THE MANY LIVES OF A SPICE

TALL STARTED WITH A CUP of chai. As winter crept in, I reached for my usual suspects green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper grinding them lightly before dunking them into boiling milk and tea leaves. The aroma filled the kitchen, warm and familiar, like a thick woollen shawl wrapped around you on a cold morning.

- SADAF HUSSAIN

But as I sat sipping, I stared at the leftover spice mix and wondered—what if? What if I swapped the tulsi seeds and liquorice root for a few bolder players like coriander seeds, cumin, bay leaves, and dry red chillies? The same comforting blend, now stripped of its sweetness, would transform into something entirely different.

After a quick rummage through my spice jars and a little tweaking, there it was—the base of a Chettinad masala. Push it further, throw in black cardamom and star anise, and you've landed on garam masala. Add coconut and poppy seeds; now you're flirting with xacuti masala. With a few adjustments, what starts as a comforting masala for chai can turn into a bold, fiery blend for a curry.

That was the moment of realisation—spices are nothing but templates, waiting to be altered and reimagined. Masala chai was never just tea; it was a gateway, a starting point. This epiphany led me to document the journey of spice, culminating in my book "Masala Mandi," published by Penguin.