Spices articles from COWBERRY

Cloves how to use: how many buds per dish for rice, dal and curries, the tempering method, chai, raw eating, and storage rules so whole cloves stay potent.

Why cloves for toothache: reviews describe eugenol as pain-relieving, and home users hold a whole bud, a powder paste or a drop of oil against the tooth. Three common ways, and the signs that mean a dentist.

Cinnamon how to use: whole sticks for slow-cooked dishes and tea, powder for quick mixes and baking. How much per dish and per day, when each form wins, and the storage rules that keep the powder fragrant.

Bay leaf how to use: add one or two whole dried leaves when the oil is hot or the liquid starts to simmer, cook them with the dish, and lift them out before serving. When to add and remove it in dal, pulao, biryani, soups and curries, common mistakes, and how to store the pack.

How to use carom seeds: a quarter teaspoon in hot oil for tempering, a few seeds kneaded into paratha or roti dough, a teaspoon in water as ajwain water, or folded into the ajwain laddu. Quantities, mistakes and storage.

Tamarind how to store: keep the dry block in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place and it lasts for months with no fridge. Extracted pulp goes in the fridge or freezer, with times for each form and the mistakes that spoil imli.

How to store fennel seeds: a clean, dry, airtight jar in a cool dark cupboard keeps whole saunf bright and fragrant for about a year. Steps, the mistakes that age seeds early, signs of staleness and the freezer option.

How to store cumin seeds: whole seeds in a sealed glass or steel jar, in a cool dry cupboard away from the stove, taken out with a dry spoon. How long seeds and powder keep, and when to discard stale jeera.

How to store coriander: wrap dry leaves loosely in paper and keep them in the fridge at 0 to 5°C, freeze for cooking, and keep seeds and powder in airtight jars for many months. When to throw each form out.

Star anise how to make tea: steep two whole pods in a cup of just-boiled water, covered, for five to seven minutes and strain. Steps, milk tea, overnight star anise water and timings.

How to make saunf water at home: soak one teaspoon of fennel seeds in a 250 ml glass of water overnight, strain in the morning and drink. Ratio, timings, a 15-minute hot method, when to drink it and what one glass gives.

How to make kashmiri lal mirch powder at home: dry-roast whole red chillies for a minute or two, cool them fully, grind fine and store in an airtight jar away from sunlight. Step timings, common mistakes and how long the powder lasts.