This recipe was invented purely out of need. Many Indian recipes call for whole spices such as cloves, cardamom, cinnamon to be added but have you ever had an experience when you are enjoying a curry or a biryani and suddenly a clove fills your mouth with the strong pungent taste? To me, it is annoying!

Some people recommend removing the whole spices once you finish cooking. I, instead, prefer to add a coarse blend. Blending also helps to release the flavours well and infuse them in the oil. I recommend making a small batch, a little goes a long way. If you make a large batch, it will lose freshness and also the flavour. I use this spice powder in a number of recipes: Kadai Gravy, Veg Pulao, Palak Paneer, Dal Makhani , Veg Dhanshak, Matar Paneer etc. which I will be posting soon. If you run out of this spice powder and need a quick solution, just peel few green cardamoms and using the rolling pin (belan) crush them with some cloves. Add with some cinnamon sticks to the oil.