a hint of heat. The use of Kashmiri red chillies is either in whole form or as a grounded powder. This post is a comprehensive guide to unve ..read more

The use of Kasuri Methi in Indian cooking is centuries old especially when it comes to North Indian curries. Not only does it add flavour to food but dried fenugreek leaves has many health benefits. It is classified as a herb and is perhaps one of those secret ingredients used in Indian restaurants to add an instant flavour boost to many dishes. What Is Kasuri Methi Fenugreek is a type of plant that grows wild in the ‘Kasur’ region of Punjab, (now part of Pakistan) hence the name ‘Kasuri Methi’. It is the leaves of the fenugreek plant (‘methi’ in hindi), that is sundried and stored for culinar ..read more

The use of curry leaves is in the soul of South Indian cuisine permeating to other regional parts because of its unique distinctive freshness and flavour. This native Indian curry plant also known as ‘kari patta’ or ‘curry patta’ in Hindi, when added to a dish triggers a sense of homecoming. And before you jump into one of the most common misconception about Indian food, curry leaves and curry powder IS NOT the same. There is no similarity between curry leaves and curry powder and we discuss this in one of the sections below. In this post you will read about how to use curry leaves, the differ ..read more

Have you tried eating satay and nasi goreng (fried rice)?  How about biryani and tandoori? Sounds familiar, don’t they?  These are some of the most famous dishes in Indonesia and India.  You might’ve eaten some of these dishes before—maybe in your favorite Indian or Indonesian restaurant. If so, you‘ve probably noticed something similar between these two cuisines, like the use of Indonesian spices in some Indian dishes. Although Indian and Indonesian cuisines have similarities, these two are actually different from each other. This is especially true when it comes to their level ..read more

Imagine walking into a home emitting smells of sweet and warming fall spices on a crisp cool autumn days. There is a reason why autumn spices are set apart from regular cooking spices. The change of weather from warm summer days to cooler autumn followed by cold winter have affects on your body composition and also mental health. Aromatic fall flavours added to dishes positively impacts our health and makes the weather transition more festive and joyful. This post lists the best fall spices used in cooking, baking and also for home decorations for you to enjoy this season. Why To Include Fall ..read more

Black seeds also known as Nigella seeds is a popular cooking spice maybe confused by many with other similar looking spices such as onion seeds, black sesame seeds etc. This posts summaries my research and findings which includes drawing from my experience of watching my mum and grandmas cook with nigella seeds. In this post you will read about what are black seeds, different types of black seeds used in cooking, how to take nigella seeds to gain health benefits and most importantly how to use black seeds in your everyday cooking. What Are Nigella Seeds Nigella or black seeds originates from a ..read more

Popularly known for the morphine content, poppy seeds is a cooking ingredient used for centuries in many kitchens. White poppy seeds are mostly used in Indian or Asian cuisine to enhance the taste of dishes and also as a thickening agent. Black or blue poppy seeds are popular in the Western cuisine. This post explains in detail the cooking uses and health benefits of poppy seeds and where to buy white poppy seeds from. What Are Poppy Seeds? You may have seen small white or black crunchy seeds that look similar to mustard seeds in cakes, or biscuits that lend it a nutty taste. These minuscule s ..read more

Indian cooking has the reputation of being exciting, intriguing and for some overwhelming at the same time. When I started giving Indian cooking classes, I became aware of the  confusion and hesitation when it came to Indian home cooking. One of the questions most asked is ‘How to cook Indian food, so that it tastes authentic and makes it easy to cook Indian food at home?’ This post is the ultimate A-Z guide to Indian cooking for dummies which will explain in detail the basics of Indian cooking by first introducing the must-have Indian spices, and pantry items, follow the Indian cooking s ..read more