Cumin seeds (jeera)
जीरा
Whole Spices
The most common opening note of a tempering.
What to know
Wait for them to sizzle and darken slightly before anything else goes in. Cumin dropped into oil that is not hot enough tastes raw for the rest of the dish.
- Storing it
- Airtight and whole; ground cumin loses aroma within weeks.
- By eye
- 1 tsp ≈ a generous three-finger pinch
Measures
- 1 tsp ≈ 2.5 g
- 1 tbsp ≈ 7 g
Cups here are the Indian 200 ml cup, not the 240 ml US cup — a common reason a recipe does not work. Weigh where you can; the grams are the figure we cook to.