They sit on display like shiny jewels in a gallery.
Below the shelf sits a masala dabba, a round box arranged with canisters holding freshly ground spices.
My mother’s hidden sorcery lies in wielding those spices with craft and care.
Simply Recipes / Madelyn Goodnight
Time and time again, I watch her cleverly transform a simple weeknight dinner into something quite magical.
In the late ’80s, my parents immigrated to the United States from India.
As with many immigrants, they assimilated, adopting local customs and traditions.
Every night at our house featured a spread of home-cooked Indian dishes, save for the rare takeout dinner.
Chapatis were standard, and my mother rotated through several dal recipes she learned from her relatives.
That vegetable dish, though, was where her creativity truly shined.
It may seem simple enough to saute vegetables and throw in a few spices here and there.
But, creating a perfectly balanced dish with a depth of complexity is a true feat.
On those nights, my mother admitted defeat.
Watching my mother, I learned spices could be brought to life in two key ways.
Thetechnique of tadkaitself is magical because it makes a spice taste evenmorelike itself.
Tadka can either kickstart a dish or finish one.
She might saute the oil with cumin seeds, then toss in chopped green beans or cubed potatoes.
My favorite trick was when she topped a dal or gravy, pouring sizzling spiced oil on top.
In our home, she upgraded to an electric coffee grinder.
In this way, she creates hundreds of unique flavor profiles from just one set of spices.
Now I look to my own kitchen .
And through the years, I’ve learned how to equip my own pantry for battle.
