|
| Cumin (flowering plants) |
Cumin is one of the most typical spices for India, especially the Southern part. The fruits are used as a whole, and are fried (frequently together with onion) or toasted before usage. Legumes, especially lentils, are normally flavoured by cumin fried in butter fat (see ajwain on perfumed butter tadka [तड़का]. Furthermore, the seeds form an important part of curry powder (see curry leaves) and of the Bengali spice mixture panch phoron (see nigella). Lastly, cumin is essential for the preparation of Northern Indian tandoori dishes ([तंदूरी]) see mango). The fragrance of toasted cumin, typically in combination with coriander, is the most characteristic impression from South Indian or Sri Lankan cuisine!
Another important Indian spice mixture containing cumin is
garam masala [गरम मसाला, گرم مسالحہ or گرم مصالحہ]
which means hot mixture
; by hot
, a heating action on the body is
indicated. Garam masala may contain nearly ever Indian spice, but normally,
toasted cumin, toasted coriander, black pepper and Indian bay
leaves should provide the basic taste and smaller amounts of sweet spices
(cinnamon, cloves, cardamom seeds and nutmeg)
should give a fine, aromatic flavour. The version preferred in Kerala
(South India) also contain star anise, and some
versions (e.g., in Maharashtra) employ also chiles.
All components are ground together. In
the Imperial Northern Indian cuisine (also called Moghul or Muglai), the
mixture (then called muglai garam masala) is prepared
predominantly from sweet-aromatic spices and may even lack cumin. This spice
mixture is sometimes used
for cooking, but more frequently sprinkled over the dishes before serving.
In South India, an extremely popular spice mixture called sambar podi [சாம்பார் பொடி] (sambaar powder) is prepared to flavour the thin lentil curries (saambaar [சாம்பார்]) traditionally served with pancake-like bread made from rice flour (dosai [தோசை]), or with idli [இட்லி], steamed dumplings of fermented rice and bean dough. Base component of sambar podi are lentils or tiny beans (urad dal [उड़द दाल]), which are dry-roasted or toasted until they lose their raw flavour. They are mixed with other toasted spices (mostly cumin, coriander and fenugreek) and black pepper; optional ingredients are toasted mustard seeds, dried and possibly toasted chiles and asafetida. The powder is simply added, together with fresh curry leaves, to boiling lentil or vegetable curries.
The usage of toasted legumes is typical for South Indian cuisine. For another example of a Southern Indian spice mixture, see coconut. Similar spice mixtures are also much in use among the descendants of South Indian immigrants in Malaysia or Singapore.
Black cumin is the fruit of a related plant that grows wild in Iran and the Northern Indian region Kashmir. It is sometimes preferred to ordinary (white) cumin for Northern Indian meat kormas.
About cumin-containing lassi (yoghurt drinks), see rose.
Cumin is also very popular in Western to Central Asia; spice mixtures from this region featuring cumin are Yemeni zhoug (see coriander), Saudi-Arab baharat (see paprika) and Georgian svanuri marili (see garlic).
Cumin is a common flavouring for Arabic style dishes. It is typical for the stew tagine (also tajine [طاجن]) of Arab-influenced Northern Africa, and is commonly contained in commercial cous-cous spice mixtures. Other Arabic specialities with cumin are hummus [حمص], a paste made from chickpeas, olive oil and sesame, and falafil (also felafel or falafel [فلافل]). The latter is small balls made from ground legumes (chickpeas, often with some fava beans mixed in) and flavoured with garlic and cumin; they are deep-fried and eaten as a snack. The Sudanese version of that dish, tamiyah [طعميه], is based on fava beans alone and has a less refined, more rustic and very pleasant flavour.
In South Eastern and Eastern Asia, cumin is less valued but used occasionally; cumin is, though, very important for Burmese cooking (see onion on the topic or Burmese curries) and it does play a rôle in the cooking styles of Thailand (see coconut on the subject of Thai curries) and Indonesia. Cumin is important in the cuisine of the Uighurs (Chinese province Xinjiang [新疆]), which, however, cannot be considered Chinese cookery in historical sense. Uighuri skewered meat grilled over charcoal is now available all over China and has become rather popular as yang rou chuan [羊肉串]. In China proper, cumin is a rare spice used only for a small number of recipes, for example in ziran niurou [孜然牛肉] from the Hunan [湖南] province: Thin slices of beef are fried together with cumin, chile and garlic in a wok and served with scallion and sesame oil.
In Central and South American cooking, cumin plays is an important spice (it
appears, e.g., in Mexican spice mixtures; see oregano and paprika).
