Basics

Indian cooking is known for its use of spices and spice combinations (commonly called masalas). Our affinity with spices can be traced back to ancient times and is still a trademark of contemporary Indian cuisine. In my childhood days, there was always a flurry of activity with the advent of summer, when family and friends prepared various masalas and other preserves. Good-quality spices would be cleaned and sun-dried or roasted before being pounded in various combinations to create the variety of masalas to be used throughout the year.