I have been wanting to talk about this subject for a very long time now and my chat with Sana Javeri Kadri last week about her company’s mission to decolonize the spice trade gave me the perfect opportunity to dig deeper into the topic of spices especially as it related to the great Indian Spice box – a cornucopia of color, flavor and memories – that you will find in almost every Indian home and kitchen.
Funny thing though, this is a strange topic for me to chat about for everyone knows I am a terrible cook. I have spoken about this on the podcast before and am quite vocal about my shortcoming in the kitchen because finally after many years of avoiding it, I have come to realize that is just not me. Even my family has adjusted to the fact that if mom doesn’t burn or blacken the food, it is a good day. However, like a good Indian homemaker, I do know my spices. And perhaps I know my spices simply because of the one of the best systems out there to store, manage and handle spices is the great Indian spice box.
Often passed down from generation to generation, this spice box tradition is quite quintessentially Indian. Although the contents of the box might vary slightly, there are some spices that are universal all throughout India. The spice box is in itself a work of art in my opinion. Simple but an efficient system to store and access the spices that are commonly used in day to day Indian cuisine. The idea is that you set the box right beside your stove so you’re not scrambling and looking for different spice containers while the cooking oil is at its perfect temperature and you can get the right seasoning for your food.
So today on the podcast I want to walk you through the great Indian spice box and talk about all the spices that are typically used in most Indian cooking. I hope you are ready to get a spicy introduction to culture of Indian spices.
0 Comments