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Masala Masala Masala


metea

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Hello. I'm very new to Indian cooking and I'm trying to wrap my head around all these different "masalas" that I see in different recipes. I'm aware that a masala is going to differ from household to household, but surely there are some general rules that apply?

Garam Masala

Sambar Masala

Chole masala

Chat Masala

Chana Masala

...

The list goes on...

Are there any guidelines to what typically goes in these? Or when to use which mix?

Are "curry powder" and "garam masala" generally used interchangeably?

I'm very enthusiastic about making my own masalas but I'm a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to begin.

Thank you.

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As I understand it, "masala" roughly translates to "spice mix." Curry powder and garam masala may share some components, but are very different in flavor.

I found Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking a great place to start to understand Indian cuisine, including its ingredients and techniques.

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I've long been a fan of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes and have several of her books.

However, I also have 660 Curries by Raghavan Iver and he has included explanations of the various spice mixtures calles massalas and how and why they are used and when to use them.

Knowing and understanding the principles behind the use of a particular combination of spices has made preparing these dishes more interesting for me.

Fortunately you can look inside this book and see how it is presented and get a better idea if it will work for you.

In the search window, type in masala - you can then click on the various names; dhania-jeera, sambhar, balti, bin bhuna hua garam, Kashmiri garam, bangala garam masala etc.

While reading that session, I had a notebook at hand, listing all the spices - otherwise I was constantly running to my spice cabinet to see if I had something on hand.

After I finished the list, I crossed off all the ones I had on hand, leaving only the ones I needed to add or replace if mine were old.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Masala means mixture and in India is also used in a general way to mean spices.

Yes there are some guidelines about what spices go in what. But it's also a regional thing and a personal thing.

Let's get started on one thing - in India traditionally there is no such thing as curry powder. This was invented by the British do they could go back to England and make all the "curry" (whatever that is) they wanted. Now days people in India do use the word curry because it has become so commonly understood around the world.

So garam masala. This means warming spice mixture and contains spices that warm up the body. At it's simplest this could be cloves, cardamom, cinnamon/cassia and black pepper. Nutmeg, mace and cassia leaves are also common. Pre made blends often fill up garam masala with coriander and cumin as these are cheap. Personally I never use coriander in garam masala and if I do use cumin it is in small amounts. Garam masala has a number of regional versions and can be used whole or ground.

Sambar masala/podi is spice blend used to make sambar. Variations occur across south India but key ingredients are coriander, chillies, various dals (chana, urad, toor), hing and curry leaves. On top of this fenugreek and cumin are also common and other spices are also used depending in region.

Chana and chole masala are both used sometimes to refer to the dish itself. The spice masala can vary. For chole I usually make a garam masala with some extra spices and a separate wet masala of ginger, chilles and onion.

I will come back later to talk chaat masala, etc but I gave to go to class now. Key thing to remember is that masalas vary although there are common themes and traditionally they are made at home, often fresh for each dish.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk

Edited by Jenni (log)
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Ok, so I'm back now!

You mention chaat masala in your list. This masala is commonly sprinkled on snack foods (especially chaat), various small dishes (such as kabob, tikka, etc.) and so on. Again, variations in the recipe exist. But the notable ingredients are amchoor, kala namak, black pepper, cumin, ginger and chilli powder.

There are of course many other masalas. Rasam masala/podi is a spice mixture used for rasam. Key ingredients are often cumin, black pepper, chillies and curry leaves. Again, other ingredients are often added. There's chai masala for seasoning chai which often contains cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, etc.

Some regions are particularly famous for use of a masala. So Bengal often makes use of panch pooran, a mixture of five spices that is most often sold and/or stored whole but is sometimes ground and added to a dish. The five spices in this are cumin, fennel, fenugreek, kalonji and radhuni (mustard seeds commonly replace the difficult to find radhuni). Goda masala is associated with Maharashtria. This dark masala contains many of the ingredients of garam masala but also adds sesame seeds and/or copra, dagad phool ("stone flower" - a kind of lichen), nagkesar ("cobra saffron" - actually cassia buds I think) and other spices.

There are many more masalas. If you go into a grocery shop in India you can buy all sorts of ready made masalas designed to speed up the food preparation process. Jal jeera masala, dahi masala, "kitchen king" masala, korma masala, rajma masala, dal masala, etc. You don't actually need to buy any of these because you can make a spice mixture especially for whatever dish you are cooking at the time and choose what you want to put in it. But ready made masalas make it quick and easy for very busy people who are perhaps not so particular about taste.

Traditionally, an individual masala was prepared for each dish as it was needed. This allowed for variation on the day depending on mood/availability/need/etc. and also gave a better taste. Of course, some masalas are very complex and have many ingredients so they have most often been made in batches and stored. But still, the key thing is that they were prepared at home and according to each home's personal style.

Remember that many Indian dishes do not make use of complex masalas at all. There is no need to prepare/use a masala with 10 ingredients for every single thing you cook and doing so only muddies the unique flavour of a dish. That is one of the reasons that I am not interested in all these new commercial masalas - they are not fresh and they just mean that it is too easy to overspice a dish. Plus after a while all your dishes start to taste the same because you use the same spices in everything and never learn to adjust the flavour.

Personally my style is to make up individual masalas for each dish. I also keep on hand a small number of home-made prepared masalas that I use frequently. I make a small batch of sambar podi once a week as sambar is a regular dish in my house. I make punjabi style garam masala once every 1-2 months. Goda masala I make once every 3-4 months. But simple masalas such as basic garam masala I make just before adding to a dish. I would always rather have that fresh flavour.

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Jenni.. If it is not too much trouble . How would you prepare a masala for Rajma? It is one of my favourite dishes and I have made it before but would love to tweak it . You don't have to worry about exact amounts, I am just looking for what flavours you like to blend for it ususally .

"Why is the rum always gone?"

Captain Jack Sparrow

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Are you asking me what spices I personally use in rajma? Because here is where I have a particular point of view which is at odds with the restaurant definition of "good rajma".

You see for me the rajma itself (the beans) are so tasty that they require certain careful handling. First, tip of the day is to buy the small Kashmir or Jammu variety of rajma. They are small and beautiful and have a wonderful flavour that is superior to the larger beans.

Secondly, I think you need to give the beans a chance to shine. Restaurant rajma is generally chock full of garlic, onion and garam masala. Actually so much restaurant Punjabi food contains too much of these, everything ends up tasting the same. Restaurant rajma also often gets a heavy dose of other powdered spices too, from coriander to turmeric to amchoor. I go a different way, but many many people do like this kind of rajma. And yes, many Indians make rajma at home with heavy use of masalas. It's all down to personal preference.

Just for fun, I will share how I make my rajma.

For my rajma I pressure cook the rajma with salt. Then I heat a nice amount of ghee in a pan (ghee is an absolute must, it makes the taste here). When hot I fry some (but not loads and loads) of finely chopped onion until golden before adding a good amount of minced fresh ginger. The ginger is an important taste for me in this dish, plus it is an excellent digestive. Remember that rajma is a heavy bean for your stomach to work on! The mixture gets lightly browned, then I add some freshly ground (as in I just did it for the purpose of using it in rajma) cumin and some high quality chilli powder (again, ideally freshly ground but this is difficult at home for many). Stir and fry a minute or so. Then I add some finely chopped tomato - high quality fresh tomatoes please. Not too much tomato, don't want to drown the dish. I also add some liquid from cooking the beans.

When the tomatoes are pasty I add the cooked beans and enough liquid to get the texture I desire. I like it not too thin and not too thick, but keep it looser at the start to allow for the sauce to reduce. Check for salt, beans can take a lot. The dish simmers for 20 minutes covered and then 10 minutes uncovered.

Serve over plain rice. No need for a fresh coriander "garnish", no need for fancy side dishes - this is simple, home-y food. I like raw onions, raw chillies and veg pickle on the side.

You can taste the glorious flavour of the beans. You can taste the glorious freshness of the onions and tomatoes that hopefully you selected at their best to prepare the dish! The spicing is ginger, cumin and chilli and again you should be aiming for these ingredients to be very high quality. Finally, ghee brings the dish together and adds a subtle undernote that cannot be missed.

I know what I'm having for supper tonight...just put some beans in the pressure cooker!

Edited by Jenni (log)
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Dear Jenni! I almost answered the question, and then thought, no, Jenni will do it and she will do a MUCH better job than I will.

Also a big thumbs up for your rajma, which is almost how i make mine. I really really do not like the over onioned over spiced restaurant versions of most north Indian food.

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Yajna Patni, I must insist that you post your thoughts on the OP's question! Always love to hear your take on things as you have loads of knowledge and experience - far more than me! As I often point out, I just have a big mouth and like to talk about India, doesn't mean I'm some kind of expert!

sdkittykats, I recommend a pressure cooker for everybody! Excellent for cooking all pulses that require long cooking times in a convential cooking pot, such as kabuli or kala chana and rajma. Many people have various different sizes so they can cook different amounts and also at the same time. I would recommend getting at least a 3 or 4 litre, as it's better to have plenty of room than to get a "small size for a small family" and then end up not being able to make anything in it. I've got a prestige and also a hawkins, both have worked wel for me. But I do not know a lot about pressure cookers, so you should probably check out this eg thread to get an opinion from the professionals!

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Thanks for the in depth response Jenni. Very, very helpful.

To summarize, can I say that every masala is a garam masala then? Is there anything you can add to a masala that will make it not-garam masala? I'm starting to think that all these names do more harm than good... What about masalas where the spices are roasted first? Is there a name for these (I'm guessing no). Are there some guidelines as to when and why we would roast spices before using?

What has been really eye-opening for me is the preciseness of how the spices are used. Prior to jumping into Indian cooking I used spices a lot, but pretty inattentively. I would toss random amounts here and there without thinking too much about it. Now I see all these different masalas which often use the same spices, but with different amounts, lending a different emphasis to the mix. I can't wait to get more sensitive to this.

Today I will try to make the "Bin Bhuna Hua Garam Masala" in 660 Curries that andiesenji linked to, with a mortar and pestle. ooph

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To summarize, can I say that every masala is a garam masala then?

No absolutely most definitely not. Let's summarise quickly:

*Masala means mixture. So all these masalas are spice mixtures.

*However, Indians also use masala to mean spice. So "What masalas (or masale to use the Hindi way of pluralising) did you put in the dal?" means what spices did yout put in the dal. "Oh, I put in some turmeric and chilli powder and then did a tadka with cumin and hing".

*Garam masala is a popular spice mixture made up of warming spices (but not, traditionally, chillies). By warming spices I mean spices that have a warming effect on the body. There are certain key ingredients common to pretty much every recipe for it but there are regional variations. It is mostly associated with North Indian food but not every North Indian dish contains it. However, for whatever reason it has become something that seems to be put in every Indian restaurant dish ever. That's an exaggeration but you know what I mean.

*There are lots of masalas. Lots. It means mixture, remember? Different people make the same masala differently. But more often than not there will be a common theme to these various versions of a masala and it is possible to pick out the core ingredients and/or features that make it what it is.

*Sometimes spices are roasted before being ground. Sometimes not. Sometimes they are roasted heavily, sometimes they are barely toasted. Spices are also used whole (a masala does not have to be ground); added to hot oil before being added to a dish; used raw; etc. Different techniques bring out different flavours.

*In terms of the roasting thing, some of this is down to preference. Some of it is down to what flavour is desired. Some of it is down to how much the spice will be cooked after it is ground (e.g. is it added to a dish which is then simmered for an hour or is it added raw to a salad?). Some of it depends on how long the masala will be stored. You see, roasting seems to me to make a spice grind easier and it certainly releases the smell from the spice. But apparently this makes the aroma and flavour of the spice disappear more quickly so spice powders that are to be stored for a long while are sometimes just sun dried thoroughly before being ground.

That's all for now, I am sure others will chip in too.

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Shouldn't bother with my blog, haven't had time for it in ages and never really got it going. There are far better Indian food blogs out there.

I am working on a book atm though and it's coming on nicely. Actually the rajma recipe is in there. Wait for me to finish that, eh? ;)

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk

Edited by Jenni (log)
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Great great thread.

Jenni, I don't know if you're familiar with Julie Sahni's books, but is the Punjabi garam masala to which you refer similar to what she calls Mughal garam masala? The spices for that all roasted, and it is distinctly different from basic garam masala. I make it in advance and keep it for several months - it would be pretty involved to make it separately for every new dish.

I do understand the importance of making masalas (or masale) from fresh whenever possible.

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Are you asking me what spices I personally use in rajma? Because here is where I have a particular point of view which is at odds with the restaurant definition of "good rajma".

You see for me the rajma itself (the beans) are so tasty that they require certain careful handling. First, tip of the day is to buy the small Kashmir or Jammu variety of rajma. They are small and beautiful and have a wonderful flavour that is superior to the larger beans.

Secondly, I think you need to give the beans a chance to shine. Restaurant rajma is generally chock full of garlic, onion and garam masala. Actually so much restaurant Punjabi food contains too much of these, everything ends up tasting the same. Restaurant rajma also often gets a heavy dose of other powdered spices too, from coriander to turmeric to amchoor. I go a different way, but many many people do like this kind of rajma. And yes, many Indians make rajma at home with heavy use of masalas. It's all down to personal preference.

Just for fun, I will share how I make my rajma.

For my rajma I pressure cook the rajma with salt. Then I heat a nice amount of ghee in a pan (ghee is an absolute must, it makes the taste here). When hot I fry some (but not loads and loads) of finely chopped onion until golden before adding a good amount of minced fresh ginger. The ginger is an important taste for me in this dish, plus it is an excellent digestive. Remember that rajma is a heavy bean for your stomach to work on! The mixture gets lightly browned, then I add some freshly ground (as in I just did it for the purpose of using it in rajma) cumin and some high quality chilli powder (again, ideally freshly ground but this is difficult at home for many). Stir and fry a minute or so. Then I add some finely chopped tomato - high quality fresh tomatoes please. Not too much tomato, don't want to drown the dish. I also add some liquid from cooking the beans.

When the tomatoes are pasty I add the cooked beans and enough liquid to get the texture I desire. I like it not too thin and not too thick, but keep it looser at the start to allow for the sauce to reduce. Check for salt, beans can take a lot. The dish simmers for 20 minutes covered and then 10 minutes uncovered.

Serve over plain rice. No need for a fresh coriander "garnish", no need for fancy side dishes - this is simple, home-y food. I like raw onions, raw chillies and veg pickle on the side.

You can taste the glorious flavour of the beans. You can taste the glorious freshness of the onions and tomatoes that hopefully you selected at their best to prepare the dish! The spicing is ginger, cumin and chilli and again you should be aiming for these ingredients to be very high quality. Finally, ghee brings the dish together and adds a subtle undernote that cannot be missed.

I know what I'm having for supper tonight...just put some beans in the pressure cooker!

Thanks for this reply Jenni.. It was exactly what I was looking for..It was a homemade rajma , that my wife brought home from a lady she works with that hooked me on it. That restaurant versions I have tried aren't worth eating usually.

"Why is the rum always gone?"

Captain Jack Sparrow

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  • 1 month later...

Jenni has given a wonderful answer on the use of various types of spice mixes that are seen commonly in Indian cooking. Typically you want to make the masala fresh everytime you use it for a dish. Something more general purpose ones like a Sambhar masala or a garam masala can be made and I tend to store some part of it in the freezer which I find the next best thing to making a fresh batch.

Regarding the garam masala recipe in Julie Sahni's book, I would be of the opinion that a Mughlai garam masala is just a more luxurious version of the home-style garam masala. They are bound to have a higher proportion of ingredients such as mace, cardamom, saffron, dried rose petals and would typically include the use of shahi jeera (royal cumin) instead of regular cumin. These type of masalas were typically used by royal courts and palaces in their cuisine and are unique to the particular family to whom the recipe belongs.

I would say choose a garam masala recipe you like - and really each dish such as rajma, chole, baingan bharta, chicken, dishes have a certain masala that goes best with them.

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