Resource Center · Technique
How spices are used in cooking.
What exactly is a spice? Spices come from a plant or tree's bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds, or stems — a herb, by contrast, comes from the leafy section. Knowing which part of the plant you're working with tells you how to treat it. The technique is the difference between a dish that tastes like spice and one that tastes seasoned.
The techniques
Four ways to make a spice sing.
Spices don't do much on their own — they need heat, fat, or time. Here are the four moves that unlock them.
Tempering (tadka / phoron)
Whole spices → hot oil or ghee
The opening move of most South Asian dishes. Whole spices — cumin, mustard, fenugreek, dried chilli — go into hot fat and crackle, releasing their essential oils into the oil itself. That flavoured oil then carries the seasoning through the whole dish.
Tip · Watch the heat: spices should sizzle, not scorch. Burnt cumin tastes bitter and ruins everything that follows.
Dry-toasting
Whole seeds → dry pan
Warm whole seeds in a dry pan until they darken and smell fragrant, then grind. This wakes up dormant oils and deepens the flavour — the difference between flat ground cumin and ground cumin that sings.
Tip · Keep them moving. Toasted seeds go from perfect to burnt in seconds; transfer them out of the hot pan the moment they're done.
Infusing
Whole spices → liquid, over time
A cinnamon stick in simmering milk, cardamom pods in rice, a bay leaf in stock. Whole spices release slowly into liquid, perfuming it without clouding it. The spice is removed before serving.
Tip · Give it time. Infusing is patience cooking — ten minutes of a low simmer beats a fast boil.
Finishing (garam masala)
Ground blend → off the heat
Some blends — garam masala especially — are added at the end, raw into the finished dish or toasted briefly. Their volatile aromas would be cooked away if added early. This is aroma, not heat.
Tip · A pinch goes far. Garam masala is a perfume for the plate, not a base seasoning.
Part of the plant
The part tells you the method.
A bark behaves differently from a seed; a fruit differently from a root. This is the grammar underneath every technique above.
| Part | Examples | How it behaves |
|---|---|---|
| Bark | Cinnamon, cassia | Sold as quills or ground. Blooms in fat or liquid; sweet and woody. |
| Seeds | Cumin, coriander, fennel | The most common form. Toast or temper to release oils; grind fresh. |
| Fruit / bud | Cloves, cardamom, pepper | Potent and aromatic. Often used whole and removed before serving. |
| Root / rhizome | Ginger, turmeric | Fresh or dried. Earthy and warming; fresh is bright, dried is deep. |
| Aril / stigma | Mace, saffron | The delicate covering or thread of another spice's fruit. Rare and refined. |
Technique turns spice into seasoning.
See these methods in a real curry base, or meet each spice in the library.