Haleem masala
Warm spice for the slow wheat-and-meat porridge of Hyderabad and Karachi.
Pantry · Page 4
The spices that moved the world
Page 4 of 11 — more of the working pantry.
Browse the pantry
Page 4
247 named jars, 11 short pages — so the first paint stays light.
Shawarma spice
Cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika — the rotisserie dust of the Levant.
Curry powder
A British-Indian jar that the books still reach for when a kitchen wants turmeric, coriander, and speed.
Green curry paste
Thai green chile, makrut, galangal, and shrimp paste pounded together.
Red curry paste
Dried red chile paste — the workhorse of a Thai weeknight.
Panang curry paste
A thicker, peanut-leaning red curry from central Thailand.
Massaman curry paste
The Muslim-Thai paste: cardamom, cinnamon, and a quieter heat.
Rendang paste
Minangkabau spice ground for a coconut braise that cooks until the oil returns.
Awaze
Berbere made wet: the Ethiopian table sauce you smear on meat, bread, and the day.
Suya spice
Groundnut, chile, and ginger — the dust that makes West African grilled meat taste like the street.
Seven-spice
The blend the books still call Seven-spice — a working jar, not a garnish word.
Shiro
The fasting flour that becomes a silky wat — chickpea, onion, and niter kibbeh in one bowl.
Ginger-garlic paste
The North Indian Tuesday night: equal parts, jarred, behind every masala.
Spice paste
The unnamed pound of aromatics a recipe assumes you already know how to make.
Pepper paste
Ground chile or pepper, oil, and salt — the jar that stands in for a puree.
Doenjang
Korea's everyday fermented soybean paste — the brown, salty depth behind soup, stew, and a raw-vegetable dip.
White miso
Shiro miso: sweet, pale, and the dressing for a Japanese cucumber or a piece of black cod.
Miso
The blend the books still call Miso — a working jar, not a garnish word.
Mole
The family of Mexican sauces that are not one recipe — nut, chile, spice, and patience.
Achiote paste
Annatto ground with sour orange and spice — the red that makes Yucatán cochinita look like itself.
Recado rojo
The Yucatecan red recado: achiote, pepper, and the marinade for a pit or a pot.
Tomato sofrito
Tomato cooked down with aromatics until it is a cooking fat more than a sauce.
Sofrito
The sofrito a kitchen means when it does not specify Puerto Rican, Spanish, or Cuban.
Chipotle in adobo
Smoked jalapeños swimming in a tomato-vinegar sauce — Mexico in a can the books trust.