Coriander Powder

Ground coriander seed is the highest-volume spice in most Indian kitchens and the one nobody talks about. It does not bring heat. It brings body, a faint citrus sweetness and the thickness that makes a gravy taste finished, which is why a recipe usually calls for more dhania than anything else in the tin.

Add it after the onions have taken colour and before the tomatoes go in, so the raw edge cooks off in the oil — a minute is enough. It works in dry sabzi, in curd marinades, through dals, and as the base of a homemade masala with chilli and turmeric beside it.

Packed in 100 g and 250 g so a household can buy the size it will actually finish. Ground spice does not spoil so much as fade: it slowly stops smelling of anything. A smaller pouch bought more often beats a large one standing open on the shelf.