Its mild, aromatic, liquorice flavour enhances meat and fish dishes and it can be used whole or finely ground in vegetarian Indian dishes. Chew a few seeds after a meal to ‘freshen’ the breath.

The ‘blades’ of mace have a flavour which is similar to that of nutmeg but which is not as strong. They can be used whole in pickling spice or milk puddings (remove before eating). There is a wider culinary application for Ground Mace (see separate entry).

After pepper, coriander is probably the most widely used spice. The seeds have a warm, aromatic flavour but because of the indigestible husk they are usually used in the ground form (see Coriander Ground). Coriander is one of the essential ingredients of Indian cooking. The seeds may be ground using a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Try dry frying the seeds before grinding for extra flavour.