Cardamom

Known as the 'Queen of Spices' ... Very versatile and aromatic... And surely lives up to that nick name...
I would have gladly called this one the mother of all spices... after all it has a mom in its name... :D

Also known as :
Elaichi
Elam or Elakka in Malayalam

Cumin seeds

This one is used mostly with vegetarian dishes.. hence I call it the vegetarian jeerakam... This one helps prevent gas and so is part of most bean recipes... If the recipe does not add it, my dad used to ensure that we all ate a pinch of this one after the meal...We even get a sugar coated version of this one called 'jeeraka mithai'.. they were really cute, looking like tiny eggs :)

Also known as:
Jeerakam in Malayalam

Mustard seeds

This was a 'handle with care' spice at home... My grandmother had convinced all of us kids that spilling this is a bad omen and will result in a fight in the family... :) We never kept track of the  spills or the fights...
This is a prime ingredient for most of the seasonings in Indian cuisine. 

Also known as:
Kaduku in Malayalam

Shallots

As a kid i thought these were just baby onions... :) 
Some of the recipes absolutely need these... And its used in many home remedies....

Also known as:
Kochulli or chuvanna ulli in Malayalam

Jaggery

There are two main varieties of jaggery as far as i know... One is made from raw sugarcane juice and the other from coconut / palm tree... 
Both these varieties differ in color, texture and taste... The sugarcane version is preferred for cooking... As kids we were allowed to eat the coconut palm version in limited amounts... 


I have seen a paler version of this, but that turned out to be way too salty... Sugarcane jaggery is usually melted, strained and only then used... While melting, use minimal amount of water...

Green gram

One can do so many things with this tiny tiny bean... 


Also known as:

Moong (Mung) bean
Cheru payar / Pachapayar in Malayalam

Curry leaves

These are an indispensable part of any mallu kitchen... They belong to the family of neems and is known for their medicinal values... But i love them for their flavour... 

Also known as:
Curry veppila in Malayalam