Making Indian spice mixes - masalas

[pepperhead212]

Yesterday I updated my Indian spice mixes - something I always do in the fall, since the cold season is when I use them the most, and I throw out the small amounts left, as they are (mostly) ground spices, and I want fresh, for the upcoming season. Sambar masala and garam masala I use most, so they were made recently, and didn't need to be made again.

I made some Panch Phoron - the simplest one to make, since it is all whole spices mixed together, without toasting. It is used in Bangali cuisine, and keeps very well, since it is not ground. It is simply 1 tb each cumin, nigella, black mustard seed, fenugreek, fennel, and celery seed. That's it!
Spices for the Panch Phoron - black nigella, cumin, fenugreek, fennel, radhuni, and mustard seed. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Panch Phoron, super easy as the spices are just mixed together, whole, with no toasting. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

The second thing I made was some Rasam Masala, which is a ground spice mix, used in S India in dishes called rasam, but it can be used in other dishes, too. This and the sambar masala I use the most, though I might find something else I like as much!

Rasam Masala

2½ tb black peppercorns
1½ tb cumin
2 tsp fenugreek
2 tb toor dal
30 cumin leaves
5 tb coriander seed
3 kashmiri peppers, cut into pieces
10 Thai peppers, or similar, cut up
1/2 tb turmeric

A. Heat skillet over low heat, and add peppercorns, cumin, and fenugreek, and toss over the low heat for 2 min. Add toor dal and toss another 2 min. Remove to a plate to cool. Still over low heat, toss the curry leaves, until curled and crispy, about 2 min. Remove to plate.

B. Over medium heat, toast coriander for 2 min., then remove to plate. Still over medium heat, toast the cut up chiles about 2 minutes, or until crisp, then remove to plate to cool. When all is cool, grind, with the turmeric added.
Spices for the Rasam Masala, to be toasted, before grinding. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished Rasam Masala by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

A third masala I tried is one I haven't made before, and these last two I make by toasting them all in one pan at the same time, which looked easier! It is Pav Bhaji masala, which is from the Maharashtra state of India. As usual with these masalas, it takes longer to measure them out, than to cook!

Pav Bhaji Masala

In a 12" wok, combine the the following spices:
6 Kashmiri peppers, cut into pieces
4 Thai peppers, broken up
5 tb coriander seed
1 tb black peppercorns
5 cloves
2 tb cumin
1½ tb fennel
1" cinnamon, broken up
4 black cardamom pods, smashed

Place over medium heat, and stir and toss for 2½-3 minutes, making sure the chiles don't burn. Remove to plate to cool.

Measure out:
1 tb black salt
1 tb turmeric
2 tb amchur

When plate has cooled, grind the spices, along with the powders. Place in a jar, and store up to 3 months, or in fridge.
Spices for the Pav Bhaji, ready to toast all together, except for the powders. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Toasting the spices for the Pav Bhaji. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Toasted, cooled spices, for the Pav Bhaji, ready to grind. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished Pav Bhaji by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

The last one I made - Malvani Masala - is another spice mix from Maharashtra, and has the most spices, and they are tossed in a small amount of oil, like the variety of sambar masala I make, which gives it a totally different flavor.

Malvani Masala

4 tb coriander seed
1 tb dagad phool
1 tsp Szechwan peppercorns
1 tb black peppercorns
1/2 tb white poppy seeds
1 tb fennel
1 tb kala jeerah
1" stick cinnamon, broken up
1/2 tb mustard seed
4 green cardamom pods
2 large or 3 medium Indian bay leaves
2 star anise, broken
1/2 tb cumin
1 tsp blades of mace
5 cloves
8 kashmiri peppers, cut into pieces
8 Thai peppers, cut up
2 tsp oil

Combine all of the spices and oil in a 12" wok, and mix to thoroughly coat everything with oil. Place over medium heat, and toss and stir for 3-4 minutes, or until spices are golden, and chiles are crispened. Scrape onto a plate, and grind, along with:
1 tsp turmeric and
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Store in a glass jar up to 4 months.
All the spices and Chiles ready for toasting, for the Malvani Masala. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

All of the spices for Malvani Masala, ready to mix with just 2 tsp oil, to coat everything, before toasting them. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Oiled spices for Malvani Masala, halfway through toasting. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Toasted spices for Malvani Masala, cooling, before grinding. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished Malvani Masala by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Toomanymatoes]

They look amazing! I am still working on getting my Indian recipes to taste right. I know it's usually just 1 or 2 ingredients that make the difference. I learned that with butter chicken. Once I found the proper recipe and used Kasuri Methi (which is key) I finally got something that was restaurant quality. Still working on my other recipes that I prefer way more than butter chicken.

[bower]

They sure do look awesome! I guess this saves you a lot of time, vs prepping a spice mix every time you cook.
I find it interesting that the Rasam masala contains some dal, does that also thicken the dish you're cooking?

[pepperhead212]

I find it interesting that the Rasam masala contains some dal, does that also thicken the dish you're cooking?

It might thicken a little, but I think it's more of a flavor thing, with a sort of nutty flavor, with that toasted flavor. They are also used a lot in tarkas - those tempering mix of spices often made up at the very end, to add to dishes. I actually keep a small jar of urad dal in my "most used" spice box, that I keep for measuring out most of the spices for Indian dishes.

[bower]

Nutty flavors are the best, to me!

[greenthumbomaha]

My daughter loves Indian food, myself not as much. A few recipes mention kashmiri peppers as one of the ingredients. I casually tried to find a seed source in the US to learn more, but all were abroad and mostly in the UK. I'm surprised with all the recent interest in restaurants serving international foods that pepper it is not available as a plant here. Do you grow your own pepper plant of this variety?

- Lisa

[pepperhead212]

@greenthumbomaha I grew my only Kashmiri plants from some peppers I had bought from India, and they were pretty much identical, but I only grew them the one time, as they were late (late Aug they started ripening), so I just got the one harvest, though the plants were large. The peppers themselves smell and taste very much like mild Numex, or Anaheims, so even if I couldn't find the peppers themselves, I would use those, adjusting the numbers, to equal the Kashmiri in their smaller size.

[worth1]

They look like guajillo chiles.

[pepperhead212]

I made another batch of that Malvini Masala powder today - that was my favorite of those two new varieties I tried, and I used it all up!

Spices for the Malvani Masala powder, all toasted together with 2 tsp of oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Malvani Masala powder - spices cooked in a small amount of oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I also made another batch of the Chole Masala powder - something I really liked, and an Indian family I know really liked, so I ran out of that, too. I figured I'd measure all the spices out for both, toast them and cool them, and grind them, one after the other.

Here's the recipe for the
Chole Masala

Two batches of spices are cooked for this, for different times.

2 black cardamom, smashed lightly
4 large or 6 medium tejpatta (Indian bay leaf), broken up some
3" piece Sri Lankan cinnamon, broken up
12 medium or 8 large Kashmiri peppers, torn into pieces
2 Thai peppers, broken up (option)

The second batch will be cooked for less time:

4 tb coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tb shahjeera (black cumin)
3/4 tsp blades of mace
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tb cumin
1 tsp ajwain (carom)
8 whole cloves
2 tb pomegranate seeds

In about a 10" skillet, cook the first spices over medium heat for about 4-5 min., stirring and tossing until the peppers and bay leaves are browning some. Pour these onto a plate to cool, then add the second spices, and cook 1 1/2-2 minutes, or until the coriander is browning slightly, and wisps of smoke are visible, then pour onto the plate, to cool.

While cooling measure out the following powders:

1 tsp amchur (green mango)
1/2 tsp asafoetida
3/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp black salt
1 1/4 tsp salt

When the spices are cool, grind to a powder, and mix with the powders. Makes a little over 1 cup. Stores up to 2 months, more when refrigerated.

Spices for the Chole Masala powder, toasted in 2 batches. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Chole Masala powder by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[cherokawa]

Thanks for all the recipes!! I need to grind up a new batch of garam and sambar masala, so this is perfect timing. Chole masala is an added bonus for me.

[peebee]

@pepperhead212 what is your recipe for garam masala?

[pepperhead212]

@pepperhead212 what is your recipe for garam masala?

Here's the recipe I use for garam masala. I am thinking trying of a more complex recipe next time, but I still have some of this left. And an Indian lady I know loved this, when I shared it with her (I make a double recipe!), and her mother was from the Punjab region, so it must have some authenticity!

This is all I make for myself, as not as much garam masala is used, as with some of the other masalas. And some recipes call for toasting the spices one at a time, or in different batches, but I don't find that necessary in this recipe, as they toast in the same amount of time.

Punjabi Garam Masala

1 tb coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
3/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp seeds from black cardamom - usually 2 small ones smashed
130 g broken cassia pieces (a small 3" piece)
2-3 pieces tejpatta - Indian bay leaf, broken up

Preheat about a 10" skillet over med-high heat. Add all of the spices, and toss 1½-2 min, or until coriander and bay get slightly browned, and you see a slight wisp of smoke from the pan. Remove to a plate to cool completely, then grind to a powder. Store in a sealed jar.


I didn't used to like Indian food, because just about all of it had overpowering raw cinnamon flavor, and every garam masala I bought had raw cinnamon in it. I finally found a recipe in which all of the spices were toasted in a pan, and that raw cinnamon flavor was gone! I also buy cinnamon in "bits and pieces" - it toasts better this way, than in large pieces.

[peebee]

Thanks I'll have to try this when I run out of what I have.

[MarkAndre]

This is a wonderful tutorial, enjoyed following along!

[bower]

We buy garam masala in little packets here, and as you mentioned, used in small amounts in other recipes. But the cinnamon flavor is certainly recognizable in the commercial gm. I think it is more of a toasted flavor, but it would overpower the dish in a large amount.
So interesting to see how you do this!

[worth1]

Some traditional Mexican mole has a ton of stuff in it as well.
I'm sure Austin has places to buy some of the stuff if not a Mexican market.
I imagine the toasting of spices in Mexican cuisine has a lot to do with Spanish influence of which came from Islamic influence when they were in control of Spain.
They got it from Indian influence since they were a part of that region as well.
And Indonesia.

[pepperhead212]

Tonight I was thinking of making something Indian, but got distracted by someone, then ended up eating leftovers again. But something I did make was a batch of rasam masala - a new recipe I found, that looked really good, and different. Here's the recipe I used, and didn't change anything - I always leave these kind of things the same, and only tweak them at later times, if necessary, and usually that's just adding heat.

https://www.kannammacooks.com/udupi-ras ... di-powder/

This looks similar to a favorite variation on sambar masala that I liked, using some oil on the spices, before toasting it in the pan over low heat. Gives a totally different flavor to the spices. Sort of a p.i.t.a. to grind, as it gets gummy, but it blends up eventually. It smells wonderful - I'll make something with it tomorrow!

All of the spices for the rasam mix, except for the whole chili peppers. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



The spices for the rasam powder, toasted, and cooling. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



The Byadagi chilies, toasted separately from the other spices, and cooling, before grinding. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Finished Karnataka style Rasam Powder, about 1 1/4 c. by pepperhead212, on Flickr