Best spice markets in London

Words of wisdom from top chef Vivek Singh for those who love Indian food

So you love Indian food; you love having it either out at a restaurant, or at home with friends and family, but you often ask yourself what is the best spice market in London, or what are the best or key Indian ingredients to use when cooking simple Indian recipes, or low fat Indian recipes, or easy dinner recipes, and so on. As you can imagine the list is endless with regards to ingredients for easy Indian recipes or quick recipes, or even regional ones such as South Indian style food. Additionally, there are many markets throughout London and so where does one begin to go on a hunt for spices? Thus, we thought to ourselves why not speak to someone who is in the know, someone who can answer all of the above concisely so as to make life easier. We turned to our very own Vivek Singh Executive Chef & CEO of Cinnamon Soho, Cinnamon Kitchen & The Cinnamon Club for cooking tips and tricks and he gave us answers.

Best Spice Markets in London

If you are looking for a spice market in London, whether it is for Indian vegetable recipes, a meat based dish or even an Indian dessert recipe then Vivek recommends Green Street market in Upton Park, or Tooting and Alperton in the West. Here you will find an array of spices that should satisfy every lover of Indian food.

Must have Indian spices in your kitchen

The list of ingredients as you know is endless and so we got Vivek to recommend three different ones that could be used in easy recipes for dinner, easy Indian lunch or vegetarian recipes etc. He suggested: mustard seeds, curry leaves and fennel seeds. They are a great friend as a tempering on salads, or as a seasoning or crust on fish or meat. They are simple, easy and versatile with all types of Indian food.

There you have it, where to go and what to buy no matter what kind of Indian recipe you are looking to put into practice - you’ve heard it from the expert.

Where would Chef Vivek Singh eat?

Finally, seeing as we were talking to Vivek we thought we would ask him where he would like someone else to cook for him as it is always interesting to know what chefs like to experience in their own personal time. If in London, he said he loves the steamed shoulder of Lamb at 5 Hot Chillies in Rayners Lane (it needs to be ordered 24 hours beforehand due to the cooking process), we actually do a similar dish at The Cinnamon Club; our Herdwick Lamb. If elsewhere, he loves the boatman to cook his catch on-board the vessel on the Keralan Backwaters. You get the freshest fish, prawns and seafood cooked simply and beautifully, and on top not knowing what to expect is a wonderful feeling.

Want to know more? Tweet to @ChefVivekSingh