3. Spice Powders
• Many spice powders and blends, give
respective colours to the curries. The reddish
coloured spices such as Kolhapuri masala, etc.
will give reddish brown colour, whereas dark
coloured spice blends such as garam masala,
bhatti masala, chettinad masala, etc. will give
a deep dark brown to black colour to the
curries and dishes.
4. Onion
• Onions are also used to provide colour to the
dish. The degree to which the onion is
browned in oil or fat also has a deep impact
upon the colour of the curry. Pastes such as
boiled onion pastes and fried onion paste
have different colouring properties.
5. • Boiled Onion Paste:
• It gives a light pinkish hue to gravies.
• Fried Onion:
• It gives a deep dark brown colour to the
gravies. If added along with white nut pastes
and yoghurt, it gives a beige colour.
6. Turmeric
• This is a rhizome which is yellow in colour with
similar looks as that of ginger. It has a very
pungent smell and is mostly available in
powder form. But in some parts of Bengal it is
used whole and ground into a paste. It not
only acts as a colouring agent, but also has
antiseptic medicinal properties. The use of
turmeric in white gravy gives it a bright yellow
hue.
7. Red Chilli
• Apart from making the dish hot, it also has a
unique colouring property. The colour
provided by chillies depends on the form they
are being used in. Using them in paste form
provides a brighter colour, while the powder
form gives a reddish brown to orange colour.
There are different types of chillies, such as
Kashmiri red chillies, deghi mirch, which give
better colour as compared to other chillies.
8. Saffron
• It is the most important colouring and
aromatic agent in Indian as well as Western
cuisine and one of the most expensive spices.
It originates from Kashmir in north India. For
better results, we need to broil the saffron
first and then make it into fine powder—this
gives better colour and the quantity used is
also very less. The use of saffron in the white
gravy gives it a pale apricot hue.
9. Green Pastes
• Various kinds of green leafy vegetables and
herbs are often used to give a body and colour
to the curries and dishes.
10.
11. Sugar:
• As we know, sugar caramelizes upon the
application of heat and changes its colour from
white to golden to dark black colour. This
property of sugar is also used in Indian cooking to
add colour to few curries and dishes
• This is quite popular in Bengal and Goa.
Granulated sugar or jaggery is added to onions,
while they become brown in the oil. This helps to
impart a darker colour to the dish as in case of
kasha mangsho—which is a dark coloured lamb
dish from Bengal.
12. Flowers and Barks
• Certain flowers are also used to provide colour
to food. Marigold flowers are used in Indian
cooking as imitation saffron. Certain other
barks and flowers are used in Kashmir cooking
