The Indian Spice Box: What Home Cooks Actually Use
Simi GajalaAn Indian spice box - the masala dabba - is a round steel tin holding the seven or eight spices a home kitchen reaches for every single day. Not fifty jars. Seven or eight, refilled constantly, sitting next to the hob because they are used at every meal.
Key takeaways
- The masala dabba holds haldi, jeera, dhania, rai, hing, ajwain, methi and garam masala.
- Indian home cooks do not use a single all-purpose curry powder - the blend changes per dish.
- Most of the flavour comes from technique: spices hit hot ghee or oil in a tadka.
- Saakshi's Kitchen grinds and blends its own masalas in one FSA 5-star kitchen and delivers meals frozen across UK mainland.
What is a masala dabba?
A masala dabba is a shallow steel tin with a lid, holding six or seven small bowls in a circle and a spoon. It lives on the counter, not in a cupboard, because it is opened several times a day. Every Indian household has one, and the contents are remarkably consistent from Amritsar to Wembley.
Which spices live in an Indian spice box?
| Spice | English name | What it tastes like | Where it turns up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haldi | Turmeric | Earthy, slightly bitter | Almost everything, and it is what makes dal yellow |
| Jeera | Cumin seed | Warm and smoky once it hits hot ghee | The first thing into a tadka |
| Dhania | Coriander seed, ground | Citrussy, rounds off the masala | Sabzis, chole, most gravies |
| Rai | Black mustard seed | Pops, then turns nutty | Kadhi, South Indian tempering, pickles |
| Hing | Asafoetida | Savoury and oniony, a pinch is plenty | Dal, kadhi, bhindi |
| Ajwain | Carom seed | Sharp, close to thyme | Parathas, pakora batter |
| Kasuri methi | Dried fenugreek leaf | Faintly bitter, unmistakably Punjabi | Crushed between the palms at the end |
| Garam masala | Finishing blend | Aromatic, cardamom-and-clove led | Added at the end, never at the start |
What is a tadka, and why does it matter?
A tadka is spices bloomed in hot ghee or oil, poured over the dish. In a home kitchen, dal is not seasoned - it is finished. Jeera goes into the ghee, then garlic, then a pinch of hing, then the whole lot is tipped over the pot and the lid goes straight back on so nothing escapes. That sound is the reason people say a house smells like dinner.
It is also why the same lentils can taste completely different in two kitchens. The recipe is not the variable. The tadka is.
Do Indian home cooks use curry powder?
No. Curry powder is a British invention - one blend standing in for every dish. An Indian home kitchen changes the combination per pan: heavier on dhania for chole, jeera-led for a dry sabzi, kasuri methi crushed over a rajma at the end. That is why "Indian food" tastes like one flavour in a jar and like twenty different things at a family table.
At Saakshi's Kitchen we grind and blend our masalas in our own kitchen, and we build the base per batch - onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, bhuno'd properly - rather than working from a standing gravy base with a cream-and-butter finish.
Does more spice mean more heat?
No, and this is the most useful thing to know about Indian home cooking. Only chilli brings heat. Everything else in the dabba brings aroma, colour and depth. Home food is heavily spiced and deliberately mild - spiced, not hot - because everyone at the table eats the same pot.
How do you taste all this without cooking it yourself?
Saakshi's Kitchen cooks Punjabi family recipes in small batches in an FSA 5-star kitchen, then freezes the meals and delivers across UK mainland. They arrive frozen: keep them frozen, cook or reheat straight from frozen until piping hot, and do not refreeze once defrosted. Every product page carries the full ingredient list, so you can read exactly which of these spices went in.
Frequently asked questions
What is in an Indian spice box?
A masala dabba usually holds haldi (turmeric), jeera (cumin), dhania (ground coriander), rai (mustard seed), hing (asafoetida), ajwain (carom), kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaf) and garam masala.
What is the difference between garam masala and curry powder?
Garam masala is an aromatic finishing blend added at the end of cooking. Curry powder is a British all-purpose blend used at the start. Indian home cooks use garam masala and do not use curry powder.
What is a tadka?
A tadka is whole spices bloomed in hot ghee or oil and poured over a finished dish, most often a dal. It is added at the end, not the beginning.
Does Indian home cooking have to be hot?
No. Only chilli adds heat - the rest of the spice box adds aroma and depth. Family cooking is spiced, not hot.
Order home-cooked Indian food from Saakshi's Kitchen
- Browse this week's meals - the dishes we are cooking right now.
- How the tiffin service works - box sizes, delivery and what arrives.
- Check delivery for your postcode - we deliver across UK mainland, and there are some areas we cannot reach.
More reading: why ghar ka khana tastes like home and what goes into an Indian tiffin.