Whole spice
Cumin
What is Cumin?
Cumin is the everyday warming spice behind Pakistani tarka, rice dishes and kebab spice blends.
What does it taste like?
Earthy, warm and nutty, with a slightly bitter edge that mellows and deepens once the seeds hit hot oil.
How Pakistanis use it
Whole cumin is the most common seed used in a tarka, bloomed in hot ghee or oil at the start or end of a lentil or vegetable dish. Ground cumin is folded into kebab and karahi spice mixes, and toasted whole seeds are stirred through raita and rice dishes for texture and aroma.
Cooking with it
For a tarka, heat the oil until a seed sizzles immediately, then let the cumin darken by a shade; blackened cumin is bitter. Bhuna zeera, dry-roasted and ground cumin, is the version used in raita, chaat and pani puri water. Do not confuse it with shahi zeera or kala zeera, a thinner, darker and sweeter seed used in some biryanis and in garam masala.
Where to buy it
Sold whole or ground almost everywhere; whole seeds hold their aroma longer and are worth seeking out over pre-ground cumin.
Substitutes
Ground coriander can stand in for warmth in a pinch, though it lacks cumin's earthiness and the two don't taste alike side by side.
Storage
Store whole seeds in an airtight container and grind only what is needed in small batches, since ground cumin loses aroma within weeks.
