Spice List

List of Spices, Oils and Lentils

Below are lists of the spices, powders, oils and lentils to have on hand to create delicious, healthy and flavorful South Indian Foods. You are welcome to print this page or click HERE to download an Adobe Acrobat PDF of the spices.

Alamelu’s Spice List for South Indian Cooking
1.	Asafoetida
2.	Bayleaf
3.	Black Mustard Seeds
4.	Black Pepper (whole or powdered)
5.	Cayenne Powder
6.	Cinnamon
7.	Cumin Seeds (seeds/powder)
8.	Fennel Seeds
9.	Fenugreek Seeds
10.	Poppy Seeds (white)
11.	Red Pepper (whole or powdered)
12.	Roasted Chick Peas (Known as Chana Dalia)
13.	Saffron
14.	Tamarind Paste
15.	Turmeric Powder
16.	Urad Dal (Split)

Any One of the Following Oils Can Be Used
1.	Canola Oil
2.	Corn Oil
3.	Olive Oil

Spice Powders Used for South Indian Cooking
1.	Black Pepper Powder and Cumin Powder – combine in equal portion
2.	Cayenne Powder
3.	Chutney Powder (MTR Brand)
4.	Coconut Powder (unsweetened powdered coconut)
5.	Cumin Powder
6.	Curry Powder
7.	Garam Masala Powder
8.	Rasam Powder (MTR Brand)
9.	Sambhar Powder (MTR Brand)

Rice and Lentils (Dals) for South Indian Cooking
1.	Extra Long Grain Rice
2.	Basmati Rice
3.	Jasmine Rice
4.	Brown Rice (if you prefer to make flavored rice with brown rice)

Lentils (Dals) also known as Pulses commonly used in South Indian Cooking
1.	Moong Dal
2.	Toor Dal
3.	Masoor Dal
4.	Yellow Split Peas

The South Indian Spice Box
In a South Indian spice box there are 7 small containers that usually contain the following spices for Indian Cooking:
	1.	Black Mustard Seeds
	2.	Urad Dal
	3.	Dried Red Pepper
	4.	Fenugreek Seeds
	5.	Fennel Seeds
	6.	Cumin Seeds
	7.	Cinnamon Sticks
Under the lid of the spice box is another lid that snuggly holds the small containers with its contents in place. This lid is very convenient for storing a little spoon to scoop the spices.