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

[webmaster]

This is so awesome, thank you! Indian cuisine is something I have wanted to do.

Are the peppers you use fresh or dried?

[pepperhead212]

Those peppers are dried, webmaster - they are always dried in these powders. Those kashmiri peppers are sort of like Numex peppers - not really crispy, but they get crispy, when toasted.

[imafan26]

In your Indian cooking, do you ever use fresh turmeric? I have to harvest mine and I need things to put it in.

[applestar]

Your house must smell WONDERFUL!

I love it!

[pepperhead212]

In your Indian cooking, do you ever use fresh turmeric? I have to harvest mine and I need things to put it in.

I see a lot of Indonesian, Malaysian, and southern Thai recipes that use fresh, but very few Indian dishes that use fresh - the great majority use turmeric powder.

Here's a link you might find helpful:
https://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-usin ... rmeric-643

[imafan26]

Thanks this link is really helpful.

[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

[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

[pepperhead212]

I made two more masalas today - one, a garam masala, since I had used almost the end of my last batch of it, when I made that butter chicken recently. The other, a biryani masala, with very similar spices, in different proportions, and some mild Kashmiri peppers added, and a small amount of turmeric. Here are the sources for the recipes, and the only change I made was on the biryani, to which I added approximately 3 stone flowers (dagad phool), which was in another good recipe I made before.
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam ... ner-135523 The first of the two recipes here.
https://www.tarladalal.com/biryani-masala-42034r

There's a method to my obsessive madness! Some spices roast/toast in the pans faster or slower, so I measure the similar types out into the same containers (or 2 containers, for larger amounts). Even over med-low flames, they toast fairly quickly, and at the end, I raise the heat a little, and toast the chilies, which I do with the Bayless method of pressing a couple of them down against the surface of the pan, 7 or 8 sec, then flipping them, and pressing again - my favorite way of toasting chilies.
All the spices I used in the two masalas I made today, plus a few that I didn't use. LOL by pepperhead212, on Flickr

All the spices measured out for the Biryani Masala (l), and the Garam Masala (r), 15 spices each. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

All the masala spices pan roasted, Biryani on L, and Garam on R, the ones not roasted separate. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Biryani masala, on left, with the Garam masala, just ground. by pepperhead212, on Flickr