Ginger garlic masala is a crushed mixture of raw ginger and garlic cloves. [1] [2]
Optionally, salt is added to the ginger garlic paste while crushing.
This compounded mixture is often used in Indian curries and vegetable dishes in many parts of India. [3] It is also used in Thai cuisine.
The mixture has some beneficial properties [4] and also enhances the taste and flavour of the dish it is added to. Ginger is especially well known for its digestive properties.
Ideally, the paste or masala should be freshly prepared using a grindstone. However, due to scarcity of time and unavailability of a grindstone, people may use a mixer-grinder appliance to prepare the paste. These days, the paste is also available as a ready-made preserve in many departmental stores or groceries.
Curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. It is not to be confused with leaves from the curry tree, though some curries do include curry leaves. Curry is also found in the native cuisines of many South East Asian and East Asian countries due to ancient contact with South Asia.
Garam masala is a blend of ground spices originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Caribbean cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings. The specific fixings differ by district, but it regularly incorporates a blend of flavors like cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves and peppercorns. Garam masala can be found in a wide range of dishes, including marinades, pickles, stews, and curries.
Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani, is an Indian dish originating in Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. Its sauce is known for its rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste.
Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in a recipe, it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chili powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic salt, and other seasoned salts are traditionally sold pre-made by grocers, and sometimes baking blends such as pumpkin pie spice are also available. These spice mixes are also easily made by the home cook for later use.
Raita is a side dish in Indian cuisine made of dahi together with raw or cooked vegetables, fruit, or in the case of boondi raita, with fried droplets of batter made from besan.
Chaat, or chāt is a family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. With its origins in Uttar Pradesh, India, chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of South Asia.
Tamil cuisine is a culinary style of Tamil people originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and neighboring Sri Lanka. Meats, along with rice, legumes, and lentils, are popular. Dairy products and tamarind are used to provide sour flavors. On special occasions, traditional Tamil dishes are served in a traditional manner, using banana leaves in place of utensils. After eating, the banana leaves are then used as a secondary food for cattle. A typical breakfast meal consists of idli or dosa with chutney. Lunch includes rice, sambar, curd, kuzhambu, and rasam.
Tandoori masala or tandoori sauce is a mixture of spices specifically for use with a tandoor, or clay oven, in traditional cooking in the Indian subcontinent. The specific spices vary somewhat from one region to another but typically include: garam masala, garlic, ginger, onion, cayenne pepper, and sometimes other spices and additives. The spices are often ground together with a pestle and mortar.
Chili sauce and chili paste are condiments prepared with chili peppers.
Shami kabab or shaami kabab is a local variety of kebab, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a popular dish in modern-day Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines. It is composed of a small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but occasionally lamb or mutton, with ground chickpeas, egg to hold it together, and spices. Shami kebab is eaten as a snack or an appetizer, and is served to guests especially in the regions of Dhaka, Deccan, Punjab, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Sindh.
Bangude pulimunchi is a Mangalorean mackerel based dish of coastal Karnataka in southwest India. The dish uses tamarind, a distinctive ingredient in traditional Mangalorean cuisine, to impart tanginess. Another local mackerel dish is bangude masala, which is popular in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
Curry paste is a mixture of ingredients in the consistency of a paste used in the preparation of a curry. There are different varieties of curry paste depending from the region and also within the same cuisine.
Masala chai is a popular beverage throughout South Asia, originating in the early Indian subcontinent. Chai is made by brewing black tea in milk and water and then sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices creates masala chai, although chai is often prepared unspiced.
Bumbu is the Indonesian word for a blend of spices and for pastes and it commonly appears in the names of spice mixtures, sauces and seasoning pastes. The official Indonesian language dictionary describes bumbu as "various types of herbs and plants that have a pleasant aroma and flavour — such as ginger, turmeric, galangal, nutmeg and pepper — used to enhance the flavour of the food."
Crab in Padang sauce or Padang crab is an Indonesian seafood dish of crab served in hot and spicy Padang sauce. It is one of the two most popular ways that crab is served in Indonesia, commonly found in coastal cities with abundant seafood, such as Padang, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Makassar and Cirebon. Its closest analogue probably is chili crab; however, Padang crab uses richer spices.
Mutton curry is a dish that is prepared from goat meat and vegetables. The dish is found in different variations across all states, countries and regions of the Indian subcontinent and the Caribbean.
Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. Sambal is an Indonesian loanword of Javanese origin. It originated from the culinary traditions of Indonesia and is also an integral part of the cuisines of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Sri Lanka. It has also spread through overseas Indonesian populations to the Netherlands and Suriname.
Udang balado or sambal goreng udang is a hot and spicy shrimp dish commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. It is made of shrimp, either peeled or unpeeled, stir-fried in hot and spicy sambal paste in a small amount of cooking oil.
Ginataang manok is a Filipino chicken stew made from chicken in coconut milk with green papaya and other vegetables, garlic, ginger, onion, patis or bagoong alamang, and salt and pepper. It is a type of ginataan. A common variant of the dish adds curry powder or non-native Indian spices and is known as Filipino chicken curry.