Homage to Indian Spices

Michelin star celebrity chef Vikas Khanna reveals why Indian cuisine can hold its own against any in the world and demonstrates how simple it is to cook up something delicious with just one or two spices.

So many foundational cooking concepts are rooted in India. For example, the idea of bread-making is genius, and that comes from India. Pickling and fermenting food has been part of Indian history for 400 years. And then there’s the thing Indian cooking does so well—using spices. The array of spices used in Indian cooking didn’t happen accidentally or by default—there’s a whole science to it. Indian cuisine is the only cuisine in this world, which is based on Ayurveda as a foundation. When you’re a vegetarian, how do you make just vegetables work for your metabolism; where does that heat come from? This is the brilliance of the ancestors. How they incorporate spices so cleverly for the metabolism and the taste.

Simplicity of Spice

I roasted a purple yam in the oven with just a little oil. After I chopped it, I tossed it in black pepper and a little bit of dried gin ger powder, its aroma was immediately so powerful. The spices make all the difference. Even if you’re making mashed potatoes in a very basic way with heavy cream and potatoes, just add ing a pinch of cumin to it changes the entire texture of the whole dish and the flavor.