pavbhaji masala...

[aneja_r]

Hi All

Can anybody tell me what are the components of pavbhaji masala and the porportion of individual components?

Thanks

[waaza]

Hi All

Can anybody tell me what are the components of pavbhaji masala and the porportion of individual components?

Thanks

←

Hi Aneja_r,

as is usual in Indian SC cooking, there are many variations. Here's one you may like to think about. It's in two parts, one to be added to the frying onions/garlic/ginger, and one when the tomatoes/peppers are added.

pavbhaji mix 1:

1 black cardamom

1 green cardamom

1 black cumin seed (NOT caraway nor kalonji)

0.25 star anise

0.5 cassia bark

0.25 cassia leaves (tej patta, NOT bay leaves)

0.25 cloves

pavbhaji mix 2:

2 red chilli powder (anything will do, pungency to your liking)

2 dhania seed

1 jeera seed

1 black pepper

1 amchur

1 fennel seed (not aniseed)

0.5 dry ginger

0.5 turmeric

In a recipe for four people,

use 0.5 teaspoons of mix 1 in the butter/ghee/oil when frying the onions/garlic/ginger,

and 2.0 teaspoons of mix 2 after adding the tomatoes/peppers.

DO NOT roast either of the mixes. Grind before using (ideally) or as a batch and keep cool, in the dark. Keep masala mixes separate. Add salt to taste at end of cooking. No substitutes, if you haven't got a spice, leave it out, and make a note to add later. Do not use garam masala in your bavbhaji recipe.

HTH

cheers

Waaza

Edited June 11, 2007 by waaza (log)

[aneja_r]

Thanks... but what is the difference between tejpatta and bay leaf? I thought they were same. And is cassia bark same as cimmamon?

[waaza]

Thanks... but what is the difference between tejpatta and bay leaf? I thought they were same. And is cassia bark same as cimmamon?

←

Hi aneja_r

the mention of bay leaves in Indian cookery books/internet recipes is so ubiquitous as to suggest that bay is used. Although of the same botanical family as cassia, bay does not provide the same flavours. Bay is a Mediterranean bush, and produces flavours including cineol and eugenol. These are the main flavours in green cardamoms and cloves, respectively.

Cassia leaf, from cassia trees, (although the same genus but not necessarily the same species) provides the same flavour compounds as the bark (cinnamaldehyde and coumarin). This bark is different to cinnamon, and you should be aware of the difference.

All the dalchini ('wood from China') I saw in India was cassia bark, but cinnamon (from Sri Lanka) is available. Most, if not nearly all 'cinnamon' sold in the US is cassia, probably.

What does all this mean for the cook?

Well, if you are using green cardamom and cloves to flavour a dish, there is no point in using bay. If using cassia bark, there is no need to use the leaf, although some may say it adds something more, so don't dismiss it on my say so! As I may have said before here, I find cassia leaf goes well with basmati rice, but bay fights it a little, just my experience. And this has been my experience with most pukka Indian ingredients, many Western substitutes don't work too well, IMHO.

For pukka Indian food, I would recommend cassia bark and cassia leaves (tej or tuj patta) and never bay leaves. Cinnamon can be used, but is more appropriate to sweet dishes, it has a lighter flavour and colour.

HTH

Waaza

Edited June 15, 2007 by waaza (log)

[aneja_r]

Thanks.. that was enlightening...........And complicated!

[aneja_r]

Another question.... what are fennel/ aniseed ? Are these same as "saunf"?

[waaza]

Another question.... what are fennel/ aniseed  ? Are these same as "saunf"?

←

fennel is different from anise seed, the former looks like a larger version of cumin, and has green and yellow stripes. It is picked before it is quite ripe (it is actually a fruit rather than a seed). The anise seed, although of the same family as fennel (and cumin, coriander, ajwain, dill, celery, radhuni and parsley) is not an Indian spice. The confusion arises because fennel is sometimes refered to as 'Indian aniseed' (not to be confused with star anise). As far as I know, aniseed is not grown in India (to use as a spice for cooking at least) and most/all references to it usually mean fennel. The clue in cookery books is that the author usually refers to either fennel or aniseed, but rarely both. However, both fennel seed and anise seed contain similar flavour compounds (anethol being one that gives an 'aniseed flavour') so could be a substitue at a pinch.

Another confusion is ajwain (carom) is often called lovage (taste similar to celery) in older cookery books, and black cumin is very often confused with caraway (which is not an Indian spice, but I found it in Bangalore, where it was sold as 'cake seed')

HTH

cheers

Waaza

Edited June 18, 2007 by waaza (log)