
What can you substitute for cumin?
The Best Substitutes for Cumin
- Caraway Seeds as Cumin Replacement. Cumin and caraway are both in the parsley family. ...
- Ground Coriander as Cumin Substitute. ...
- Chili Powder Instead of Cumin. ...
- Replace Cumin with Garam Masala. ...
- Curry Powder Instead of Cumin. ...
- Taco Seasoning Mix for Cumin. ...
- Working with Cumin Seeds. ...
How much ground cumin equals cumin seeds?
Cumin: 1 teaspoon cumin seeds = 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin. Fennel: 1 teaspoon fennel seeds = 1 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel. Nutmeg: 1/2 nutmeg = 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Mustard seeds: 1 ...
What is cumin and how is it used?
In summary, cumin is analgesic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antispasmodic and antipyretic. It is used to relieve difficult digestion, stomach pains, and spasms and menstrual pain, gastritis, rheumatic inflammation, hepatitis, and fevers.
Is cumin water good for weight loss?
The water can help promote sound sleep. Cumin water aids in weight loss since it helps in detoxifying the body. Drinking the water may help increase bile production in the liver and promotes proper fat metabolism, thus helping a person lose weight over time.
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What dishes do you put cumin in?
Cumin is an essential spice for Indian curries and chutneys. The spice also works well in a variety of rice dishes, stews, soups, breads, pickles, barbecue sauces, and chili con carne recipes. It is best to be conservative when cooking with cumin as its flavor can easily overtake a dish.
How do you use cumin powder in cooking?
How to use cumin powder? You can sprinkle this in your stir fry dishes, curries, soups, salads, chaats etc. It is best to use this when you are about to finish in stir fry and soups. To use it in curries, use it along with coriander powder or garam masala.
What is the seasoning cumin good for?
Using cumin as a spice increases antioxidant intake, promotes digestion, provides iron, may improve blood sugar control and may reduce food-borne illnesses. Taking higher doses in supplement form has been linked to weight loss and improved blood cholesterol, though more research is needed.
Does cumin taste like cinnamon?
Available in whole seed and ground forms at any grocery store, cumin is a light yellowish brown and tastes earthy, smoky, nutty, sweet and bitter. (Yum.) It pairs particularly well with other warm, earthy spices like cinnamon, coriander and chiles.
Does cumin make food spicy?
But although cumin is widely associated with heavily spiced foods, it's only spicy by association. Per The Epicentre, cumin on its own hardly has any heat and ranks at only three on the hotness scale. Compared to cayenne, which has a hotness of eight to nine on the same scale, cumin isn't nearly as spicy.
Does cumin lower blood pressure?
Yes, Cumin helps reduce blood pressure. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. It reduces blood pressure by making nitric oxide more available in the blood. Nitric oxide relaxes narrowed blood vessels and lowers blood pressure[14].
Does cumin thin your blood?
Cumin might slow blood clotting. Taking cumin along with medications that also slow blood clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Is cumin good for weight loss?
Cumin may boost your metabolism, lower cholesterol level, and help decrease your blood sugar. Studies confirm that consuming ground cumin helps some people who are trying to losing weight.
Do you have to cook cumin powder?
One great way to release the flavour of cumin seeds is to fry them in hot oil. Tempering cumin (along with other spices) is a key technique in Indian cooking and essential when making dhal. Make sure the oil is hot before you add the cumin; it will be ready once it has browned and you can smell its earthy aroma.
Is cumin the same as turmeric?
Does cumin come from turmeric? Turmeric is a root that comes from a flowering plant that is part of the ginger family, known as the Curcuma longa. The spice contains curcumin which is occasionally mixed up with the word cumin. However, cumin seed is a completely unrelated spice; it comes from the Cuminum cyminum plant.
What spice is similar to cumin?
If you're in a pinch, there are many great alternatives you might already have in your pantry. Caraway seeds and ground coriander most closely mimic cumin's flavor, while curry and chili powders contain cumin.
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Everybody understands the stuggle of getting dinner on the table after a long day. If you're looking for a simple recipe to simplify your weeknight, you've come to the right place--easy dinners are our specialty.
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This spice has a distinctive taste that's nutty and slightly peppery. Cultures all over the world incorporate cumin into their cuisine, and it's often mixed with other spices for curry and taco seasoning. These recipes show how cumin's earthy flavor enriches everything from guacamole to vegetables to meat.
Avocado-Tomatillo Dip with Cumin Pita Chips
Buttery avocado and tart green Mexican tomatoes harmonize in this creamy dip. Although you can serve it with store-bought chips, do try it with the homemade pita chips flavored with crushed cumin seeds. They're a perfect match.
Game-Day Chili
This foolproof chili is spicy without being too hot. Ground chuck simmers with chili powder, an extra hint of ground cumin, canned chilies, tomato sauce, beef broth, and a bottle of dark beer.
Spice-Crusted Salmon with Citrus Sauce
A mixture of whole cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) makes a flavorful crispy topping for baked salmon. The creamy sauce served on the side is flavored with ground cumin, citrus, and red pepper.
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
Let your slow cooker take you to an exotic locale tonight as a host of spices, including ground cumin, simmer all day long with eggplant, cauliflower, zucchini, onion, canned tomatoes, chick peas, currants, and almonds.
Wilted Cabbage with Toasted Cumin
Pan roasted cumin seeds and sherry vinegar give a rich flavor to milder Savoy cabbage. It's a perfect and easy side dish for roasted meats. If you don't have Savoy cabbage, use a mild flavored Napa (Chinese cabbage) instead.
What is Cumin?
Cumin is a spice made from the dried seeds of the plant called Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. Cumin seeds are similar in shape (slender and boat-shaped) to caraway seeds and are brownish-black in color.
What is Cumin Powder?
Cumin powder, or ground cumin, is the ground version of whole cumin seeds. In Hindi, it is referred to as Jeera Powder.
What Does it Taste Like?
Cumin has a tangy, musky scent and adds a warm, earthy and slightly bittersweet flavor. It also adds smokey, savory, and slightly citrusy undertones to the dish.
Cumin Seeds vs. Ground Cumin
The main difference between whole cumin seeds and ground cumin is the way they are used in recipes, especially in Indian cuisine.
Benefits of Cumin
Believe it or not, but these small seeds pack a big punch of health benefits. According to Medical News Today, cumin:
How to Make Cumin Powder- Cumin Seeds to Ground Cumin
There are two ways of making cumin powder - with or without roasting. Let's take a look at how each one is done.
Cumin Seeds - How To Use Them
Whole Cumin seeds are used as a flavor foundation in a variety of Indian recipes. I add it to everyday lentils and curries like Lobia, Spinach Dal to restaurant favorites like Saag Aloo, Keema and Chicken Korma. I also use it for side dishes, like Jeera Rice, Aloo Gobi and Spinach Rice.
What is Cumin Used For? What Does It Taste Like?
I run out of ground cumin more than any spice in my spice cabinet, which tells you a lot. Cumin's warm, earthy, slightly peppery flavor and aroma works in more dishes than you may realize.
How to Toast Cumin Seeds
Whether or not you grind your own cumin seeds (confession: I don't), it's a good idea to toast the spices before using them, especially if they have been in your cabinet for a while. Place the whole seeds or ground cumin in a small, dry skillet over low heat.
Cumin Salt
Throughout Morocco, you’ll get a bowl of cumin salt with your roasted meats. We love to use it as a simple spice rub on beef and lamb before searing and as a simple way to finish roasted vegetables; it's particularly good when coupled with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Or, consider keeping a bowl on the table instead of salt and pepper shakers.
Spicy Stir-Fried Cumin Beef
Cumin isn’t used too much in Chinese cooking, but when it is, as in this simple stir-fry, it plays a starring role. The dish is also made with lamb.
Cumin Rice
Elevate the flavor and texture of your next batch of basmati or other long-grain rice by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons whole cumin seed, 3 bay leaves and 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter (or ghee) to the cooking water; discard the bay leaves before serving.
Cumin-Coriander Tarka
Indian cooks add rich flavor to countless dishes by heating spices until sizzling in butter or oil to drizzle on everything. The spice’s flavor is intensified by the heat and infuses the fat. Try this cumin-coriander tarka enhanced with garlic, which can be drizzled over roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, greens, grains and legumes.
Cauliflower Soup with Browned Butter Pine Nuts
This simple soup takes moments to prepare, yet has a very complex flavor in part due to the cumin.
Cumin-Fennel Rub
This simple rub is terrific on beef, lamb and pork. Combine 1 tablespoon each of cumin and fennel seeds with 2 tablespoons whole black pepper. Crush to a coarse rub in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, then blend with salt to taste.
Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Honey
The piercing flavor of crunchy cumin seeds cuts through the carrot’s sweetness. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat to 475℉. Peel and slice 4 large carrots crosswise on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick slices. Toss with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ teaspoons cumin seed, kosher salt, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
The benefits of cumin
Many website tout health benefits of cumin, including weight loss and blood sugar control. But Hopsecger urges caution when it comes to these claims.
How much cumin should you consume?
Any amount of cumin spice in recipes is generally considered safe. But if you opt for a cumin supplement, Hopsecger recommends following the instructions on the label. “Choose a cumin supplement that is USP (United States Pharmacopeia) verified,” she adds.
How to cook with cumin
Cumin has a warm, earthy flavor. It’s a recipe staple in cuisine from:
How to Use Cumin in the Kitchen
This is a continuation of my Spice Series. Welcome to my information on How to Use Cumin in the Kitchen!
I hope you enjoyed learning about How to Use Cumin in the Kitchen!
Do you use cumin in the kitchen? If so, what are your favorite cumin recipes? Please feel free to add recipes to the comment section below!
Contains antioxidants
Cumin seeds contain naturally occurring substances that work as antioxidants. That means that these substances (called apigenin and luteolin) keep the tiny free radicals that attack healthy cells from being successful. Antioxidants help you feel healthier and more energetic, and they help keep your skin from looking aged.
Has anticancer properties
Cumin appears to have the ability to keep cancer cells from multiplying, according to some experiments. In one study, rats that were fed cumin were protected from colon cancer. Researchers in another study found that out of nine popular herbs and spices, basil and cumin were the most powerful anticarcinogen plants.
May help treat diarrhea
Traditional medicine practitioners have recommended cumin for the treatment of diarrhea for centuries. Western medicine is starting to catch on to this benefit of cumin.
Helps control blood sugar
Cumin was used as a part of an herbal drug trial for diabetes. The drug successfully helped people with diabetes to manage their condition.
Fights bacteria and parasites
The oil extracted from cumin seeds has been used as an effective larvicide and antiseptic agent. The oil even kills strains of bacteria that are resistant to other antiseptics. Researchers believe that cumin could help kill harmful bacteria that’s trying to attack your immune system.
Has an anti-inflammatory effect
The active ingredients in cumin seeds have an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic effect. This means that if you have pain or inflammation that trigger other conditions, cumin in your diet may counter the effects.
May help lower cholesterol
A hypolipidemic is a substance that helps your body control high levels of fats that hurt your heart and cholesterol levels. Cumin is considered to have hypolipidemic properties.

Chemistry
History
- Since ancient times, cumin has been used extensively in India as well as by the Greeks and Romans. It made its way into Mexican and South American cuisine after European colonization, brought by the Spanish and Portuguese.
Uses
- Cumin is available as both whole seeds and ground powder and both are used in recipes. Whole cumin, for example, is featured in Indian dishes, where the whole seeds are added to hot oil at the start of the dish so the flavor infuses the oil and therefore the rest of the ingredients. More flavor is brought out when the seed is lightly roasted, which is done easily using a dry pan over mediu…
Preparation
- Ground cumin is made by grinding dry roasted cumin seeds. It can be added at any time to a recipe as its flavor doesn't need heat or time to be released, as is the case with the seeds. More intense and nuanced flavor can be enjoyed by lightly roasting whole cumin seeds and then grinding the seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. You might want to take that int…
Cuisine
- Cumin is used in both meat and vegetable dishes, as well as in soups and sauces. A popular Indian recipe is jeera rice, which is a combination of rice and cumin seeds. Cumin is also a seasoning in Middle Eastern falafel.
Availability
- Whole cumin seeds can be found packaged in the spice section of most grocery stores. It is often cheaper to buy cumin seed at an international market catering to Latin American, Indian, North African, or Middle Eastern cuisine. Ground cumin is readily available at most grocery stores in the spice aisle.
Cultivation
- The seeds can be kept in the freezer over a long period to maintain their flavor if you do not use them regularly; otherwise, the seeds can be stored in the pantry for up to one year. Ground cumin should be stored in a cool, dark place and will last up to six months.