IndianCuisine

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The 10-spice starter pantry

You do not need a wall of jars. Ten spices cover the overwhelming majority of Indian home cooking. Here they are, what each one is for, and how to keep them tasting of something.

Reviewed by the kitchen desk Last reviewed: July 2026 · 7 min read

The short version

Start with these ten. Buy the seeds whole where you can, in small amounts, and store them airtight and away from heat. Tap any spice below to open its full page, with the compound, the evidence and how to cook with it.

Walk into any Indian home kitchen and you will find a masala dabba, a round steel tin holding six or seven little bowls. That tin, not a spice rack of fifty jars, is what everyday cooking actually runs on. The trick is not owning more spices; it is knowing what a small, well-chosen set does, and using each one at the right moment. Here is a starter ten.

The ten

01

Turmeric Haldi

Earthy base note and golden colour in almost every curry. Added early, in fat.

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02

Cumin Jeera

The warm backbone of the tadka. Bloom the whole seeds in hot fat to release the aroma.

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03

Coriander seed Dhaniya

Citrusy and mild. The "volume" spice that rounds a masala out and takes the edge off chilli heat.

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04

Red chilli Lal mirch

Heat and colour, whole or ground. Kashmiri chilli gives deep red colour with only gentle heat.

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05

Black pepper Kali mirch

Gentle heat, and the piperine that sharply boosts turmeric's absorption. Crack it fresh.

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06

Mustard seeds Rai

The southern and eastern tadka. They pop and turn nutty in hot oil; the sign your tempering is ready.

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07

Ginger Adrak

Fresh aromatic base, pounded into ginger-garlic paste for countless curries. Sonth (dried) for warmth.

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08

Cardamom Elaichi

Sweet and floral, for chai, biryani and sweets. Buy whole green pods and crush fresh.

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09

Fenugreek Methi

A few bitter seeds in the tadka; dried kasuri methi crushed over dals and gravies to finish.

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10

Ajwain Carom

Thyme-like and digestive. The pinch that goes into fried snacks and breads to help them sit lightly.

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The next few to add

The ten above will take you a long way. As your cooking grows, these are the next to reach for, mostly warming, finishing spices rather than everyday basics.

11

Clove Laung

Intensely aromatic, from a compound called eugenol, so a couple go a long way. Whole in pulao and garam masala, and a traditional numbing remedy for toothache.

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12

Black cardamom Badi elaichi

Smoky and resinous, dried over fire. For hearty curries, dals and biryani, never sweets, and quite unlike green cardamom.

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Garam masala blend

A finishing blend of warm spices, often clove, cardamom, cinnamon and pepper, stirred in late so its aromas do not cook away.

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Asafoetida Hing

A pinch in the tadka for savoury, umami depth, and to make dals and beans easier to digest. Sharp raw, mellow once bloomed in fat.

Whole or ground?

Wherever you can, buy spices whole and grind small amounts as needed. The aroma lives in volatile oils that escape faster once a spice is ground, so whole seeds stay lively for around a year while ground spices fade in months. Turmeric and chilli are the sensible exceptions, usually bought as powder.

Buy small, use fresh

Spices are a fading asset, not a pantry heirloom. Small packets you finish beat big jars that dull.

Store cool and dark

Airtight, away from heat and light. The cupboard above the stove is the worst spot, not the obvious one.

Toast, then grind

Dry-roasting whole seeds before grinding deepens flavour. Do it in small batches, just before you need them.

Bloom in fat

Most of these are fat-soluble. A few seconds in hot oil or ghee is what unlocks them, the tadka.

If you only buy five

Turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chilli and mustard seeds (or one good garam masala).

With just these, you can cook the majority of everyday dals and vegetables. Add the rest as your cooking grows.

In one minute

  • About ten spices cover most Indian home cooking; you do not need a wall of jars.
  • Buy whole and small; whole seeds hold their aroma far longer than ground.
  • Store cool and dark, and bloom them in fat to release their flavour.

Sources

  1. Peter KV (ed). Handbook of Herbs and Spices. Woodhead Publishing; 2012. (composition, volatiles and storage of culinary spices)
  2. McGee H. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Scribner; 2004. (why aroma fades after grinding; fat-based extraction)