Indian Food Colouring Powder? All Answers

Why is color added to foods?

Discolored food is generally considered to be of poor quality and so colorants are added.

Colors can also protect vitamins and flavors that can be affected by sunlight during storage.

By using colors we can enhance the natural color of a dish and add decorative colors to other foods.

The color of the food can affect the perceived taste.

Types of Food Colors – Natural and Synthetic Colors:

There are two types of food coloring: artificial and natural. Unsurprisingly, natural colors are a better alternative since they are derived entirely from plants. Natural coloring usually appears less vivid compared to artificial coloring. However, this does not affect the taste of your food.

Natural Colors:

Natural food coloring is any dye, pigment, or other substance derived from plants, animals, or minerals that can color food or medicine. The colors come from a variety of sources such as seeds, fruits, vegetables, algae and insects. Grass, beetroot and turmeric are some of the natural sources from which colors are derived.

Know Your Natural Colors:

Red, Blue, and Purple: Derived from anthocyanins found in beets, raspberries, and red cabbage.

: Derived from anthocyanins found in beets, raspberries and red cabbage. Green: Derived from chlorophyll, the green pigment found in all leaves and stems.

: Derived from chlorophyll, the green pigment found in all leaves and stems. Yellow, Orange, Red: Derived from carotenoids found in apricots, carrots and tomatoes.

Synthetic Food Colors:

They are also called artificial colors. These are made by chemical reaction and are commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Some of the common food colors are tartrazine, sunset yellow, amaranth, allura red, quinoline yellow, brilliant blue, and indigo carmine.

Synthetic or Natural:

Due to consumer concerns about synthetic dyes, there is a tendency to promote natural colors. Certified, synthetic colors are popular because they are less expensive but are also effective at giving an intense and even color. They can also be easily mixed to create a variety of shades. The use of synthetic food colors is also gradually declining in India after their harmful effects were recognized. Considering the relatively higher cost of natural colors, the switch from synthetic colors seems to be an extremely slow process.

regulation

Whether natural or synthetic, the most important thing is to meet the desired specifications of the product according to the regulations. There are a number of regulations under FSSAI, the Indian regulatory body, for the use of food coloring in various foods. Even if there is a tendency towards natural products, if the desired specifications are not met, then it is futile.

Holi takes place on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna, which occurs in February and March each year. The different traditions of Holi are as diverse as the colors of spring.

In some states, a pot of buttermilk is hung high above the street in honor of the Hindu god Krishna, who is known for loving buttermilk—you guessed it. During the celebration, dancers build human pyramids to try to reach the pot and spill the milk. As they try to spill it, others throw colored water and powder at the human pyramid as a distraction. (Krishna is also known for his playful tricks!)

Holi is a brilliant way to invigorate your spirit and welcome the arrival of spring. Add a splash of color to your season with our holi powder recipe below.

And be warned – things get chaotic during Holi!

What you need to make holi powder

1 cup flour

1/2 cup water (give or take)

food coloring

How to make holi powder

Mix the flour and water in a large bowl until you get a thick paste. Add your favorite food coloring to the paste and mix with your hands. (You may want to wear a pair of disposable gloves so the food coloring doesn’t stain your hands!) Scoop the paste out of the bowl and shape it into a ball with your hands. Use a rolling pin to flatten the ball into a disk about 1/4 inch thick. Leave the disc overnight until completely dry. Use a coffee grinder to grind the slice back into powder. (Adults should perform or assist in this step.)

If your child had fun celebrating the cultures of India and Nepal, they will love exploring different countries and customs with our World Edition subscription!

Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red spice and food coloring obtained from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), native to tropical America.[1] It is often used to give foods a yellow or orange color, but sometimes also for its flavor and aroma. Its scent has been described as “slightly peppery with a hint of nutmeg” and its taste as “slightly nutty, sweet and peppery”.[2]

Annatto’s color comes from various carotenoid pigments, principally bixin and norbixin, found in the reddish, waxy coating of the seeds. The spice is typically made by grinding the seeds into a powder or paste. Similar effects can be achieved by extracting some of the coloring and flavoring from the seeds with hot water, oil or lard, which is then added to food.[3]

Annatto and its extracts are now used on artisanal or industrial scales as a colorant in many processed food products such as cheese, milk spreads, butter and margarine, puddings, cakes and other baked goods, potatoes, snack foods, breakfast cereals, smoked fish, sausages and more. In these applications, annatto is a natural alternative to synthetic food coloring, but has been linked to rare cases of food allergy.[4] Annatto has particular commercial value in the United States because the Food and Drug Administration considers dyes derived from it to be “exempt from certification”.

history [edit]

The annatto tree B. orellana is believed to have originated in tropical regions from Mexico to Brazil.[1][5] It was probably not originally used as a food additive but for other purposes such as ritual and decorative body painting (still an important tradition among many Brazilian indigenous tribes such as the Wari), sun protection and insect repellent, and for medicinal purposes.[6][7][8] It was used for Mexican manuscript painting in the 16th century.[9]

A Tsàchila man with hair dyed annatto.

Annatto has traditionally been used both as a coloring and as a flavoring in various cuisines from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Philippines and elsewhere, where it was brought home by Spanish and Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century.[1] It has different local names depending on the region.[1] Its use has spread to other parts of the world in historical times, and it has been incorporated into the local culinary traditions of many countries outside the Americas.[10] Men of the Tsàchila tribe in Ecuador are highly recognizable thanks to their traditional bright orange hair, achieved through the use of crushed annatto seeds. It is believed that they have been doing this for centuries.

Culinary uses[edit]

Traditional cuisine[ edit ]

Ground annatto seeds, often mixed with other seeds or spices, are used in paste or powder form for culinary use, particularly in Latin American, Jamaican, Belizean, Chamorroan, Vietnamese, and Filipino cuisines. In Mexican and Belizean cuisine, the spice Recado Rojo is made from it. In Venezuela, annatto is used to prepare hallacas, huevos pericos, and other traditional dishes. In Puerto Rico, it is often boiled in oil or ground with spices and herbs to make sazón, or used to make pasteles, arroz con gandules, and several other dishes where it is one of the main ingredients. Annatto paste is a key ingredient in cochinita pibil, the slow fried pork dish popular in Mexico. It is also an important ingredient in the drink Tascalate from Chiapas, Mexico. In the Philippines, it is used for pancit sauce. In Guam, it is used to prepare a basic rice dish flavored with annatto, onion, garlic, butter, and other spices.

Industrial food coloring [ edit ]

Annatto is commonly used to impart a yellow or orange color to many industrialized and semi-industrialized foods, including cheese, ice cream, baked goods, desserts, fruit fillings, yogurt, butter, oils, margarines, processed cheeses, and fat-based products.[11] In the United States, annatto extract is listed “exempt from certification”[12] as a color additive and is informally considered a natural colorant. Foods colored with annatto are allowed to declare the color in the ingredients list as “colored with annatto” or “annatto colorant”.[13] In the European Union it is identified by the E number E160b.

cheese [edit]

With cheese, the yellow and orange tones naturally vary throughout the year as the cow’s diet changes: in summer, with fresh grass and its natural carotene content, the milk produced would have a natural orange tint, as would the cheese made from it, while at other times of the year the tint would be greatly reduced. Because the pigment is in the cream, skimming the milk, which some farmers did to make butter or sell it separately, the lower quality cheese made from such milk would be white.

To trick the consumer, cheesemakers introduced colorings to mimic the more intense colors of the finer summer cheeses. Initially, these colors came from saffron, marigold, and carrot juice, but later annatto was used.[14]

In the 17th century, the Dutch, who had established colonies in Guyana, traded with the indigenous communities for food, particularly an orange-red natural dye, annatto. Zeeland traders, under the supervision of the West India Company, bought annatto from the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Guyana and Suriname and sold it as Verw (‘color’) in the Netherlands. A contemporary description comes from Adriaen van Berkel in a book published in 1695, although he does not mention whether it was used in cheese.[15]

The earliest known documentation of the use of annatto in cheese is in a 1743 Dutch volume, Huishoudelyk Woordboek (Household Word Book), according to American scientist Paul Kindstedt of the University of Vermont. Other historical documents from this period confirm that annatto (then called “Orlean” or “Orleans”) was used to color cheese in the mid-18th century.[15]

England is another country that used annatto to color its cheese; Colorings were added to Gloucester cheese as early as the 16th century to allow inferior cheeses to masquerade as the finest double Gloucester, with annatto later being used for this purpose. This usage was later adopted in other parts of the UK for cheeses such as Cheshire and Red Leicester, and colored cheddar made in Scotland. Many cheddars are produced in both white and red (orange) varieties, with the only difference between the two being the presence of annatto as a coloring agent.[17] This practice has spread to many modern processed cheese products such as American cheese and Velveeta. Cheeses from other countries also use annatto, including Mimolette from France and Leyden from the Netherlands.

Cheeses that use annatto in at least some preparations include:

Chemical composition [ edit ]

The yellow to orange color is caused by the chemical compounds bixin and norbixin, which are carotenoids. Bixin is the fat-soluble dye in the raw extract, which can then be saponified to form water-soluble norbixin. This dual solubility property of annatto is rare for carotenoids.[31] The seeds contain 4.5–5.5% pigment, which is 70–80% bixin.[30] Unlike beta-carotene, another known carotenoid, annatto-based pigments are not vitamin A precursors.[32] The more norbixin in an annatto color, the more yellow it is; A higher level of bixin gives it a more orange hue.

Security [edit]

Annatto spices and colorings are safe for most people when used in food quantities, but they may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.[33][34] In a 1978 study of 61 patients with chronic urticaria or angioedema, 56 patients were challenged orally with annatto extract during an elimination diet. A challenge was performed with a dose equivalent to the amount used in 25 grams (7⁄8 ounces) of butter. 26 percent of patients had a reaction to this color four hours after ingestion, worse than synthetic dyes such as Amaranth (9%), Tartrazine (11%), Sunset Yellow FCF (17%), Allura Red AC (16%), Ponceau 4R (15th %), erythrosine (12%) and brilliant blue FCF (14%).[35]

Annatto is not among the “Big Eight” substances that cause hypersensitivity reactions, which are responsible for more than 90% of foodborne allergic reactions.[4] The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and experts from the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) do not list annatto as a major food allergen.[36]

References[ edit ]

Further Reading[edit]

Combining traditional spices into a beautiful cuisine is an almost spiritual act. Exploring Indian cuisine is sure to greatly expand your cooking repertoire. Below are the 24 top spices used in Indian cooking. Familiarizing yourself with these spices is a great first step in your knowledge.

1. Turmeric (Haldi)

Indian food needs turmeric. Turmeric, a ground spice, has an earthy supporting flavor. Of all the spices used in Indian cooking, this one has tremendous health benefits and an amazing yellow color. Usually just a teaspoon is used to flavor and color a dish for a family of four. If it’s used for health purposes, be sure to include at least a pinch of black pepper in your recipes. Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory, but without the black pepper piperine, its effectiveness is diminished.

2. Cumin (Jira)

A spice with a flavor profile somewhat resembling caraway or dill, cumin is a staple of Indian cuisine and curries. In general, cumin seeds are best used whole and fried in oil at the beginning of a dish (the process is called taarka).

At a higher heat, cumin seeds will brown quickly, in about 15 seconds. Make sure you don’t burn them and when they start to pop you’ll know they’re done. Ground cumin powder is also an essential spice used in India and is one of the main ingredients in garam masala spice blends.

3. Green Cardamom (Cchoti Ilayachi)

You can’t mistake the taste of green cardamom. It tastes a lot like eucalyptus (and therefore like many cough medicines) due to a compound called cineole. It is great when fried in hot oil at the beginning of the preparation of an Indian dish. You’ll typically find between two and six whole cardamom pods in an Indian recipe.

4. Coriander

Coriander is the seed of coriander and one of the most important spices in our list.

This seed has a citrus-like aroma mixed with some leafy, woody notes and is used in many dishes including madras and vindaloo. Ground into a powder just before adding to a sauce is the best way to use coriander seeds.

5. Coriander

The leaves of the same plant, coriander, are essential as a flavorful accompaniment to virtually any dish, but pair particularly well with rich, flavorful dals and hearty meat dishes. When working with cilantro, keep in mind that some people find it tastes like soap.

India’s most famous spice is Garam Masala. It is actually a combination of dried spices like pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, coriander, tej patta, pepper and some others. It is used in many dishes including chana masala. Add 1-2 teaspoons while your onions are frying or while your sauce is simmering. Sometimes it is used as a garnish.

Read our article on how to prepare Garam Masala and its uses in Indian cuisine. We should note that garam masala is the most diverse of all spices. It is like no other spice as the list of ingredients used to make it varies greatly from region to region, and so does the taste. Some have mustard, some have lots of fennel, some only a little, but whatever food you eat in India, that spice, rather that spice mix, will likely be an ingredient.

7. Black Cardamom (Kali Ilayachi)

Black cardamom seeds have the same eucalyptus scent as green ones and is one of the most important spices in our list. The main difference is that they are dried over a fire before being used in food and are therefore blackened and smoky in taste.

There is no substitute for the unique scent of black cardamom. Many dishes use them. Recipes for about 4 people usually only use one or two whole black cardamom pods. In Indian cuisine, these are commonly found in biriyani.

8. Ginger (Adarek)

Of all Indian spices, ginger is an absolutely essential ingredient in most curries and half the recipe for ginger garlic paste, which is used in most Indian dishes. It is okay to use this spice dried. Some recipes even call for it. Most Indian dishes call for ginger garlic paste. If you don’t have one, you can use raw ginger, grated or chopped, cut into 1 to 2 inch lengths and cook with your garlic after clarifying your onions. Make sure you peeled the ginger first.

9. Garlic (Lahasun)

What Does Garlic Do in a List of Indian Spices? Well, it’s not exclusively Indian (or technically a spice), but it is an essential Indian spice.

Using the size cloves you get in commercial garlic, between 4 and 10 cloves in a 4 person recipe will give you a good, hearty garlic flavor. For a milder flavor, add it initially when you start frying your onions, or for a spicier flavor add after your onions are soft, giving the garlic less cooking time.

Asafoetida (Hing) is one of our favorite Indian spices. Cooking with Hing means cooking with one of the most powerful aromatic spices in the world.

To use Hing, you must always add it to your pan when your oil or butter is hot. It should sizzle for 5-20 seconds for a few seconds before adding onions, garlic or ginger. For a meal of four, expect between ¼ and ½ teaspoon Hing. Be sure to keep it in a sealed container. You can learn more about this spice in our Asafoetida blog post.

11. Fenugreek (Methi)

One of the subtle Indian spices is fenugreek. Fenugreek seeds are quite bitter but have tremendous health benefits. A green aromatic spice, the leaves are less prone to bitterness and have a delicious maple-like aroma. This Indian spice is what people say “smells like curry”.

Of all Indian spices, this spice is perhaps the most important. You can use up to a few tablespoons in a family meal near the end of the cooking process, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds also have many health benefits.

Usually this powder is simply called Amchoor. It’s one of our favorite spices and adds great acidity to any dish. It is a common Indian spice and is extremely acidic.

Because this powder is made from dried mango, it’s packed with acids, and a little goes a long way. You can learn more about this ingredient in Master Indian’s blog post on using Amchoor.

13. Tey Patta

In Indian cuisine, Tej Patta is used in a similar way to European laurel. It is included as a whole leaf and is usually cooked for the length of the dish, only removed just before serving. Its aromatic taste is reminiscent of cinnamon and clove.

Tej Patta leaves are usually added with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods and other roasting spices at the beginning of a dish and lightly browned.

14. Cinnamon/Cassia Bark (Dalachini)

Cassia bark is an ingredient you can find in most Indian grocery stores. It’s a relative of cinnamon, and you can use it in exactly the same way. Therefore, this advice applies to both cinnamon and cassia. Usually, cinnamon and cassia bark are fried whole and left in at the beginning of the preparation of an Indian dish.

15. Fennel (Saunf)

Fennel and anise both bear a strong resemblance to black liquorice. Fennel makes a great whole spice in taarka and is another key ingredient when flavoring madras and other curries. Indian restaurants often use candied fennel seeds as an after-dinner mint.

16. Star Anise (Chakra Phul)

Anise tastes like fennel, but sharper and less floral. Star anise is used in some preparations of garam masala. It’s a delicious frying spice and the key condiment for the incredible tamarind chutney you’ll find in many restaurants or as a dipping sauce when shopping for chapatis, samosas and other Indian street foods.

17. Carom (ajwain)

Carom is very strong and is used in many Indian dishes. Each tiny caramel fruit contains a huge amount of thymol, giving it a flavor that’s a bit like thyme but several times stronger. The use of caramel in breads is common across India.

When used in Indian dishes, it is used in moderation, first fried to impart a smoky flavor and pairs well with caraway seeds, mustard seeds, and other assertive flavors such as mustard, cardamom, or cumin.

18. Nutmeg (Jaiphal)

Whole, ground nutmeg is a common ingredient throughout India, particularly in southern Indian cuisine. If used as a whole spice, you can either shave it with a sharp knife. Use this spice by shaving the nutmeg with a sharp knife. You can also leave the nutmeg whole or smash it into larger chunks and use it in a taarka step.

In South Indian cuisine and many Indian dishes, nutmeg is roasted and ground along with coconut, sesame and poppy seeds and mustard seeds along with other spices to make masalas (spice mixes) for Keralan chicken curries and thattukada (street vendors). Dishes.

19. Mace (Javitri)

Mace is a tissue or leaf-like spice that coats the nutmeg seed. Nutmeg has an even spicier, musky flavor than nutmeg, but they are so similar that their flavors can be easily confused.

Mace is often fried whole, and usually a blade or leaf of mace is enough to add a really strong flavor.

20. Carnations (Lavang)

Anyone who has ever cooked an Easter ham knows cloves. You are strong. Add too much and you will overwhelm other more subtle flavors. Generally, for a family-size meal, we use between four and ten whole cloves, depending on the dish. They are another very important biryani ingredient. You’ll find them in dishes like our Patiala chicken, in all biryanis, and in many flavorful Indian curries.

21. Mustard Seeds (Rai)

Whether brown, yellow or black, mustard seeds are an essential part of Indian cooking and add a nutty, tart note to many curries, and like many of the whole spices mentioned, they are often preferred for cooking in oil at the beginning of a recipe’s preparation.

22. Black Pepper (Kali Mirch)

23. Indian Red Chili (Lal Mirch)

You all know the taste of black pepper. It is remarkable that its special sharpness is unique in the world of pepper. You’ll likely taste the pungency of black pepper first before any other hot ingredient, and it adds a powerful, high-pitched flavor no other spice can match. Indian red chili is a ground spice with a similar hotness to cayenne pepper, however it can be hotter or milder depending on where the chilies come from and how they are grown. Typically, its flavor is more floral than cayenne pepper and it’s a brighter red. This is also a good ingredient to add slowly at the end as you regulate the heat of your dish.

24. Curry Leaves (Kadhipatta)

Far from being the least of Indian spices, curry leaves are one of the most enigmatic of Indian spices. They are the leaves of the Murraya koenigii and – although they are available as a dried herb – are best used fresh, in the first or second stage of cooking, sautéed with onions and your tadka spices to impart a pungent, citrusy flavor.

How to use spices in Indian food

Let’s wrap this up in a step-by-step process. For some specific techniques and more detailed instructions, you can download our e-book. Sign up from the website popup and we’ll email it to you. But here’s how to make an Indian curry-style appetizer in 5 steps.

1. Marinating in Indian cuisine

Marinating usually includes yogurt or another acidic ingredient, and spices. This applies to butter chicken, tikka and many of the classic Indian dishes. A mixture of ground spices such as turmeric, garam masala, cardamom, coriander, cumin is common for this step.

2. Frying spices in oil

You can slow or fast fry your Indian spices. Try 10-20 minutes over low-medium heat in a pan with a little oil or butter, or 10-30 seconds over medium-high, being careful not to burn the spices. So the second (or sometimes first) step is to flavor oil, and this is a critical step.

3. Frying onions and other vegetables

Onions are added after the oil has been enriched with spice aroma. Along with the onions, you can add ginger, garlic, leeks, chili, and ground spices like garam masala and ground cardamom and coriander or black pepper.

4. Flavoring a sauce in Indian cuisine

Finally, if you are adding sauce ingredients like coconut milk, milk, cream, tomato sauce, tomatoes, or tomato paste to an Indian dish, you can add other spices like turmeric, paprika, and Indian red chili powder at this stage to balance out any flavors added so far.

If this whole process sounds intimidating, please know it doesn’t have to be. Master Indian Spice cooking sets are all you need to get started. All you have to do is buy some groceries like chicken, tomatoes, onions and coconut milk. Then you can simply let the kits guide you through the authentic steps of preparing a restaurant quality Indian meal and you will learn the fundamental skills needed to work with Indian spices.

Allspice noun a powder made from the fruit of a tropical tree that is added to foods to give them extra flavor

Anise noun a plant similar to parsley, the seeds of which are used in cooking and herbal medicine

anise noun the seed of a plant called anise, used to add flavor to food and drink

Asafoetida noun a strong-smelling, pale brown spice used in Indian cooking and herbal medicine

basil noun a plant whose sweet leaves are used in salads and in cooking, especially in dishes with tomatoes. Basil is an herb.

bay leaf noun a leaf of a bay tree, often used in cooking to add flavor

Borage noun a rough-leaved plant used to add a fresh flavor to food. Borage is an herb.

Bouquet garni noun a mixture of herbs in a small sachet that you use to flavor soups, sauces, etc. when cooking

Cumin noun the seeds of a plant used on or in foods such as bread or cakes

cardamom noun the seeds of a plant used to flavor foods. Cardamom is a spice.

Cayenne pepper noun a red powder of a pepper variety with a strong flavor. It is added to foods to give them a savory flavor.

Chervil noun a plant with pinnate leaves and a delicate flavor used in cooking. Chervil is a herb.

Chili is the American spelling of chili

Chili noun chilli powder

Chili powder noun a red powder of chili peppers used to add a hot flavor to food. Chili powder is a type of spice.

Chives noun a plant with long, thin leaves that taste like onions and are used to flavor food

coriander noun American coriander

Cinnamon noun a brown powder or small stick made from the bark of a tree, used to add flavor to foods, especially sweet foods. Cinnamon is a spice.

Clove noun a brown dried flower bud used as a spice to add flavor to food

Clove noun a small part of the bulb of a garlic plant used to add flavor to food

Cocoa noun a brown powder made from cocoa beans, used to make chocolate or chocolate-flavored foods and drinks

Condiment noun Formally something like salt, pepper or a sauce that is put on food at the table to make it taste better

coriander noun British a plant whose leaves and seeds are used to flavor foods. The American word is cilantro.

Cumin seeds, used to add flavor to foods, or the plant that produces them. Cumin is a type of spice.

curry plant noun a flowering plant with strongly scented leaves, sometimes used in Mediterranean cuisine

curry powder noun a powdered spice mixture used to make curry

dill noun a type of herb (=plant used to give food a special flavor)

Fennel noun a pinnate-leaved herb whose leaves and seeds are used to flavor food

Fenugreek noun a plant of the pea family, the seeds of which are used as a spice

Garam Masala noun a mixture of spices that make food taste hot and is often used in Indian cuisine

Ginger noun a thick light brown root with a strong flavor used as a spice in cooking

haldi noun Indian English turmeric used in Indian cuisine

Harissa noun a spicy sauce made from chili peppers, garlic, cumin and other spices, originally from North Africa

Hyssop noun a plant of the mint family whose leaves are used in cooking and herbal medicine

Kaffir lime noun a citrus tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used in Thai and Indonesian cuisine

Lemongrass noun a thick grass-like plant used in cooking to impart a lemon flavor, particularly in Southeast Asian dishes

Lovage noun a plant similar to celery, the leaves and stems of which can be used as an herb or as a vegetable

Mace noun the crushed husk of nutmeg used to flavor dishes. Mace is a spice.

Marjoram noun a plant whose leaves are used in cooking. Marjoram is an herb.

Menthol noun a substance that smells and tastes like mint

Mint noun a small plant with green leaves that have a strong odor and are used to flavor foods. Mint is an herb.

Mustard noun a yellow substance with a pungent flavor made from the seeds of a plant. Mustard is mainly eaten with meat in small quantities.

Nutmeg noun a brown powder used as a spice to add flavor to food. It comes from the hard seed of a tropical tree.

Oregano noun a plant whose leaves are used in cooking to give dishes a special flavor. Oregano is an herb.

paprika noun a red powder used in cooking to impart a slightly pungent flavor to food. Paprika is a spice.

parsley noun a small plant with curly leaves used to decorate food or to add a fresh flavor to it. Parsley is a herb.

pepper noun a black or white powder that gives food a strong flavor. It is made from crushed dried fruits called peppercorns.

Rosemary noun a shrub with narrow leaves that have a strong pleasant smell and taste, used as a spice in cooking

Saffron noun an orange-yellow substance used to add flavor and color to food

sage noun a plant used to flavor food. Sage is an herb.

salt noun a white substance often added to foods before or after cooking to improve their flavor. Salt is dug out of the ground or extracted from sea water

Sassafras noun the roots of this tree used in food and drink

sea ​​salt noun large chunks of salt formed when seawater evaporates (= turns to steam)

spice noun salt, pepper, or other spices that you add to foods to enhance flavor

seed noun a seed that you eat or use to flavor food

Sorrel noun a plant with bitter leaves that people use to add a fresh flavor to food

Spearmint noun a flavoring from the leaves of a plant used in candy and toothpaste

Spice noun a substance made from plants that is added to foods to give them a specific flavor

Star anise noun a star-shaped spice that tastes like anise and is used in Asian cuisine

Sumac noun a spice made from the fruit of a small tree called sumac, used in Middle Eastern cuisine

Tarragon noun a plant whose narrow leaves are added to foods to give them a special flavor. Tarragon is an herb.

Thyme noun a small plant with very small leaves used to add flavor to food. Thyme is an herb.

Turmeric noun a yellow powder used in cooking to add flavor and color to foods, especially curry. Turmeric is a spice.

vanilla noun a flavor used in some sweet foods, such as cakes and ice cream, derived from the bean of a tropical plant

white pepper noun pepper in the form of a white powder

While a teaspoon of paprika or tomato paste will certainly redden your curry a bit, the real red of a Durban curry comes from the chilli powder.

Masala mixes like Mother in Law have a higher chili content and produce a deep red curry, but you’ll get the best results when using Kashmiri Masala, either as part of your masala mix or by adding a few spoonfuls of Kashmiri chili Powder to your favorite masala.

Kashmiri Chili Powder is made from a milder, bright red chilli grown in the Kashmir region of India. The Kashmir area is famous for its huge chili markets, with chili peppers the size of a mall parking lot.

Turmeric will give your curry a more orange color, while adding additional dhania, jeera, or soomph powder will make it a little more brown. So if you want to add more of these powders, just add some Kashmiri chilli powder to make your dish redder.

Dried cashmere chillies

Our Durban Curry Lovers All-in-One Masala has the perfect ratio of Kashmiri and extra special chilli powder to give you a Durban Curry that is perfectly balanced in terms of colour, flavor and aroma.

Our online store also carries Kashmiri Chili Powder, Kashmiri Masala and Mother-In-Law Masala.

If you found this article doing a search online, you are cordially invited to join our Facebook group, We are Durban Curry Lovers, where a wonderful group of people share their tips, tricks and family secrets for becoming master curry -chefs.

I have a nice collection of spices that I cook with, but my curries always seem to look and taste pretty similar. Most of these have a yellowish color dominated by turmeric.

Think butter chicken and also a goat masala available at a local restaurant; What dominant colored spice am I missing that would give my curries a red or brown color?

I assume these would introduce me to some new flavors to mix and match with.

Note: I already have peppers.

Just enter your details below and we’ll email you when Red Food Coloring Powder (紅色粉) is back in stock!

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