Whole Spices
Whole spices are the foundation of Pakistani cooking. They go into hot oil at the start of a dish, releasing volatile oils that form the base layer of flavour. If you have ever wondered why your curry tastes flat even though you followed the recipe, it usually comes down to skipping or rushing this step.
Cumin Seeds (Zeera)
Cumin seeds are the most frequently used whole spice in Pakistan. They go into the oil first, sizzle for a few seconds until dark and fragrant, and then everything else follows. That brief bloom is what gives dishes like dal, aloo gosht, and bhindi their signature earthy warmth. Cumin is used in nearly every savoury Pakistani dish. Without it, the food simply does not taste right.
Coriander Seeds (Sabat Dhania)
Coriander seeds are round, tan, and mildly citrusy. They are used whole in pickles and some braised dishes, but more often they are dry-roasted and ground into coriander powder. Whole or ground, coriander adds a mellow, almost floral note that rounds out the sharper spices. It is one of the three pillars of the standard Pakistani masala alongside cumin and turmeric.
Green Cardamom (Choti Ilaichi)
Small, green pods with intensely aromatic black seeds inside. Green cardamom goes into the oil at the start of curries, rice dishes, and desserts. It is one of the components of garam masala and is also used to flavour chai. A little goes a long way — two or three pods are enough for most dishes.
Cloves (Laung)
Dark, nail-shaped buds with a sharp, warm, slightly numbing flavour. Cloves go into the oil alongside other whole spices in biryani, pulao, and many meat curries. They are strong and can easily dominate a dish if you use too many. Two to four cloves per curry is the typical range.
Cinnamon (Dar Cheeni)
Pakistani cooking uses both the thin, papery Ceylon cinnamon and the thicker, harder cassia bark. Both go into hot oil at the start of a dish. Cinnamon adds a warm sweetness to curries and is essential in biryani and pulao. It is also part of garam masala. A one-inch piece per dish is standard.
Bay Leaves (Tej Patta)
Indian bay leaves — not the Mediterranean kind — are used in rice dishes and curries. They have a complex, slightly cinnamon-like aroma. Drop one or two into the oil when you bloom whole spices, or add them to the water when parboiling rice for biryani. Remove before serving if you like, though most Pakistani cooks leave them in.
Black Pepper (Kali Mirch)
Whole peppercorns go into spice blends and are sometimes bloomed in oil. More often, black pepper is used freshly cracked or ground. It adds sharp heat that is different from chilli heat — more aromatic and less aggressive. Some Pakistani recipes call for whole black pepper in the baghar, particularly in Sindhi and KP cooking.
Mustard Seeds (Rai)
Small round seeds — usually black or brown — that pop and splutter in hot oil. Mustard seeds are common in Pakistani pickles (achaar) and some vegetable dishes, particularly from Sindh and Punjab. They add a sharp, slightly bitter pungency that works well with tangy, vinegar-based preparations.
Ground Spices
Ground spices are added after the initial baghar and usually after the onions and tomatoes have been cooked down. They need to fry in the oil briefly — 30 seconds to a minute — to release their flavour and lose their raw edge. If you add them too late or skip the frying step, they taste dusty and flat.
Turmeric (Haldi)
Turmeric is the golden-yellow powder that colours nearly every Pakistani curry. But it is not just for colour — it adds a warm, slightly bitter, earthy flavour that underpins the whole dish. Half a teaspoon is enough for most curries. Too much turmeric makes the food taste medicinal and unpleasantly bitter. Use it judiciously.
Red Chilli Powder (Laal Mirch)
Red chilli powder provides heat and the deep red colour that characterises Pakistani food. Pakistani chilli powder is typically made from dried, ground red chillies — not the paprika-heavy blends sold in Western supermarkets. Adjust the quantity based on your tolerance, but do not omit it entirely. Even a small amount contributes flavour beyond just heat. For less heat with the same colour, use Kashmiri red chilli powder.
Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
Ground coriander is the workhorse of Pakistani cooking. It is used in nearly every curry, often in larger quantities than any other ground spice. A tablespoon per dish is not unusual. Coriander powder thickens the gravy slightly and adds a mild citrus flavour that balances the sharper spices. It is best when freshly ground from whole seeds, but a good shop-bought version works fine.
Cumin Powder (Zeera Powder)
Ground cumin is earthier and more pungent than the whole seed. It is used in curries, kebabs, and raita. Like coriander powder, it benefits from a brief fry in oil before liquids are added. Some recipes call for both whole and ground cumin — the whole seeds bloom in the oil while the powder is added later with other ground spices.
Garam Masala
Garam masala is a blend of warm spices — typically cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and sometimes cumin and coriander. Unlike most other ground spices, garam masala is usually added at the end of cooking, stirred in off the heat or in the last minute. It is a finishing spice, not a base. Adding it too early cooks off the delicate aromatics and defeats the purpose. A quarter to half a teaspoon is enough for most dishes.
Spice Blends
Beyond garam masala, Pakistani cooking uses a few important spice blends. Chaat masala — a tangy mix of dried mango powder, black salt, cumin, and other spices — is sprinkled over fried snacks, fruit, and salads. Peshawari chai masala combines cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper for spiced tea. Pakistani pickle masala uses mustard seeds, fenugreek, nigella seeds, and fennel. Each blend has a specific purpose and is rarely interchangeable.
Fresh Aromatics
No discussion of Pakistani spices is complete without the aromatics that carry them.
Ginger-Garlic Paste
Equal parts ginger and garlic, ground to a paste. This is not optional in Pakistani cooking — it is the backbone of nearly every curry. It goes in after the onions are fried, before the tomatoes, and needs to cook for two to three minutes to lose its raw sharpness. Make it fresh in batches and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze in ice cube trays for longer storage.
Green Chillies
Slit green chillies are added to curries, biryani layers, and frying pans across virtually every Pakistani dish. They provide a fresh, sharp heat that is different from dried red chilli powder. The most common varieties are the medium-hot green chillies found at any Pakistani or Indian grocery store. Remove the seeds for less heat, or leave them in if you want the full effect.
Fresh Coriander (Hara Dhania)
Used as a garnish and a flavouring. Fresh coriander leaves are scattered over finished curries, mixed into raita, and layered into biryani. The stems have more flavour than the leaves — chop them finely and add them to the curry during cooking rather than throwing them away.
Fresh Mint (Pudina)
Fresh mint is used in biryani, raita, and chutneys. It adds a cooling brightness that cuts through the richness of meat dishes. Dried mint is also used, particularly in kebab recipes and some regional chutneys, but it is a different ingredient with a different intensity — do not substitute one for the other at a one-to-one ratio.
Storage Tips
Spices lose their potency over time, and how you store them makes a significant difference in how your food tastes.
- Keep spices away from heat and light. The shelf above your stove is the worst possible place. Store them in a cool, dark cupboard in airtight containers.
- Buy whole spices when possible. Whole spices retain their flavour for up to two years. Ground spices start losing potency after six months. Buy whole cumin, coriander, and cardamom and grind them as needed.
- Label everything with the date. If you cannot remember when you bought it, it is probably past its best. Replace ground spices every six to eight months.
- Do not store spices in the fridge. Moisture is the enemy. Condensation inside the jar causes clumping and flavour loss.
- Toast before grinding. Dry-roasting whole spices for a minute or two in a hot pan before grinding intensifies their flavour dramatically. Do this in small batches right before you cook.
Building a Basic Pakistani Masala
Most Pakistani curries follow the same structural pattern. Once you understand the sequence, you can cook dozens of dishes without a recipe.
Start by heating oil or ghee in a pot. Add whole spices — cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and a bay leaf — and let them sizzle for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and fry them deep golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they break down and the oil separates. Now add your ground spices: turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Fry this paste for a minute. Add your protein or vegetable and coat it in the masala. Add water, cover, and cook through. Finish with a pinch of garam masala, fresh coriander, and slit green chillies.
That is the template. Change the protein, adjust the spices, and you have a different dish every time.