Skip to main content

Indian Herbs


Kadipata
Kadipata
Herbs are those plants which are either decorative, fragrant, medicinal or culinary. The seed plants of which the stems do not become woody, but remain more or less soft. 
But this definition excludes some like the fragrant Curry Leaves - which is a woody tree and not a soft shrub or herb. Curry leaves also known as Kadipata, Kadhilimb, Karbeo are widely used in Indian cooking.
Cilantro, Mint and Kasoori Methi are the most widely used herbs in Indian Cuisine.

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
Also known as Coriander or Chinese Parsley. Hara Dhaniya or Dhaniya in Hindi. An annual herb growing from seeds. This plant is both an herb and a spice. Fresh leaves are the herb and its seeds are used as a spice. Coriander seeds are an indispensable part of the spice combination known as Curry Powder.
Coriander
Coriander or Cilantro
In India, the plant is said to cool hot stomach, banish gas and aid digestion. Also used in Mexican, Thai, Moroccan, Spanish and African Cuisines.

Mint (Mentha)
Pudina in Hindi. An aromatic perennial herb rich in vitamins and minerals. In Indian cuisine, mint is used in chutneys, spicy curries and flavorful rice recipes. Fresh leaves are particularly good in desserts, fruit salads, sauces and also as a refreshing tea, hot or iced. Dry Pudina leaves are also used to some extent in Indian recipes, like Biryani.
Mint Leaves
Pudina
It was once used to treat hiccups and its soothing effect eases nausea and vomiting. Today, mint plays a large role in medicine in the form of menthol.

Fenugreek (Trigonella)
Methi in Hindi.  Dry leaves known as Kasoori Methi are used as a herb, more commonly in North Indian Cuisine. Fresh Fenugreek leaves, though slightly bitter are relished in the form of gravy curries and stir fry veggies. Seeds are used as a spice in many spice mixes, particularly Sambar Powder of South Indian Cuisine.
Methi Leaves
Methi Leaves
Methi powder is taken as a medicine by diabetic patients as it lowers blood glucose levels.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments, Suggestions and Feedback are welcome.
Any comment with a Link/URL or any kind of promotion will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Indian Dal / Lentils

Lentils, known as Dal are a staple in an Indian diet, especially vegetarian. For me, dal is comfort food. 5 different dal varieties - Toor, Moong, Chana, Masoor and Urad are commonly used in Indian sweet and savory delicacies. You can cook dal with just one kind or a mix of two or more. I generally cook dal with 1:1 Toor and Moong dals. But then, we like Panchmel or Panchratna Dal too, which is made of all five. Most dal recipes have Toor dal as the primary ingredient. It is also known as Toovar or Arhar dal or Split Pigeon Peas . Some of our family favorite dal recipes are Dalitoy (Konkani Dal)  Tadka Dal Among all lentils, moong dal and masoor dal take lesser time to cook. Moong dal is also known as Split Green Gram or Split Mung Bean . Moong dal is also used in making sweet dishes like Mung Dal Kheer  Mung Dal Puranpoli Chana dal is also known as Split Bengal Gram or Split Chickpeas . Chana Dal takes a little more time to cook as compared to toor dal....
Post a Comment
Read more

Naval Kol Bhaji / Kohlrabi Stir-fry

Green Kohlrabi called as Navalkol in Marathi and Navilkosu in Kannada, belongs to the cabbage family.  My Mom used to make this stir fry very often.  Just like cabbage, this vegetable in available in two colors - green and purple.  I was quite hesitant about the purple one, as I haven't seen that back in India.  Anyway, I picked the green bulbs and Navalkohl Bhaji with Chana Dal was part of our healthy vegetarian meal today.
14 comments
Read more

Surti Val Papdi Bhaji

My Mom used to make Val Papdi Bhaji in a simple way with few ingredients. This is the first time I gave it a try here in my US kitchen. This stir fry does require little more oil, as no water is added for cooking. Dal Rice tastes great with this sauteed Papdi.  I tried this Bhaji once with frozen Surti Papdi and I was not happy with the result. I prefer fresh Papdi for this recipe, which I can only find in the local Indian store. I am not sure if Val Papdi is called as Navy Bean or Fava Bean in English.
13 comments
Read more