Using Cumin Seeds in Indian Cooking
Using Cumin Seeds in Cooking – a part of the expert series by GeoBeats.
Cumin seed is a really important spice that is especially used in North Indian cooking, and we use cumin seeds in three different ways in most curries.
First, is the whole seed, which has to be fried up in hot oil because all the flavor is locked inside the seed. In order to release the flavor and the aroma from the seed, you need to either toast it or fry it in oil to get the full effect of the spice.
The other way we use cumin is ground cumin. Ground cumin is just whole seeds that have been ground up. They are used in curries to add that distinctive cumin flavor to most of our sauces.
The third way we use cumin is we toast the whole seeds in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat for about two to three minutes. As soon as the seeds turn a shade or two darker, cool them and then either crush them with a rolling pin or grind them up in a spice grinder and you have toasted cumin seeds.
So, it is the same spice, but because of the three different ways of using them, you get a whole new flavor every single time. And that adds layers and dimensions to the flavor in a curry.
Category: Cooking Techniques, Videos
