Dry-Roasting and Grinding Whole Spices

Why roast spices?

Whole spices are full of aromatic oils locked inside their seeds and bark. Dry-roasting warms those oils so they become more fragrant, and toasts the outside for a deeper, nuttier flavour. Grinding them fresh releases everything at once. The difference is dramatic: a curry made with freshly roasted and ground coriander and cumin tastes brighter and richer than one made with powders that have sat in a jar for months.

Many of the best dishes on this site depend on it: Chettinad chicken, bisi bele bath, chicken xacuti, and the crushed coriander in kadai paneer.

How to dry-roast

1. Use a heavy, dry pan, such as a tawa, karahi or cast-iron frying pan. No oil.
2. Heat on medium-low. High heat burns the outside before the inside warms.
3. Add the spices and stir or shake the pan constantly.
4. Roast by sense, not time:
   • The spices darken by just a shade.
   • They become very fragrant.
   • Seeds like cumin and mustard start to pop or dance.
   • Dried chillies puff slightly and darken. This usually takes 1–4 minutes.
5. Tip them out at once onto a plate. The hot pan keeps cooking them.
6. Cool completely before grinding, or they’ll turn into a damp paste.

Roast in order

Different spices roast at different speeds. If you’re making a blend:

• Slow: coriander seeds, dried red chillies, chana or urad dal, cinnamon and bay leaf. Start with these.
• Medium: cumin, fennel, black pepper, cloves and cardamom.
• Fast: mustard seeds, fenugreek, sesame, poppy seeds and coconut. Add these last, or roast them separately.

Fenugreek especially turns bitter if over-roasted, so watch it closely.

Grinding

• Electric spice grinder or coffee grinder: the easiest way to a fine powder. Keep one just for spices.
• Mortar and pestle: perfect for small amounts and coarse crushes, such as the kadai masala in kadai paneer or crushed pepper.
• Blender: works for larger batches; add a little coconut or water if you’re making a wet paste.

Sift fine blends through a sieve and regrind the coarse bits.

Whole or ground?

• Whole spices (sabut masala) go in at the start of cooking, fried in oil to flavour it: bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in a pulao, or cumin in a tarka.
• Ground spices go in with the onions and tomatoes to build the masala.
• Roasted ground spices often go in at the end: roasted cumin powder over raita, chaas and jaljeera, or garam masala sprinkled over a finished curry.

Storing

Ground spices lose their aroma within weeks. Grind small batches, store them in airtight jars away from light and heat, and label them with the date. Whole spices keep for a year or more. Our recipe for homemade garam masala is a good place to start.