Spice Blends and Pastes

To say that spices and herbs are the backbone of India’s curries is an understatement. This chapter will give you some practical guidance on how to buy, store, and use them. You will find yourself coming back to the recipes time and again, because many of these pastes, blends, and sauces shape the curries and their accompaniments. Almost all of them take five minutes or less to put together. The beauty of the blends and pastes is in their ability to be stored for lengthy periods—some even for two months. A majority do not even require refrigeration.