Roasted Cumin Powder (Bhuna Jeera)

Roasted cumin powder, or bhuna jeera (zeera) is a 1 ingredient spice that you can make in about 5-7 minutes and store for months in your pantry. It has a unique smoky & nutty aroma and before you ask, yes! its totally different in taste from ground cumin.

The more you work with spices, you will understand how simple techniques like soaking them in water, dry toasting, or grinding can transform their flavor and texture. Even the same spices can impart varying textures to your recipe depending on whether they're coarsely or finely ground.

Dry-roasting the cumin seeds intensifies their natural oils and helps release a rich, nutty aroma and flavor. This gives depth and complexity to the flavor of the spice, making it more flavorful than its raw counterpart.

Which Recipes Do I Use it in

You would have noticed me adding bhuna jeera to my chaat recipes, raita, & few chutneys like this tamarind chutney and sometimes to yogurt marinades. In fact, I have a line up of summer drinks such as mango shikanji, aam pana and jaljeera that happen to use roasted cumin powder as the hero ingredient.

Could I use ground cumin in those recipes? No, even though roasted cumin powder is simply toasted cumin seeds, its flavor after toasting is vastly different from un toasted cumin seeds. So obviously, ground cumin and roasted cumin are not interchangeable substitutes for each other.

• Yogurt based marinades and curries- The smoky taste of bhuna jeera pairs really well with the sour creaminess of yogurt. Add it to your raita, yogurt heavy curries dishes (such as dahi baingan).
• Drinks - The roasting process brings out the aromatic qualities of cumin seeds. A sprinkle of roasted cumin powder adds an enticing fragrant note to dishes, thus improving the overall refreshing experience of drink. However, keep in mind, a bit goes a long way!
• Chaat - If you are me, chaat is unimaginable without bhuna jeera powder. It adds a smoky earthy flavor when sprinkled on top of aloo tikki chaat, aloo chaat or chana chaat.
• You can use it for a ton of non indian recipes such as fajita vegetables, taco seasonings, sprinkle on top of dips such as hummus or tzatziki, or add it to kabob marinades.

How To Make Roasted Cumin Powder

Select The Right Pan

Use a wide heavy bottom pan - like a tawa/cast iron griddle (10 or 12 inch), a stainless steel pan works too. A wide pan ensures that the cumin seeds spread out in a thin layer and are easy to stir and hence even roasting of the cumin seeds. If the seeds pile on top of each other, they wont roast prooerly.

Slow Roast the Cumin Seeds

To make sure that there is no flash toasting (the seeds are teeny and a hot pan poses danger of burnt cumin), start with a cold pan, add the cumin seeds and carry out the entire process of slow toasting on low medium heat. Keep stirring the seeds continously using a spoon or spatula.

Toast the cumin seeds until they become deep brown in color and you see a bit of smoke emanating from the pan. Seeing this smoke is imoportant, this ensures that your cumin powder is going to be smoky in taste.

Transfer the toasted cumin to a plate. Let stand. We will grind it after it is cooled off completely else the hot seeds wil give off steam and your powder will become wet.

Grind The Toasted Cumin Seeds

Use one of the following methods to grind the cumin seeds.

Coffee Grinder - Transfer the cooled cumin seeds to the grinder jar (I use a dedicated coffee grinder for dry grinding spices) and grind to a powder- I like to keep it little coarse, but its upto you.

Mortar Pestle - If you do not have a spice grinder- simply add the toasted cumin seeds to a mortar and pound using a pestle until powdery.

Rolling Pin - This is Grandma's technique! Back then, grinders weren't available, so I'd watch my grandmother place crispy cumin seeds on a sturdy rolling surface. With a rolling pin, she'd grind the toasted cumin seeds until they transformed into a powder.

Storage

Transfer the roasted cumin powder into an airtight container. You could use a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or a plastic container designed for storing spices. Store the container in a dry and cool location away from direct sunlight since exposure to light, heat, and moisture can cause the flavor and aroma to deteriorate quickly.

Always use a clean dry spoon to scoop out cumin powder from the container. This prevents contamination and helps maintain the quality of the powder.

Recipe Tips

• Quality of Cumin - The fresher your cumin seeds are, the better will be the taste and aroma of your roasted cumin powder. Use a recently purchased pack to make the spice blend.
• Small batches - When it comes to homemade spice blends, I prefer small batches to maintain the aroma and flavor. It's better to roast and grind cumin seeds in small batches and use it up in 1-2 months. Then make another batch.
• Labeling - If you are like me and have a huge collection of spices in the cabinet, it is always a good idea to label the jars to avoid confusion especially when you are cooking in a hurry.