Posted 23rd September 2006
Masalas or spices are at the heart of Indian cooking. There are literally hundreds but as shelf space is a precious commodity, I’ll introduce you to a few basic masalas and herbs used frequently in my recipes.
The trick with masalas is in the way they are used. There are recipes that use the same spices, but the end results taste totally different because of variations in the amount of masala used.
Here are some Indian kitchen basics
Most of these are widely available in corner shops or larger supermarkets. If not, you could always try speciality Indian supermarkets. I swear by Drummon Street in Euston, London, and Tooting, Wembley, Southall and Green Street in east London all have some stellar shops.