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After years of cooking and making food for family and sometimes treating guests and friends, many people find that that is falling into a pattern. They find that they are repeatedly making their favorite recipes that have won accolades from all who tasted them. Maybe it is time to change the pattern a bit if […]

What sets Indian cuisine apart from the rest is flavor and aroma. No Indian curry gets made without a liberal sprinkling of some fresh spices. It is the combination of the spices that give each curry its distinctive taste. Consummate cooks can even give subtle twists to their tried and tested recipes by increasing or […]

Spices of South India One of the interesting facts about Indian cooking is that there is a sort of divide between North Indian and South Indian cooking with regard to the use of spices. Of course, this difference also goes as far as the oil used is considered, with each region having its favorite oils. […]

Cooking with Bay Leaves this Christmas Season Bay leaves are excellent for making the stuffing to put within the chicken that you would be roasting for your Christmas feasts. It can be added to your Pilaf or Fried Rice and even to Biriyani. Cooking Pilaf and other rice dishes with Bay Leaves is an art […]

Fresh nutmeg mace from Kerala There are those who love nutmeg mace more than its cousin, the nutmeg. It is a lighter, more subtle, and sweeter-tasting spice than nutmeg. Nutmeg is the seed and mace is the surrounding red to deep orange covering of the nutmeg. Both have of course similar taste and flavor but […]

Delicious Vanilla-Tea from Kerala What can be more heavenly than Vanilla-tea for those who love both tea and vanilla! The blend of these two flavors creates a healthful drink. The most advantageous benefit of Vanilla-tea is its stress-relieving property. The aroma of tea and vanilla combine in a subtle way to create something unique and […]

Ordering the best masala coffee powder online You may be familiar with masala tea, but how about masala coffee? Kerala being the home to spices is also the place where the best in coffee gets grown, it didn’t take long for the two to mix and become something special. The drinking of coffee infused with […]

How to buy Spice Chocolate Online Rich creamy chocolate infused with select spices is the new trending gourmet dessert. Chocolate infused with the subtle flavors of spices is an experience to be savored with your tongue, mind and heart. The sweetness and the sharp hotness of the spices together are doing a ‘jugalbandi’ one taste […]

Fighting colds with turmeric Catching a common cold is, well, pretty common for kids during the rains. When the sun is up, the humidity and the heat create an environment conducive to the common cold. While a severe bout could require a trip to the doctors, you can help the kids get over milder cold […]

How to use nutmeg at home There are many people who purchase ground nutmeg. Probably they don’t know how to grind a whole nutmeg or find it cumbersome. The fact is, whole nutmeg, when stored in the right way can remain fresh for a long time. Especially when you buy nutmeg from a good source […]

While cooking with bay leaves, it is better to check if you have got the best quality. Since there are other leaves that look like bay leaves which are mildly toxic, it is better to ensure that you are getting your supplies from a reliable source. You can always order fresh bay leaves directly from […]

How to enjoy Bird’s Eye Chilli in your cooking You have known some hot chilies but then have you tried out a variety of the Bird’s Eye Chili popular in South India called locally as ‘Kanthari” (Capsicum frutescences). ‘As hot as a Kanthari’ is even a phrase in the local Malayalam language, indicating how hot […]

Indian cuisine is never complete without this special mix of spices called garam masala. Garam refers to hot and masala is a mix of spices. Every Indian home always keeps stock of garam masala which is used in a variety of curries – both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. While there are a whole variety of […]

In countries like India and most of Asia, it is generally understood that spices in our food play a role in our good health and general wellbeing. Spices contain special compounds called capsaicinoids. These are found to be good to help prevent diseases. Spices also have a high concentration of antioxidants and goodness of vitamins. […]

The festival season is just around the corner. In about a month’s time the whole of India will be celebrating regional variants of harvest festivals like Pongal, Lohri, Bihu or Onam. Central feature of celebration during all these festivals will be in the making and enjoying of spicy delicacies and curries that will be special […]

Whenever you are planning for a long and relaxed holiday, the most important thing that makes it wonderful is surely the food. If you are looking forward to great cooking, it makes good sense to plan ahead. Now, as we all know, no good cooking happens without great spices. One of the best ways to […]

Star Anise is the fruit of a small oriental tree with tough skin and rust colour. Liquorice flavored with strong pungent smell, star anise is available dried as whole or ground to a reddish brown powder. Its medicinal properties include relief from flatulence, colic and rheumatism. High quality Star Anise is available in online at […]

Nutmeg and mace are obtained from Myristica Fragrans. It is mainly cultivated in Central Kerala. It is nutty, and slightly sweet flavor and aroma make nutmeg the baker’s favorite spice. Nutmeg has extensive medicinal properties. Nutmeg is widely used in cooking there s only a small quantity is required to make soups, meat gravies, beef stew, […]

Scientific Name: Garcinia Cambogia   Also known as ‘Indian dates’ and locally referred to as ‘Kudampuli’, Tamarind trees (Cambodge)  thrive in tropical climate. It is an important ingredient in Asian and Latin American dishes. With its slightly astringent and sour taste, tamarind is often substituted for tomato in South Indian dishes. Tamarind has refrigerant properties […]

Turmeric, an ancient spice primarily cultivated in India,  is used in dried or powdered form and is derived from fingers extended from root. It has tough brown skin and bright orange flesh upon harvest and is boiled or steamed and dried to lend it the characteristic yellow colour. Turmeric has a warm and aromatic flavor […]

Ginger is one of the most valued spices and is native to India. Derived from tuberous root, ginger is usually cleaned and dried and lends a fiery and pungent flavor. It is widely cultivated in Kerala and is grown in every season of the year. The variety of Ginger cultivated in Kerala, termed as Cochin […]

Scientific Name: Eugenia Caryophyllus Clove is the oldest spice in the world and with its sweet pungent and strongly aromatic flavor, is indigenous to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Clove was introduced in India by British in 1800 A.D. and was initially cultivated in South Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Clove, referred to as “Grambu” in […]

Scientific Name: Elletteria Cardamom Fondly called the “Queen of Spices”, cardamom is one of the most highly priced spices. The best variety of cardamom is found in India and is grown on the slants of Western Ghats in Kerala, possessing a special flavor and scintillating aroma. Cardamom has a warm, eucayptine and lemony undertone and […]

One of the earliest known and most widely used spices, pepper, the “King of Spices”,  is indigenous to Kerala and was exported in large quantities from the beginning of the historical spice trade. Pepper was more expensive than gold in olden days and was globally accepted as a symbol of wealth, affluence and luxury. Pepper […]