Cumin Seeds Dry Roasted
Bhuna Jeera
Mamta Gupta
Many recipes call for dry roasted/fried cumin seeds, usually coarsely ground to release the flavour. Freshly made are best, but not always very convenient. So, roast only a small amount at a time, say 3-4 tablespoons, or what you would use in a week, and store in an airtight jar.
Good for salads, soups, all spicy foods that come under the umbrella of Indian Chat or spicy street foods.
Ingredients
3-4 tbs. Cumin seeds
A skillet or tawa or any old frying pan
Instructions
Heat the pan to medium hot. If you have the pan too hot, seeds will burn quickly and will not have the nice, roasted aroma, an integral flavour of Chaats.
Add cumin seeds and stir fry almost continuously, until they turn darker and aroma of roasted seeds rises. This takes only 3-5 minutes.
Leave in a bowl to cool. If you leave them on the pan, they will continue to cook and be ruined.
Grind coarsely. This releases the flavour even more. Store in an airtight container.
