Elevating The Everyday:

Gourmet Pasta

Recipes With An Indian Spice Profile

Quick Summary

From ramen lasagnas to baked feta pastas, pasta chips, and more pasta are trending on social media. And taking up space in everyone’s minds, plates, and kitchens. Because it’s just that delicious! This Italian staple has well and truly gone global, inviting multiple renditions — from new cooking techniques to healthier ingredients. In this piece, the focus is on Indian spice profile and how it can elevate pastas, both red sauce and white sauce versions. 

Deep Dive

In the Netflix special Dining with the Kapoors, actor Ranbir Kapoor talks about how his grandmother used to add a ‘ghee-based’ tadka (temper) on mac and cheese. Now, you may sound surprised at this, but don’t beat it till you’ve tried it. When it comes to pasta, Indian spices can recreate the dish into a gourmet meal. Be it the popular Indian masala pasta or the new-age matar paneer pasta, these gourmet Indian pastas take the cake, so to speak, when it comes to fusion dishes. Discover the recipes here, give on a try, and see what can happen with Italian and Indian cuisines meet. But first, understand the basic Indian spice profile. 

The Indian Spice Profile

Here’s a look at common Indian spices, most of which make an appearance in almost all dishes

• Asafetida (Hing): Hing has a raw, pungent aroma that lends a musky aroma to most curries, lentils, beans, and vegetarian curries. 
• Cumin (Jeera): Cumin is one of the most essential ingredients in Indian cooking. It’s usually added right after the oil is heated. The crackle is a trademark of Indian cooking. It adds a nutty and warm flavour to dishes.
• Ground Turmeric (Haldi): Ground turmeric is what gives most dishes that trademark golden hue. It’s also a healing spice, and is often consumed with hot milk. From drinks and curries to stir-fries and even face masks, turmeric can be used in anything. 
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder: Kashmiri red chilli powder is one of the most popular chilli powders because it has a balanced taste (not too mild, but not too spicy) and adds a brilliant red hue to curries and dishes. 
• Ground Coriander (Dhaniya powder): Another versatile spice, ground coriander adds earthy notes to most curries and stir-fries. It’s usually paired with cumin. 
• Garam Masala: A spice blend that literally translates to “warm spice mix”, garam masala is mostly added at the end of the meal to give the dishes a hearty, aromatic flavour.

Gourmet Pasta Recipes with Indian Spices

There are multiple variations of pastas with Indian spices, but a few that truly stand out in terms of taste, innovation, and wholesomeness are: 

Dal Tadka Red Sauce Pasta

This recipe uses a tangy red sauce as a base and a unique, aromatic dal tadka topping for an explosion of flavour. Cook the pasta al dente and make the red sauce (tomato-based) like you would normally. Als,o cook the dal (toor dal). Now, mix 1 cup of pre-cooked dal and pasta with the red sauce. Toss it gently, allowing the flavour to evenly coat the pasta. The main differentiator is the tadka here. To make the tadka topping, temper mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves in ghee and pour it directly over the pasta bowl, right before serving. This provides a fantastic textural and aromatic finish.

Palak Paneer White Sauce Pasta

This dish transforms the creamy Italian white sauce into a rich, green palak (spinach) sauce, incorporating paneer for a protein-packed and flavorful meal. To prepare this pasta, first blanch 2 cups of spinach leaves (boil for a minute and transfer to an ice bath to retain their vibrant colour). Blend them with green chillies (1-2) to form a smooth puree. Now, add butter to a pan, saute finely chopped garlic, and stir in the puree to cook it. Meanwhile, boil your pasta al dente, as well prepare a basic white sauce by cooking maida in butter, and then whisking in milk.  Combine the spinach mixture with the white sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta and paneer cubes to the green sauce, mixing gently to coat everything.

Masala Pasta

Masala pasta is one of the most common Indian adaptations of the pasta, made by cooking pasta in Indian spices and basic tomato sauce, similar to the curries and spices that make the base for most Indian mains. A sauce is created by sautéing the aromatics (ginger, garlic, and green chillies) and vegetables in oil or ghee, followed by the addition of spices (cumin, turmeric, coriander, red chilli powders and garam masala) and tomato puree. The cooked pasta is then tossed with the prepared masala sauce and simmered briefly to allow the flavours to meld. 

Another version is to make a richer, creamier sauce (called makhani sauce) by adding cream or cheese to the dish, along with dried and crushed fenugreek leaves. This gives the pasta a similar flavour profile to rich, Indian curries.  

Matar Paneer Pasta

This one’s a unique take on pasta, where sauteed paneer and peas make the base for the sauce, lending a creamy texture and vibrant green colour to the dish. Peas and paneer are sauteed with basic spices before being blended with salt and pepper to form a creamy paste. This paste is mixed with pasta water (stored aside after cooking pasta al dente) to create the pasta sauce. You can mix the boiled pasta into the sauce as is, or saute vegetables like cherry tomatoes, spinach or mushrooms, and add them with the pasta. Season with chilli flakes and oregano and serve hot. 

Pass The Pasta Love

These pasta recipes don’t just elevate everyday ingredients; they recreate classics the right way. Because when it comes to good food, blending cuisines is always a great idea. That’s how innovative recipes became staples, picky eaters sample diverse ingredients, and cooking becomes a joy and not a chore.