• Saffron is highly prized in Indian and Pakistani cooking.Spoon filled with saffron image by Han van Vonno from Fotolia.com
  
  The cooking of India and Pakistan is famous for its use of spices. There is no single "Indian" or "Pakistani" style of cooking--each country's cuisine is marked by a rich regional variety which combines spices with a variety of other ingredients. A number of spices are common across the area, although some are more popular than others in particular regions.
  
  

Ginger

• Ginger is one of the most popular spices in India and is also widely used in Pakistan. Although ginger is available in both fresh and powdered form, most Indian and Pakistani cooks prefer to use fresh root ginger for its refreshing, sharp flavor. The fibrous root is usually pulped to make it easier to use. Ginger is a key ingredient in many Mogul recipes from northern India and Pakistan, where it is pounded together with garlic and onions.
  
  

Chili

• Chilies are used to add spice to dishes across India and Pakistan, but they are used in particularly generous quantities in southern India. The fiery chilies make people sweat and as a result have a cooling effect on the body in the area's hot climate. Both fresh and dried chilies feature in Indian and Pakistani cooking--if you want to reduce the level of heat remove the seeds before adding them to your meal.
  
  

Cumin

• Cumin features in the majority of Indian and Pakistani dishes and provides a warm, pungent flavor and scent to a dish. Cook use the fine seeds whole, or grind them in to a powder. Cumin is also one of the flavors used in the garam masala spice mix.
  
  

Saffron

• Saffron is the most expensive of all spices and is used in Kashmiri cooking. The delicate strands are harvested from crocus flowers, which explains its high price--the stigmas of 60,000 flowers produce only one pound of saffron! Only a few strands are enough to flavor and color a dish, particularly when it is added to the Basmati rice grown in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India and Pakistan.
  
  

Cardamom

• Cardamom is native to India and is probably the most highly-prized spice after saffron. The aromatic spice is made up of small pods which can be green, white or black, with small black seeds hidden inside. You can add whole pods to a dish but must remove them before eating, or alternatively the seeds can be easily removed from the pod. Some Indians chew raw cardamom after eating spicy food to aid digestion.