An Introduction to Cooking with Pakistani Spices

I don’t think I’ve explicitly mentioned on my website nor YouTube channel that I’m Pakistani. I was born and raised in California, but both of my parents were born in Lahore, Pakistan. I grew up pretty in-tune with my culture and ethnicity through food, music, and language, not to mention our exciting summer trips to Pakistan every other year!

All throughout my childhood (and to this day, alhamdulillah), my mom cooked for our family. I loved being her little assistant gathering all the spices from the cabinet, double and triple checking with her every step of the way “like this, Momma?” I can confidently say my love for cooking stems from always watching and wanting to be like my mom.

Fast forward to today, and I’m quite familiar with the spices used in most Pakistani (and Indian) cuisine. Well, familiar enough to know what’s missing when I do a taste test!

If you’re just starting out with desi or South Asian cooking, these are the spices I recommend getting and always having on hand. You’ll likely recognize some of these spices from other cuisines as well, and I think that’s kind of a beautiful thing—influences on and similarities between cultures.

Turmeric Root Powder (Haldi)

An important ingredient in several Asian cuisines (including Thai!), turmeric has several health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties.

Coriander Seeds (Sookha Danya)

You can use these whole or ground, and you can also plant these to grow cilantro at home!

Cayenne Pepper (Laal Mirch)

A type of red hot chili pepper used to add heat (spicy hot, not temperature hot) to foods. It isn’t smoky like paprika.

Cumin Seeds (Zeera)

Used most commonly in South Asian, Arab, and even Mexican cooking, cumin seeds can also be used whole or ground.

Garam Masala

A blend of various spices which vary depending on the area of the world that you’re from. Most commonly, garam masala contains black peppercorns, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cloves, and even nutmeg. It’s a good ‘base’ for flavoring Pakistani dishes!