My Spice Bazaar

 
 
 

















Yesterday was the destined day for me....to clean my pantry!!...To edit and delete all those masalas that I had accumulated over a period of time, in addition to the vestiges of my husband's bachelor days....where he picked up every masala available in the Indian shop, hoping to make his bachelor cooking spicier, rather easier!The most amazing thing that I saw in my pantry here when I saw it for the first time was the huge 5kg sack of Red chilli powder!It was sitting royally with a gleeful smile!!Five kg of chilli powder for a bachelor!...Wasnt that a bit too hot days?!!(My husband is a kind of megalomaniac,wants everything big and large,except for his wife, who is sincerely trying to match his expectations with all those food churned out from the kitchen!)Everytime we went to an Indian shop...we avariciously looked at the Masala racks and stacked our cart as though we might never get it again!...My husband would ask me ritualistically an innocent question..'What do you use that for?'...for which at times I did not really have a definite answer...I would murmur...'Ri...Irili (=let it be,kannada),I'll use it someday...we might find it useful...So saying I have piled up so many masalas...and some of them had reached their expiry...so yesterday was the day for me to bid them adieu and prepare the pantry for another refill!!...I was thinking about the amazing collection of spices and seasoning agents that we have...Turmeric,Chillies,Pepper,Cloves,Mace,
Cinnamon,Bay leaves,Curry leaves,Thyme,Rosemary,Basil,Chamomile,Dill,
Kalonji,Onion Seeds,Ajwain,Fennel seed,Cumin,Ginger,Cardamom,Saffron,
lemon grass,Nutmeg,Sesame seeds,Anise,Annatto,Arrow root,Caraway,
Celery,Cayenne,Mint,Oregano,Coriander,Parsley,Chives,
Fenugreek,Flax,Paprika,Chervil,Marjoram,Mustard,Tilo leaves
....Oops! the list is unending....Having a very flexible palate, we have been able to enjoy the myriad spices of both the East and the West...Salutations to all the Spices of the World which has spiced up our life!!