Cumin Seeds

Is it just me, or does cumin smell like body odor?

On a totally unrelated note, I got this awesome Indian food cookbook by Phaidon for Christmas.

I've already tried a bunch of recipes (I'll share some soon), and one thing I've learned about why Indian food is so awesome is that not only are the recipes all layered with so many flavors, but they take the extra step to toast spices before adding them. This is especially true of whole cumin seeds, which in their toasted state are ubiquitous in Indian food. So much more delicious and pleasantly aromatic than their ground, untoasted brethren!

That gave me the idea to replace ground cumin with toasted cumin seeds in recipes forevermore. It's definitely a different flavor, but I suspect a better one! Try it! Just throw them in a pan on medium-low heat for about a minute, until fragrant.