Indian Cooking

Kirit and Meena are very hands on in the crucial area of quality control. The flavour of Patak's products is heavily dependent on the quality and freshness of the herbs and spices used and as such Kirit personally supervises their selection and importation from India and around the world. It is the grinding process that releases aromatic oils from spices and these oils create the delicious flavours in Indian cuisine. The flavour of ground spices fades over time - Patak's are unique in that they grind whole spices at the point of manufacture to ensure freshness of flavour is achieved. At home, Meena never keeps her own ground spices for longer than three weeks and ensures they are stored in a 'spice box' away from the sunlight.

Herbs & Spices

Cardamon / Elaichi
Cardamom is commonly referred to as the ‘Queen of Spices’. It is a very versatile spice with many uses in Indian cuisine and is also believed to aid digestion and act as a breath freshener.

Black Onion Seed –Kalonji / Nigella Sativa
Kalonji is the dried, seed-like fruit of a small herb. It is usually dry roasted or fried to develop the flavour. The seeds are used in bread doughs, such as naan and kulchas and are also used in salads and pickles.

Chillies / Mirch
Immature chillies are green - when they ripen they become yellow, orange, red, brown or purple. Chillies range in heat from mild to very hot. The heat from chillies comes from capsaicin in their seeds, fleshy parts and skin.

Cinnamon / Dalchini
Cinnamon is the bark of the cassia tree. It is used to flavour rice, curries and desserts. It is either sold as sticks or as a ground powder, which is an integral part of the standard blend of Garam Masala.

Clove / Laung / Lavang
Cloves are the unopened red flower buds of the clove tree and can be used whole or ground. Cloves have an extremely strong, pungent and aromatic flavour with warm notes of pepper and camphor.

Coriander Leaves, Cilantro / Hara Dhania
Coriander is one of the most commonly used herbs in India. The flavour of coriander leaves has both lemon and ginger notes.

Coriander Seed / Dhanina
Coriander seeds are greenish-grey in colour. Roasted coriander powder is an indispensable item in the Indian spice box.

Cumin / Jeera
The flavour of cumin seeds is rich, slightly bitter, earthy and warm. Cumin powder is also an important ingredient of Garam Masala and Panchphoran.

Curry Leaves / Kadi Patta
Curry leaves come from a small, deciduous tree that grows wild in the Himalayan foothills. Fresh curry leaves give off an intensely aromatic, spicy aroma with a citrus note.