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FLAVOR GLOSSARY
All these ingredients can be found at Indian markets or online;
many of them are at well-stocked mainstream grocery stores too.
Each one will add intrigue and possibilities to your pantry. Once
you’ve tried a few in the recipes here, experiment by adding them
to similar dishes already in your repertoire.BLACK CARDAMOM PODS,
although related to green carda-
mom, are larger and dried over
open flames, which gives them a
woody, resinous aroma. As with
green cardamom, both pod and
seeds are edible and used in
sweet as well as savory dishes.
MUSTARD SEEDS The tiny black
spheres are aromatic and pun-
gent. Larger and more widely
available reddish-brown ones
(not shown) are slightly less fla-
vorful, while yellow seeds are
very mild. The key is to pick fresh
ones; old mustard is bitter (test
a few by popping in hot oil, then
cool and taste). I prefer black
mustard seeds for cooking and
yellow ones for pickling.CURRY LEAVES have a pleasant
fragrance, especially when fresh.
I grind them into sauces and mari-
nades or temper them in hot oil to
release their aroma.TAMARIND PULP contains
large seeds that you will need to
remove by soaking and straining.
Avoid concentrates, which are
more convenient because they
don’t have seeds—but they don’t
taste nearly as fresh.KASHMIRI CHILES are used to
impart a bright red color to many
Indian dishes, such as tandoori
chicken, yet are quite mild.
TURMERIC, like ginger, is a
rhizome, or underground stem.
It’s sold fresh, but the ground
form in the spice aisle is more
common in America. It adds a
gorgeous yellow color to curries,
soups, and stews.50 OCTOBER 2018 ❖ SUNSET