Resource List: 17 Indian Spices You Need
As a connoisseur of Indian Spices you will be healthier and happier!
For the novice, one of the key deterrents to Indian cooking is the unfamiliarity with countless spices and how to use them. I will de-mystify this perception by sharing some simple basics about Indian spices.
Spices have been used in Indian and Chinese traditions for thousands of years in cooking and medicine. They are essentially “wonder foods” that are a therapeutic and flavourful way to support a healthy lifestyle.
Melissa Dobson
// Creator, the beauty of Be-ing
17 Indian Spices A to Z is a go-to reference for the Ayurvedic enthusiast as well as cooks and chefs interested in learning more about each of the major spices of Indian Cooking.
The guide includes gorgeous photos of each spice, personal and medicinal uses, origins, and properties.
The graphics and images draw you in and invite you back to it as a valuable reference. Parkash has a beautiful, approachable way of teaching about a sometimes intimidating topic. Her warmth comes through each page and is the essence of her work.
I highly recommend 17 Indian Spices A to Z for anyone interested in learning more about the intoxicating aromas and flavors of Indian spices!
David George
// IT Consultant, Houston, TX
A career in technology cultivated my talents in following basic instruction manuals, like a kitchen cook book. But it has done little to help my culinary skills in growing beyond the rudimentary basics and steering clear of all those unknown ingredients, especially spices. However, after reading through Parkash Bain’s 17 Indian Spices A to Z, suddenly all of those spices have jumped off the page from being a simple line of text of unrecognizable ingredients, to being a real-world, three-dimensional ingredients, with color, texture, and life!
The pictures are so good I’d swear I could reach into my screen and take a sprig of fennel from it! For once I finally know what these ingredients are and actually look like. I’ve seen them hundreds of times in passing while shopping at the grocery store, but the names never clicked for me. Now, thanks to 17 Indian Spices A to Z, they’re vividly etched into my memory. And now that I also know green cardamom is known to help retard cancer growth, I’m suddenly motivated to open the doors to the cupboards and dig out all of these spices. But I’m feeling a little stiff and sore from working late last night; I think I’ll pick up some ajwain (carom seeds) to put in my tea for their anesthetic effect!
I remember seeing a few recipes I’ve skipped over with these spices listed. Time to open the doors to those, too. What fun!
Thank you Global Vegetarian! You have inspired me to open more doors in my life and I’m sure many others will appreciate the same.
Phyllis
VERY well done book. GREAT photos, and the text is well written. I was glad to learn about some spices I had heard of, but didn’t know how they were used.
Thank you!
Get our free ebook about the benefits of Indian Spices in your cooking!
In this ebook I talk about some of the ways and the benefits of using Indian Spices in your recipes.
As you may know, Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine and nutrition with historical roots in India. Many spices used in Indian cooking have been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda.
Here is a little secret: Although in my book I write about 17 spices, to learn Indian cooking you do not need to run out and purchase all of them before getting started on your culinary adventure. There are countless curried dishes that can be made using 4 basic spices; cayenne or chili powder, ground turmeric, garam masala, and whole cumin.