A method to the masalas

Adding spices at a specific point of the cooking process makes a difference to how the recipe turns out. If you are using whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon or bay leaf, for instance, it is better to add them to hot oil, butter or ghee at the beginning so that the flavours are released. This process is called blooming. Adding powdered spices to a meal? It’s better to add powders at the mid stage of cooking — when you add powdered spices at the very beginning, chances of them getting burnt are higher. You can add the powders after you “bloom” the whole spices. Powdered spices such as garam masala need to be cooked in oil briefly to ensure there’s no raw taste. 

Aromatic herbs such as parsley, coriander, mint or dill are better off added at the end of cooking – if you were to simmer them, the flavours are lost. However, there are herbs like rosemary, sage or oregano which work well when you add them at the beginning because they tend to release their flavours slowly. As a rule of thumb, whole spices and dried herbs first, powdered spices next and fresh herbs at the end is good to follow. 

(Cooking Dilemma answers that one question which pops up when you are about to try out a recipe and didn’t know whom to ask.)