Brown Mustard (Rai Whole) 100 gm

Role of Mustard Seeds in Indian Food and Cultural Traditions

Indian food is renowned as one of the most popular foods all over the world. It is considered a celebration of spices, convention, and warmth. The fullness of spices and herbs gives a unique identity to Indian cuisines. The authentic taste of Indian spices reminds you of your country, no matter where you are. We cannot imagine Indian cuisines without spices. There are several Indian spices that have got a special identity all around the world, such as chilli, turmeric, black pepper, Whole Mustard Seeds, cloves, etc. Each spice has its own aroma and flavour. Every spice is added in different recipes to make food delicious.

Today, I am going to talk about a popular spice, Mustard Seeds or Rai Whole. This spice is not only used to make spice blends, but it is also used in its whole form in recipes to make tadka. Mostly, tadka is used to give tempering in dishes where Rai Whole is used. Tadka is a highly demanding step in cooking, from routine simple dishes to special traditional dishes such as Dal, Kadhi, Rasam, Sambhar, Vegetables, Raita, Chutney, Dhokala, etc. Mustard seeds are required mostly in tadka or tempering as Whole Mustard Seeds. Hence, mustard seeds come as the main spices of Indian cuisine because adding tadka in dishes is the most important step in recipes. By adding the Rai Whole to tadka, a chef can elevate the flavours in many dishes.
Mustard seeds are available in different types in different regions in India. Let’s see below the different types of mustard seeds.

Types of Mustard Seeds

Black Mustard Seeds

Black mustard seeds are grown in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. This type of Whole Mustard Seeds requires a hot and humid climate. It is mostly used in South Indian cuisines, like Sambar, Rasam, Poriyal Upma, Lemon Rice, Coconut Chutney, etc. This type of mustard seed has a sharp, overpowering, and slightly bitter flavour. With South Indian dishes, Black Whole Mustard Seeds are also used in Maharashtrian and Gujarati cuisines. While it is best used in Maharashtrian dishes such as Varan, Misal, Batata Bhaji, and many others, it is also used effectively in Gujarati cuisines like Kadhi, Dals, and Pickles.

Brown Mustard Seeds

This type of mustard is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. All these states are large scale mustard farming belts where Brown Mustard Seeds are cultivated in huge form. In North Indian regions, food is cooked exclusively in mustard oil. When it comes to Punjabi dishes, Brown Mustard Seeds is always used. The most famous dishes of mustard oil-based cooking are Sarso Ka Saag, varieties of Pickles, Litti Chokha, Fish Curry, mustard paste-based gravies and so on. Punjabi dishes are based on mustard oil only; the traditional Punjabi dishes can’t be prepared without the use of either Brown Mustard Seeds or mustard oil.

Yellow Mustard Seeds

This type of Yellow Mustard Seeds is grown in the Eastern region of India, in which West Bengal is a major producer of this mustard. Instead of that, Yellow Rai Whole is grown in Odisha, Bihar, and Assam too. This mustard is cultivated only in these states because of their weather. In the Eastern region, there is a cooler winter with moist soil; it is essential to grow a mild version of mustard. The Yellow Mustard Seeds is milder, sweeter, and tangier in taste.

Generally, mustard pops as strongly whenever you put it in hot oil for tadka, but yellow mustard does not pop strongly. Hence, it is not used in tempering. This type of mustard seed is mostly in demand in Bengali cuisines, like fish curry, vegetable dishes, pickles, etc. The most popular dishes prepared with yellow mustard are Bengali dishes such as Shorshe Maach, Shorshe Ilish, Bhapa Maach, Doi Shorshe Maach. Instead of Bengali cuisines, Yellow Mustard Seeds are also used in Odisha and Assam for Machha Besara, Besara curries, Saga Besara, Masor Khar–style mustard fish, steamed fish with mustard paste, vegetables with mustard and green chili paste.

Due to its highly usable spice for Indian cuisines, every Indian kitchen keeps mustard seeds in their spice box container. Narpa Spices brings all types of Mustard Seeds for every Indian chef. No matter if you are a home chef or a professional chef, you are a newbie or expert in cooking, you require mustard in your regular cooking. Narpa Mustard Seeds are fresh and flavourful spices. Mustard is considered as a basic ingredient in many recipes. Some people use black mustard whereas some use brown or yellow mustard as per their taste and dish requirements.

Narpa Mustard Seeds are available in all three types: black, brown, and yellow. At Narpa Spices, pure, aromatic mustard seeds are carefully packaged and properly sealed to keep the spice fresh inside the packet. So, whenever you open a packet of Narpa Mustard Seeds, you will find them in their purest form. As we have seen different types of mustard seeds and their importance and usage in Indian cooking, we know the value of mustard in cooking. With cooking, mustard is also useful in worship and rituals in Indian tradition. Mustard is also used in Ayurveda to prepare some herbal medicines to get rid of many diseases. Mustard seeds and mustard oil give lots of medicinal benefits. Hence, these are the most popular spice among the other spices.

Narpa Mustard Seeds can be useful in cooking, religious rituals, and in making Ayurvedic medicines. Many Indian recipes are incomplete without mustard seeds. Always use fresh, high quality, aromatic mustard seeds, either black mustard, brown mustard, or yellow mustard as per requirements of the recipe.