Cumin Seeds

Cumin seeds, much like mustard seeds, are often fried in a pan with oil to release its flavour. Its peppery flavour has a punchy flavour enhance the depth in dishes where it is a key ingredient in almost every dish. They are often mistaken for caraway seeds, which have a bitter flavour and used within different dishes. Ground cumin is also availableas a powder, it has the same flavour as the seeds, but a smoother texture. Cumin powder is often combined or mixed with other spices in order to make it bring out peppery notes, such as within Dhana Jiru (coriander and cumin powder) and curry powder, where the use of cumin is one of the main aspects.

There is no substitute to cumin as a flavour, so many of the dishes around India have the tones from this seed as apart of the dishes. Some dishes even go to the extent of using a vast amount of cumin to bring out the most of its flavour, famously 'jeera chicken' is one of these dishes. Grinding cumin seeds before frying in oil also releases a bigger punch of flavour to curries, however they are often kept whole to keep a muted tone and provide a crunchiness to the dishes.

There are also health benefits of cumin, such as iron for energy and immune function. The seeds are also very good for digestion as they easily break down compounds for proper digestion and extracting nutrients. Cumin seeds have also recently been discovered of preventing some strains of cancer. Their anti-carciogenic properties prevent cancer from developing within the stomach or liver areas.