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Masalas or Spice Blends
- Spices -

- It is a joy to buy whole spices and blend the spices together.  It adds a depth and a certain character to meals. Spices used in various ways results in a different look, taste, flavor and experience.  Masalas are the soul of Indian Cuisine.
A case for Whole Spices – I am a fan of whole spices. Whole spices impart the natural taste as nature intended. You can count on them being fresher than ground spices. Whole spices have their coatings and barks that protect their flavors. Whole spices have four times the shelf life of ground spices.
A case for ground spices. I also use ground spices  we have in our store, when I am busy. When I have some time on my hands I may take the middle path and grind my own spices and store them. A coffee grinder devoted to spices makes grinding easy and rewarding. A mortar and pestle can also be used to blend spices when you are cooking for the dish that you are preparing. Use the grinder for grinding your own spices and refrigerating them.
Wet Spices or Wet masala - Fresh herbs along with spices are the hidden secrets in curries.
Fresh ginger, garlic, green chilies, mint, dill, fenugreek, cilantro, curry leaves, lime leaves, holy basil, cilantro roots, galangal, lemon grass can transform an ordinary dish into an extraordinary one. In India they are known as green spices or 'hara masala'. 
Roasted spices and herbs are ground in a small food processor with coconut or cashews or almonds and this forms the curry base to which tomatoes and the curry main ingredient (rice, dal, vegetables and meat) can be added.  In India this is known as wet spices or 'gila masala'. 
If all this sounds complicated or too much to handle in our busy lives -  we also have some ready made cooking pastes or wet masalas in our store to make your Indian cooking more convenient.
Roasting Spices - Try toasting spices for an even deeper flavor. I follow my family tradition of roasting them in an iron skillet on medium heat. Any skillet could be used. Shaking the skillet while the roasting is being done helps the roasting to be uniform. Also, this way I can control the amount of roasting I prefer. I grind the spices after roasting and cooling them; and this is truly a gastronomical moment as the aroma captures my senses and inspires me. Indian roast blend of cumin, whole red chili, fenugreek and asafetida is popular.
Using oil to release flavor -Hot oil also brings out a spice's flavor. Use good fats like ghee or peanut oil. The fat becomes infused with the spices and releases their flavor. Both whole and ground spices can be put in oil to release their flavor. When mustard seeds or cumin are added to hot ghee or oil, they pop, sputter and turn gray, developing a deeper taste in the process process.

South Indian Blends

1.  Lentil Blend Recipe or Sambar Podi
Ingredients:
1 cup channa dal (also called Bengal gram)
3/4 cup coriander seeds
10 large red chilies
1 tsp. black pepper (whole)
1/4 tsp. fenugreek
pinch asafetida

2.  Curry Blend Recipe or Kura Podi
Ingredients:
1 cup channa dal (also called Bengal gram)
1/2 cup urad dal
10 large red chilies
1/4 cup coriander seeds (dhaniya)
pinch asafetida

3.  Chutney Blend Recipe or Pacchadi Podi
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
20 large red chilies
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. Asafetida
1 table spoon salt

4.  Veggie Blend Recipe or Pulusu Podi (Sweet "soup" powder for squash veggies)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
20 large red chilies
1/2 tsp. black pepper (whole)
1/4 tsp. Asafetida
1/2 tsp.coriander seeds

Sautée all ingredients in a tea spoon of ghee, in an iron skillet or any skillet, on low heat. When warm grind to a fine powder.

1.  Garam Masala Recipe #1
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cardamon seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground

2.  Garam Masala Recipe #1
Ingredients:
2 cardamom pods, seeded 
1 teaspoon whole cloves 
30 whole peppercorns 
1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick 

3.   Garam Masala Recipe #1
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons green cardamoms
2 long sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/2 nutmeg
1 tablespoon cloves
15gr (½oz) brown cardamom seeds
(weight when removed from pods)
15gr (½oz) green cardamom seeds
(weight when removed from pods)
30gr (1oz) cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
10gr (¼oz) cloves
10gr (¼oz) black peppercorns
2 whole nutmegs, about 15gr (½oz), lightly crushed
15gr (½oz) coriander seeds
15gr (½oz) cumin seeds

4.  Garam Masala  Recipe #1
Ingredients:
30 green cardamom pods

15 cloves (laung)

5  black cardamom pods

4 pieces mace 

4 pieces cinnamon (2.5 squared cm)(dalchini)

5 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)

2 tbsp coriander seeds (dhaniya)

1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1 tsp black peppercorns 

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)

1 Tablespoon  whole cardamom seeds

1 two-inch stick cinnamon

1-1/2 Teaspoon Black seeds

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 Teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/4 medium nutmeg seed

Method:I

1.  Punjabi Masala
Ingredients:
Punjabi-Style Garam Masala

• 6 cloves mace
• 1/4 cup black peppercorns
• 3 tblsp whole cloves
• four 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1/3 cup green cardamom seeds
• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 2/3 cup coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tblsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cassia or bay leaves

2.  Delhi-Style Garam Masala #1
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup whole cloves
• five 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 cup green cardamom pods
• 1 cup cumin seeds
• 3/4 cup coriander seeds

3.  Uttar Pradesh Garam Masala #1
Ingredients:

• 3 dried whole chili pods
• 2 tblsp pomegranate seeds
• 1/8 tsp saffron threads
• 5 cloves mace
• 2 tblsp green peppercorns
• 2 tblsp black peppercorns
• 2 tblsp whole cloves
• 1/3 cup cumin seeds
• 2/3 cup coriander seeds
• 1 tblsp fennel seeds
• 2 cassia or bay leaves
• 1 tblsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tblsp white peppercorns
  

4.  Maharashtra Masala
Ingredients:

• 4 dried whole chili pods
• 2 tblsp sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 tblsp green peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tblsp white peppercorns
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• four 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 22 black cardamom pods
• 2/3 cup cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup coriander seeds
• 2 cassia or bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tblsp ground nutmeg

• 3 tblsp grated coconut
• 1 tblsp sesame seeds
• 2 tblsp black mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 1/4 cup green peppercorns
• 1/4 cup white peppercorns
• 2/3 cup green cardamom pods
• 3/4 cup cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup ground nutmeg

• 3-4 dried whole chili pods
• 3 tblsp sesame seeds
• 2 tblsp green peppercorns
• 2 tblsp black peppercorns
• 2 tblsp white peppercorns
• 1 tblsp whole cloves
• three 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 20 green cardamom pods
• 1/4 cup cumin seeds
• 3/4 cup coriander seeds
• 3 cassia or bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 3 dried whole chili pods
• 4 black cardamom pods
• 1 1/3 cups cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ajwain seeds

Specialty Indian Blends

1. Chat Masala Recipe

2 tb Cumin seeds

1 1/2 ts Fennel seeds

1 tb Garam masala

1 tb Mango powder

1 tb Black salt

1  ts Cayenne pepper

1 pn Asafetida powder

1/4 ts Ground ginger

2.  Curry Blend Recipe or Kura Podi
Cummin Seeds                - 50gm

• Peppercorns             - 50gm
• Black Salt          - 50gm
• Dried Mint Leaves   - 30gm
• Kasuri Methi          - 2tbs
• Green Cardamoms           - 30
• Cloves             - 15
• Ajwain               - 1tsp
• Asafoetida          - 1tsp
• Tartaric Powder   - 1tsp
• Mace Powder     - a large pinch
• Amchur           - 125gm
• Dry Ginger Powder  - 11/2tbs
• Chilly Powder     - 1tbs

3.  Chutney Blend Recipe or Pacchadi Podi
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
20 large red chilies
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. Asafetida
1 table spoon salt

4.  Veggie Blend Recipe or Pulusu Podi (Sweet "soup" powder for squash veggies)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
20 large red chilies
1/2 tsp. black pepper (whole)
1/4 tsp. Asafetida
1/2 tsp.coriander seeds

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