Coriander powder is derived from the seeds of the coriander plant. It adds a mild flavour and aroma to sweet and savoury food preparations. Most commonly, it is bought as whole dried seeds and ground as and when needed, but it can also be found as a readymade powder.
Cayenne pepper is a finely ground powder with burnt orange and brick red hues, flecked with darker black and red specks. The spice has a pungent aroma that smells sweet and slightly smokey. The powder is slightly sweet with a subtle smokiness and fresh red pepper flavor.
The powder is extracted from the ginger root which is dried. It is a fine off-white or slightly brownish powder that has a strong aroma and a pungent flavour.
Super spicy chillies can be used in curry mix and sauce, and in almost any other slow-cooked dish as the chili flavor comes out slowly. The spice can be used in a wide variety of curries, sauces, pickles, chutneys and pastes.
The kashmiri chilli is smaller, rounder and less pungent, but lends a very bright red color to the food. They are bred for their high color retention since they redden anything capable of absorbing color. The kashmiri chilli powder is a blend of medium quality red pepper mostly used for tandoori dishes.
Mace is the lace-like, dried covering of nutmegs. It has a sweet, mild nutmeg flavour and imparts an orange, saffron colour to dishes. A small amount adds fragrance and subtle flavour, particularly to custards and cream sauces, as well as curries and pickles.
Deggi mirch, a distinctive Indian spice made from a blend of colourful red capsicums and Kashmiri red chillies, adds a mild heat and a deep red-orange colour to soups, tandoori chicken and other traditional dishes. In the north of India, it is liberally added to chicken and vegetable curries and dhals as well as naan and paratha breads. While in the Southern states, it is often used in kebabs, adding colour and flavour to rice, dhals - particularly sambhars - soups and stews. It is often combined with garam masala to flavor thick soups and biryanis.