New form of spices in the kitchen!

Spices are the base in any Indian dish, and it is rare to find a single Indian household that does not use spices in cooking. Spices add a different taste to the food and give a refreshing turn to even simpler dishes. Every family has a traditional way of cooking, and preparing spice powders to blend the unique taste to their dishes. The main types of spices and spice powders vary from region to region. When Tamil Nadu cuisine is taken into consideration, the important and frequently used spice powders are Turmeric powder, Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Jeera Powder, Curry Masala, and Garam Masala. Yet another hand blended powder is the unique Rasam powder. It is always the homemade powders that add a whole new twist to the dishes. Since people sought after the easiest ways of cooking in the past few years, this whole process of blending homemade spice powders went missing as the readymade spice powders are abundantly available.

Image 1: Readymade powders (Source- http://sakthimasala.com/)

This pandemic and lockdown has brought in a new turn in cooking and it is obvious that everyone in a household gets into the kitchen to try their hands at cooking leisurely. A 22-year-old young cooking enthusiast made proper use of this pandemic cooking time and started experimenting with many new dishes. Though this new cook made different dishes, she felt that something was missing in all her dishes. Only then she found that the secret taste lies in the homemade spices, and started looking for recipes online. She also asked for recipes from her mother and grandmother to retain their family’s unique taste. When she used the homemade spice powder for the first time in her cooking, she extremely liked it and got appreciation from her family members. Then she made a series of homemade spice powders such as Mutton masala, Garam masala, Biryani masala, Fish masala, Curry masala, Coriander powder, Jeera powder, Fenugreek mixed masala, Chettinad pepper masala, and Chilli Flakes.

Image 2,3, 4, 5: Homemade spice powders!

Though the traditional homemade spice powders do not include such a wide range of powders, this pandemic cook has made a turn by preparing many new spice powders. Seeing her use all the wide array of spice powders that are all homemade, her cousins also started following her path in cooking.