2 hours ago, Tempest63 said:I have the essential Marathi Cookbook in my collection which I see from your blog you also have, there are some dishes that I would very much like to try from the book. The problem is it seems impossible to find a source here in the U.K. for Bottle Masala.
I understand that this masala is usually made in the home in India and having found many recipes for it, including the one in the book, I find such small amounts of each spice from a lengthy list is impractical, and the quantities they make would be wasteful as I know it would not get used quickly enough.
That aside, some of the component spices I have never seen here in the U.K. and a brief look across the internet appears to indicate that they are not available.
I may have to wait until someone I know is going to India and see if a bottle is available there.
Greetings from across the pond sir. Hi @Tempest63.
As far the spices for East Indian Bottle Masala and in your position makes sense. If you read the book, which you and I have, to make the Bottle Masala, this the recipe:
100 gms dried red Rasampatti chillies
75 gms dried red Kashmiri Deghi chillies
75 gms coriander seeds
25 gms (2½ tbsp) turmeric powder
12 gms (2½ tsp) poppy seeds (khus-khus)
12 gms (2½ tsp) sesame seeds (til)
12 gms (3½ tsp) yellow mustard seeds
12 gms (3½ tsp) cumin seeds
12 gms (3½ tsp) black peppercorns
7 gms (1¾ tsp) green cardamoms
7 gms (7 x 1ʺ sticks) cinnamon
7 gms (1½ tbsp) cloves
7 gms wholewheat grains (gehun)
7 gms (1 tsp) split, husked Bengal gram (chana dal)
3.5 gms (1 tsp) royal cumin seeds (shah jeera)
3.5 gms (2 pieces) bay leaves (tej patta)
3.5 gms (4¼ tsp) cassia buds (nagkesar)
3.5 gms sesame flowers (optional)
3.5 gms (3½ blades) mace (javitri)
3.5 gms cubeb pepper (kababchini)
3.5 gms (1 tsp) powdered asafoetida (hing)
1.0 gm (⅓ tsp) fennel seeds (badi saunf)
2.58 gms (½) nutmeg (jaiphal)
As for "sesame flowers," even I gave up on finding that. I contacted the author Shrimati Kaumudi-ji at her Instagram. She currently lives in Southern California now. She said it's OK that I omit it.
As for finding cassia buds, those are the dried buds of Cinnamomum spp. tree. I sourced it from a Canada spice shop called Pepper Tree and Spice Co. at https://peppertreespice.com/products/cassia-buds-1?variant=44010666426607. Because I exclusively cook foods from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran, I use up my spices in a regularly.
90 grams (3.17 oz) of cassia buds (Cinnamomum spp.) cost me a total of 33.00 USD (~26.18 GBP). In transliterated Hindi, they are known as kala nagkesar. Don't confuse kala nagkesar with the other nagkesar, which is Mesua ferrea. In another Marathi cookbook that I have called Pangat, a Feast: Food and Lore from Marathi Kitchens by Saee Koranne-Khandekar, she uses nagkesar (Mesua ferrea) with the English name of cobra saffron / Ceylon ironwood buds.
85 grams (3 oz) of Mesua ferrea cost me total 32.97 USD (~26.15 GBP).
What's important is that these ingredients—although adds their floral and fragrance, their presence is masked by the dried red chillies and coriander seeds. If you omit them, the world we know won't implode or anything. I've included some images of how Cinnamomum spp., Mesua ferrea, and Piper cubeba look.
I don't know any giant spice shops in the UK, but the biggest and famous one we have in USA is based in NYC. It's famous name: Kalustyans. They charge 3-ounce for 19.99 USD + shipping and taxes, if applicable. https://foodsofnations.com/products/cassia-buds?variant=44375883153628.
You can purchase in lesser quantities, but the shipping cost of more or less about the same.
In my batch, I've downscaled it to quarter quantity to fit inside the jar. I've placed this in my spice cabinet away from light. Traditionally, they are stored inside recycled dark glass bottles hence the name East Indian Bottle Masala.
