Indian spices uses help!?

Question:

hi!
I recently bought 4 kinds of indian spices which are:
1. Pickle Masala
2. Turmeric Powder
3. Madras Curry
4. Methi Powder
So i need help with how to use these spices and what goes good with them and if anyone know anything about these spices or any nice recipe please I would be thankful! thank you guys

Answer:

Unfortunately, the names used for Indian spices typically do not indicate what spice is in them. What a spice should go with is based on it's taste and aroma, so we'd need to know what's in these guys.

For example, Masala just means "spice". In marketing practice, many companies use Masala to connote garam masala, or the 'top of shelf spices', but not all. Masala could be a blend of tumeric, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, onion and ginger. Or it could be garlic, red pepper, ajwain and black pepper - or any of thousands of combinations.

But turmeric is a pure spice. It has a earthy flavor part-way between galangal (which is like ginger) and mustard. Maybe a pique of Japanese wasabi type flavor (which is different from the green horseradish most American's call wasabi) if it is freshly bloomed in water. I like to blend it with other spices for making cabbage, rice, pork or chicken. It's flavor can quickly get lost if you blend it with too many other things.

Dried Madras powder typically is very close to Latin Chili Powder, heavy on the cumin and red chili's. But it has a more floral taste compared to chili-powder's thuggish swagger. It's a traditional southern Indian spice and blends well with sour tastes like tamarind. It's a good powder for pork and root-vegatables, but I've found it overpowering on fish. However it is a nice addition to fruit salad or coconut milk rice. A fresh Madras style curry is much better and you can use it any place you might want to use a vindaloo - ie with lamb or one of my favorites, curried potato, cowpea and spinach in ghee with flat bread.

By Methi, I presume it's a Mumabi style fenugreek blend? Fenugreek is a grassy, bitter flavor, disliked by most American's who are raised on sugary-sweet and rich umami tastes. But I like how fenugreek can cut the cloying sweetness of some foods like roasted carrots. It should always be bloomed in a hot pan to bring out the taste, but it burns easy, so I like to bloom it in garlic paste. It makes a nice curry mixed with black cumin, cloves, cardomon and cinnamon. Bloom in garlic paste then saute chicken thighs with a side of mashed peas and some sliced dates. Good stuff if you like strong tastes.