Sweet

Like many folks, I have a fondness for sweets, a craving I tend to satisfy often. Indians use a variety of sweeteners when they cook. Jaggery (gur in Hindi), a highly impure form of sugar, is my favorite because it is rich in salty and earthy notes, which add a lot of character to foods.

Muscovado sugar is a good substitute, if you can’t find jaggery. I also like to use palm sugar, honey, and maple syrup—I’m a tad bit obsessed with adding maple syrup to my Masala Chai. Beyond sugar, anise and fennel have a licoricelike taste that is slightly sweet. We also tend to associate cinnamon, nutmeg, green cardamom, and vanilla with sweet flavors because we often use them in desserts. But these flavorings aren’t sweet themselves.