Spices Box
Spices, the key to tasty food. Which Spices are essential? Which Spices I love? Find out below.
I started toying around in the kitchen at the tender age of 2. I used to stay at an aunt’s home (a homely creche) while my parents went off to work.
The aunt is one of my teachers in cooking. I remember sitting with her on the kitchen floor while she dished out meals for her family and yummy Puranpolis for special occasions . I listened to her intently as she shared her Puranpoli recipe every time she made it. The best part of ours was to end it saying “and then eat it” or in my mother tongue “ani mag khayacha” . The aroma of freshly made poli with its fragrance of nutmeg and cardamom was my first introduction to the amazing world of spices.
Over the last few decades I have understood – Life Without Experiences and Food Without Spices is Bland.
When I started with the Cottage, the first thought that came to my mind was that I wanted to capture the importance of spices in cooking. I was waiting for the right opportunity to capture the image but somehow I never ended up with a decent one. One day , after we had a workshop of “Cooking Without Fire” for kids wherein I had an “Introduction to Spices and Food Groups session” , suddenly an image clicked in my mind.
The next day after The Guy had left for office, I ended up lining on the dining table all the spices I had in the Kitchen Pantry. I also got all the packets of cereal grains,millet,pulses and legumes we had made for the session.
I kept arranging them on the table but still I was unable to make a decent lineup. It was then that the Spoon holder called out to me. Off I went, cleaning the spoons, hunting my drawers for some small dishes and looking for the right surface to arrange my mental image.
The chest top seemed like the perfect place with its wooden finish, complimenting the brown holders of the Spoons, the steel plates and the small packets.
The image includes most of the Spices I use quite regularly in daily cooking . The packets were added to give me inspiration to cook something combining them and the spices.
The four middle steel plates (L to R, T to B) : Mustard Seeds, Cinnamon Sticks, Jeera (Cumin), Bay Leaf, Turmeric, Red Chilly Powder topped with Dry Red chilies .
The left hand side plate : Sugar, Jaggery or Gud, Peanuts (yes I use that as a spice too).
The right side plate : Salt, Star Anise and Mint. Garlic lines the middle plates.
Spoons (L to R) : Carrom Seeds (Ajwain), Hing (Asafoetida powder) Powder, Elaichi (Cardamom), Javitri (Mace), Masala Elaichi, Til (Sesame Seeds), Kalaunji (Nigella Seeds), Methi (Fenugreek), Kali Miri (Black Pepper Corns), Dhania (Coriander Seeds), Lavang (Cloves).
I missed out on Shahi Jeera, Fennel Seeds (Saunf), Charoli (Love these in Shrikhand), Curry Leaves, Ginger, Kasuri Methi, Saffron, Khaskhas and Tamarind since I was out of stock that day. But I still went ahead with the capture since there’s never end to perfection (another learning in life).
The packets (L to R) : Wheat, Jowar, Rice, Black Eyed Beans (Chawli), Dried Green Peas, Chickpeas, Dried Green Desi Chickpea, Rajma , Green Moong Bean, Moth Bean (Matki) ,Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal), Whole Red Lentils (Akkha Masoor), Dried Corn, Moong Dal, Urad Dal, Tur Dal
The image soon became of my favorites and the header image of my venture on its Facebook page.
A home should always have a well stocked Spice Rack. One look and it will bring back beautiful moments to lift up your spirits and inspire you to do more.
Bon appétit