Cardamom

Cardamom is also called as Elaichi (in Hindi) Elakkai or Elam (in tamil) which is commonly used to add flavor to any kind of dish. It also helps giving relief whenever we have tooth ache or gums pain. I remember my grandma used to keep it along with cloves,near the teeth which hurts her. Most of the times she get relief from that. While making fried rice or some kind of variety rice, we use this cardamom to add more flavor to the rice. Also while making desserts or sweets or pudding, we use this cardamom which adds more flavor. Cardamom is also used to make masala tea. I use cardamom, dry ginger, tea powder, cloves etc for making masala tea. Also while making garam masala powder, I use cardamom.

Dry Ginger - Chukku

Chukku is a very famous spice which is used most commonly in Kerala. Chukku vellam - Dry ginger water is a very famous in Kerala. While boiling water, we put chukku along with pepper and cumin seeds and drink this chukku vellam whenever we have sore throat. It gives relief immediately. Also chukku powder is available in stores now a days which we can use it in preparing coffee and tea. According to ayurveda, indigestion is the main cause for all the diseases. Chukku helps in digesting food easily. There is a custom in China, that people drink hot water or hot herbal tea after their meal which is basically for this reason and which also cuts extra fat from the food we took. I still remember, my grandma usually make a paste out of this dry ginger and apply it on her forehead whenever she get head ache. It really reduces the stress and tension which in turn reduces the head ache. This Chukku coffee or tea is also taken during nausea, which reduces the vomitting.

Omam

Nigella Sativa - scientific name for omam(in Tamil); Ajwain (in Hindi). In general Omam is good for digestion. In India, we usually keep store bought omam water handy, if small infants are around us. We give a teaspoon of this water everyday to infants and small kids which helps them in digestion. I make kozhambu with this kalonji everyother week. We can keep this kozhambu for a week to 10 days if it is properly refrigerated. It has lots and lots of medicinal value for bronchitis, asthma, cancer stomach worms, cold, eczema, boils etc.

Photo Source:- Wikipedia.org

Tamarind

This is the main ingredient for the Indian dishes. Tamarind is used for making sambar, rasam, tamarind rice and most other recipes. Its very tart and acidic and is the main component of savory dishes. n temples, especially in Asian countries, the pulp is used to clean brass shrine furniture, removing dulling and the greenish patina that forms. Tamarind is available in specialty food stores worldwide in pod form or as a paste or concentrate.

Moong Dhall

This is moong split without shells. This yellow dal doesn't need to be soaked and are easy to cook and digest. These beans can also be boiled and mashed in soups, stews, and sauces. In India the mung beans are also consumed as a snack. The dried mung beans are soaked in water, then partly dried to a dry matter content of approx. 42% before and then deep-fried in hot oil. The frying time varies between 60 and 90 seconds. The fat content of this snack is around 20%. This snack is traditionally prepared at home and is now also available from industrial producers.

Black Pepper

Black pepper is native to south India (Milagu in Tamil) and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Pepper is used in some of the dishes. Milagu kozhambu or Pepper kozhambu is made out of pepper which is considered to be a pathiya kozhambu - meaning this dish or paste is used after the child birth. It is still believed that pepper will reduce the inflammation in the utreus after child birth. Black pepper is used as medicine in ayurvedha, siddha. It is used for lung diseases, tooth ache, constipation, hernia, sun burns.

Black pepper has demonstrated impressive antioxidant and antibacterial effects--yet another way in which this wonderful seasoning promotes the health of the digestive tract. Black pepper is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of iron and vitamin K, and a good source of dietary fiber. (source www.whfoods.com)

Black pepper 2.00 tsp 4.28 grams 10.88 calories
Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
manganese	0.24 mg	12.0	19.9	excellent
vitamin K	6.88 mcg	8.6	14.2	very good
iron	1.24 mg	6.9	11.4	very good
dietary fiber	1.12 g	4.5	7.4	good

World's Healthiest Foods Rating	Rule
excellent	DV>=75%	OR	Density>=7.6	AND	DV>=10%
very good	DV>=50%	OR	Density>=3.4	AND	DV>=5%
good	DV>=25%	OR	Density>=1.5	AND	DV>=2.5%

(Source: - www.whfoods.com)

Cumin Seeds

This is another spice we use in our everyday cooking. Cumin is good for digestion. This is also known as Jeera in Hindi and Seeragam(seer+Agam) in Tamil. Agam means human body; Seer means making it healthy. Thats why we use this in most of our recipes. Cumin is hotter to the taste, lighter in colour. In olden days, in order to induce labour, people used to drink cumin tea or cumin hot water (From my grandma's experience). Also cumin hot water is used to reduce stomach ache during periods. First fry the 1 tbsp cumin to golden brown. Then grind it into a fine powder. Add it to 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Bring the boiling water to one cup. This one cup cumin is consumed with a teaspoon of honey during stomach ache (my personal experience).

Cumin seeds, whose scientific name is Cuminum cyminum, are a very good source of iron, a mineral that plays many vital roles in the body. Cumin seeds have traditionally been noted to be of benefit to the digestive system, and scientific research is beginning to bear out cumin's age-old reputation. Research has shown that cumin may stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, compounds necessary for proper digestion and nutrient assimilation. Cumin seeds may also have anti-carcinogenic properties. Cumin is available both in its whole seed form and ground into a powder. (source:www.whfoods.com)

Cumin seeds Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 370 kcal 1570 kJ
Carbohydrates 44.24 g - Sugars 2.25 g - Dietary fiber 10.5 g Fat 22.27 g - saturated 1.535 g - monounsaturated 14.04 g - polyunsaturated 3.279 g Protein 17.81 g Water 8.06 g Vitamin A equiv. 64 μg 7% Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.628 mg 48% Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.327 mg 22% Niacin (Vit. B3) 4.579 mg 31% Vitamin B6 0.435 mg 33% Folate (Vit. B9) 10 μg 3% Vitamin B12 0 μg 0% Vitamin C 7.7 mg 13% Vitamin E 3.33 mg 22% Vitamin K 5.4 μg 5% Calcium 931 mg 93% Iron 66.36 mg 531% Magnesium 366 mg 99% Phosphorus 499 mg 71% Potassium 1788 mg 38% Sodium 168 mg 11% Zinc 4.8 mg 48%
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database

source:-www.Wikipedia.org

Toor Dhall

We can call this lentil as best friend for south Indian women. This is also known as "Thuvaram paruppu" in TamilThey use this lentil everyday without fail. In order to start solids for small babies, we use this dhall first. From the beginning of 6th month or 8th Month (in some families), moms usually pressure cook this lentil adding a pinch of turmeric powder to it and mix and mash it with cooked rice. They call this paruppu saadam (lentil rice). They also add a pinch of salt and tea spoon of ghee (melted butter) to it. This is the first solid food, we give to our small children in India (or atleast in our family).

This lentil is mainly used to make sambar. The traditional way of serving South Indian food is first payasam (dessert), paruppu (toor dhall cooked), Pachadi, curry, kootu, pickle, vadai, chips and rice. In our everyday pooja to god, we offer cooked rice as naivedya. We put one teaspoon cooked toor dhall on top of it and then we offer it to god. This is our Hindu belief.

Whole toor lentils are yellow with tan jackets, but they're usually sold skinned and split. They have a mild, nutty flavor. They're sometimes sold with an oily coating, which you should rinse off. Lentils without oil coating is also available in stores. We have to check for both before buying this lentil. Look for them at Indian markets.

Channa Dhall - Gram dhal

Most of the lentils are low fat and high in protein and fibre. This is another kind of lentil or dhal (in Hindi) or paruppu (in Tamil), we use in our everyday cooking. This is used to make coconut paste and this gives extra thickness to sambar. Nowadays people are becoming more health conscious. So instead of using more coconut which is high in fat, people in India replace this dhall in the place of coconut or reduce the quantity of coconut and increase the quantity of dhall.

With their sweet and nutty flavor, these are the most popular dal in India. They're made from splitting a small relative of the chickpea in half. They're a dull yellow and are renown for causing flatulence, which Indians try to counter by adding asafoetida to the dish. Before cooking, always rinse lentils and pick out stones and other debris. Unlike dried beans and peas, there's no need to soak them. Lentils cook more slowly if we add salt or acidic ingredients before cooking, so add these last. These lentils are also available in all Indian stores nicely packed, under the name Channa Dhall

Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds are the proverbially small seeds of the various mustard plants

In the Indian subcontinent they are often used whole, and are quickly fried in oil until they pop to impart a flavor to the oil.The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard (B.Nigra) brown Indian mustard (B.Juncea), and white or yellow mustard (B.hirta/Sinapisalba)

Its mainly used for seasoning in Indian cooking. Its gives wonderful aroma and flavour to the receipe. Mustard seeds is also available in all Indian stores nicely packed..