What is the one best way to add a flavour in a simple food without adding a lot of salt or oil? It is easy to guess; adding ground and mixed whole Indian spices. Indian food is hard to imagine without aromatic flavours of spices. Simply by using a pinch of spice can make any food aromatic and lip-smacking. Before discussing the different kinds of ground and whole spices used in a kitchen and how to buy ground mixed spices online, let’s understand what is a spice?

A spice is a fruit, bark, root, seed or any plant substance used for colouring and flavouring any food. Spice can be dried or fresh but the dried version has a longer shelf life but low on the aroma. Now, let’s understand the basic difference between whole and ground mixed spices.

Whole Spice- Whole spices are used in their original shape during cooking like an entire stick of cinnamon or entire nutmeg. These spices are added immediately after adding oil in a pan so that their essential oils and aroma intermingle with other food ingredients easily. The flavour produced by adding these spices are subtler than ground spices. Many people buy whole spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, etc., and add them in hot ghee while preparing a dish like biryani. Adding high-quality whole spices in hot ghee makes rice more aromatic and flavourful.

Ground Spices- These spices are delicate and therefore added in the later stages of the cooking after adding onion, garlic and ginger. While adding these spices, it is necessary to keep the flame at a low temperature to prevent them from burning and removing their raw taste. The most commonly found ground spices in every kitchen are cumin seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, etc. Many customers buy ground mixed spices online from a UK based store instead of buying separate ground spices. The ground mixed spices contain scores of spices like coriander seed, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, etc., and they are added after adding onion and tomato to a dish.

If you are fond of eating both vegetarian and meat dishes, then this guide will help you in telling which spice to add with which ingredient to make a mouth-watering dish.

1. Meat Dishes: Meat dishes like pork, lamb, beef and poultry should be made with spices like green and black cardamom, cloves, mace and cinnamon. If you are fond of eating fish, maintain its delicate flavour by adding spices like fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin and coriander powder. Highly aromatic spices like cinnamon and clove are not ideal to use with meaty fish such as salmon and tuna.
2. Beans and Lentils: Beans and lentils are high on protein but they also cause bloating problems. Thus, make sure to add spices like ajwain, asafoetida hing powder, pepper and garlic, corainder and turmeric while making these vegetables. Most of these spices are softer and never overpower the flavours of vegetables; These spices enhance their flavours instead.

Ground mixed spices form a base of any curry dish. Thus, they can be used with any vegetarian gravy dish and curry. Believe it or not, many people specifically buy ground mixed spices powder online simply to drink a flavourful tea every morning. This flavourful tea is highly tasty, digestive and easy to try after a meal.

Buy High-Quality Spices to Make Aromatic Dishes

Every grocery store proclaims to offer premium quality of spices but it is easy to understand that it is one of the kinds of marketing gimmicks. Thus, make it a point to buy ground mixed spices from those UK based online stores only that offer quality products.  If any of your friends or relatives buying groceries online, take their feedback about the spices purchased from a particular store. Secondly, prefer buying them in a small quantity and place a fresh order when they are finished. Keep them in a flavourful condition by storing them in a cool and dark place and away from the reach of sunlight. Store them in an airtight container and they are good to use for minimum 6 months.

To conclude, ground mixed spices and whole spices elevate any dish without increasing salt or oil content. Keep adding different kinds of spices in your dishes to make them highly aromatic and delectable.