Open Siddhi’s spice box and you will find the same handful of spices doing most of the work: cumin, hing, turmeric and red chilli in the savoury dishes, cardamom and saffron in the sweets. This guide is a map of which spice goes into which of her recipes, so you can stock your own masala dabba and know where each spice will be used.
Every recipe linked in this guide is cooked in Siddhi’s own kitchen before it goes live.
The short answer
The spices that show up most in Siddhi’s recipes are:
- Savoury cooking: red chilli powder, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), turmeric and garam masala.
- Sweets and milk drinks: cardamom and saffron.
- Snacks and coolers: chaat masala and black salt.
The everyday tempering spices
Most of these go into hot ghee or oil, either at the start of a dish or in a tadka poured over at the end.
| Spice | Where Siddhi uses it |
|---|---|
| Cumin seeds (jeera) | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Coconut Rice, Farali Vada, Dal Palak, Palak Khichdi, Paneer Butter Masala, Gujarati Kadhi and more |
| Mustard seeds (rai) | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Coconut Rice, Gujarati Dal, Raw Mango Curry, Peanut Rice |
| Asafoetida (hing) | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Coconut Rice, Gujarati Khichdi, Gujarati Dal, Dal Palak, Palak Khichdi, Gujarati Kadhi, Moong Dal Kadhi and more |
| Dry red chilli | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Coconut Rice, Gujarati Dal, Palak Khichdi, Gujarati Kadhi, Dal Tadka, Peanut Rice |
| Fenugreek seeds (methi) | Gujarati Dal, Gujarati Kadhi |
The ground spices
The powders that colour and season Siddhi’s dals, khichdis, curries and snacks.
| Spice | Where Siddhi uses it |
|---|---|
| Turmeric (haldi) | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Gujarati Khichdi, Veg Kabab, Gujarati Dal, Corn and Peas Seekh Kebab, Dal Palak, Palak Khichdi, Moong Dal Kadhi and more |
| Red chilli powder | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Rice Cutlet, Veg Kabab, Gujarati Dal, Khasta Paneer, Corn and Peas Seekh Kebab, Farali Vada, Dal Palak and more |
| Coriander powder | Dal Palak, Sweet Corn Cutlet, Rajasthani Besan Gatta Curry, Coriander Rice, Dal Tadka |
| Garam masala | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Veg Kabab, Gujarati Dal, Corn and Peas Seekh Kebab, Dal Palak, Palak Khichdi, Sweet Corn Cutlet, Rajasthani Besan Gatta Curry and more |
| Kitchen King masala | Paneer Butter Masala |
Whole spices
Whole spices that go into Siddhi’s khichdi, dal, kadhi and pulao. Cinnamon also flavours her hot chocolate.
| Spice | Where Siddhi uses it |
|---|---|
| Cloves (laung) | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Gujarati Khichdi, Gujarati Dal, Palak Khichdi, Gujarati Kadhi, Veg White Pulao, Coriander Rice, Dal Tadka |
| Cinnamon (dalchini) | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Hot Chocolate, Gujarati Khichdi, Gujarati Dal, Palak Khichdi, Gujarati Kadhi, Veg White Pulao, Coriander Rice and more |
| Bay leaf | Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Gujarati Dal, Paneer Butter Masala, Veg White Pulao |
The sweet spices
Cardamom and saffron are the two spices that appear most often in Siddhi’s sweets, kheers and milk drinks. Cardamom also goes into her chai.
| Spice | Where Siddhi uses it |
|---|---|
| Cardamom (elaichi) | Rava Kesari, Malpua, Thandai, Makhane ki Kheer, Makai Halwa, Gajar Halwa, Tandoori Chai, Adrak Masala Chai and more |
| Saffron (kesar) | Rava Kesari, Malpua, Thandai, Makhane ki Kheer, Dry Fruit Milkshake, Makai Halwa, Rice Kheer, Pineapple Modak and more |
The finishing spices
Spices that season Siddhi’s snacks, coolers and rice dishes. Carom seeds go into the gatte dough in her Rajasthani gatta curry.
| Spice | Where Siddhi uses it |
|---|---|
| Chaat masala | Paneer Fingers, Crispy Potato Suji Fingers, Rice Cutlet, Veg Kabab, Corn and Peas Seekh Kebab, Chinese Veg Spring Roll, Dahi Ke Kebab, Crunchy Chunky Tikki and more |
| Black salt | Aam Panna, Mango Iced Tea, Sweet Corn Cutlet, Watermelon Cooler, Stuffed Sabudana Vada, Coriander Rice, Indian Lemonade Concentrate |
| Black pepper | Thandai, Aam Panna, Sweet Corn Fried Rice, Onion Rings, Veg White Pulao, Mexican Rice, Dahi Ke Kebab, Coriander Rice and more |
| Carom seeds (ajwain) | Rajasthani Besan Gatta Curry |
Spice blends worth knowing
Two more ready blends appear in Siddhi’s recipes. Chai masala or tea masala goes into her Adrak Masala Chai and Tandoori Chai, and also into Coconut Kheer. Kitchen King masala goes into her Paneer Butter Masala.
Putting the spices to work
Most of these spices reach the dish through a tadka. The order they go into the pan matters, and our guide on how to make the perfect tadka walks through it.
FAQs
Which spices do I need to start cooking Indian food?
Going by Siddhi’s recipes, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric and garam masala are the spices that appear most often in her savoury dishes, and cardamom and saffron appear most often in her sweets.
Which recipes use Kitchen King masala?
On this site, Siddhi uses Kitchen King masala in her Paneer Butter Masala.
Which recipes use saffron?
Siddhi uses saffron in sweets and milk recipes such as malai kulfi, rice kheer, makhane ki kheer, poha kheer, mango shrikhand, rava kesari and thandai.