Why You Should Always Toast Your Spices

Indian aunties speak the truth, especially when it comes to spices. And when one samples a curry and tells you that your spices taste raw, she’s not kidding around, and yes, she’s throwing a little shade your way.

It’s all in the name of getting the most from each ingredient. Once you toast your spices, the difference in flavor is like going from watching your favorite show on a cathode-ray TV to viewing it on a high-definition television. When you toast spices, the heat draws out the oils in the spices, and in doing so, intensifies their flavor. Suddenly, cumin is more earthy, coriander more floral, and chiles let you in past that initial hit of heat to reveal their sweet and smoky sides. And beyond the exponential boost in flavor, toasted spices perform better in recipes. Toasting helps draw out their oils and cook off any residual humidity so they grind up better. It’s no wonder that when an Indian auntie tells you your spices taste raw, she’s throwing you a bit of shade. 

There are three ways to toast spices: Dry-roast them in a skillet, cook them in oil (a process known as tempering) to create a tadka to pour over the finished dish, or bhunoo, which is to fry them along with onions in oil or another fat, so they toast while the onion cooks. 

To dry-roast spices, simply add them to a dry skillet over medium heat, and toast for one to two minutes, until they are fragrant. Start with whole spices, then add the ground spices, so they don’t burn in the time it takes to roast the whole spices. Shake the pan frequently so the spices toast evenly. Then, add the spices to your recipe when needed. 

To temper your spices, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet on medium for one minute, then add the spices and cook for a minute or two, until they are fragrant. You can use this method when starting a recipe or as a final touch. To use the tempered spices as a tadka, simply pour the tempered spices and fat over the top of your dish; the extra dose of fat and flavor turns even the plainest bowl of lentils, hummus, rice, or yogurt into something luxurious. 

Whatever method you choose to toast your spices, go slowly, especially with ground spices. Burnt spices taste burnt, not robust.