49 minutes ago, Tempest63 said:One of the reasons for visiting the Taj Stores in Brick Lane yesterday was to source some Bassar Mix. This is a Kashmiri spice blend that was recommended to me and is one I have never used before. In fact I have never seen it listed in any of the Kashmiri recipes that I have prepared before. The Taj Stores didn’t appear to have it on the shelves and when I asked the staff they looked nonplussed and had never heard of it. Given that the store is run by Bangladeshis is it surprising that they are not aware of a Kashmiri spice blend?
I also enquired about the Bottle Masala but they didn’t have a clue about that either.
I've never heard of "basaar" or "bassar" masala until now. From looking at online recipes and packaging, I wonder—if it is a British Indian and/or British Pakistani invention? As in, I don't think any members of the South Asian diaspora would spend time making the traditional Kashmiri spice cakes. With your typical UK weather, I don't think "drying out in the sun" would work. Someone came and make those "Kashmiri spice cakes" into ground, powder form and called it a catchy name to sell their product? This is possible.
I have Wazwan: Traditional Kashmiri Cuisine and Multiple Flavors of Kashmiri Pandit Cuisine. There is no mention of the masala name. I did find the following:
Kashmiri Succh Bari (Ver) from Multiple Flavors of Kashmiri Pandit Cuisine
By Annapurna Chak
They are flat doughnut-shaped cakes of ground spices with a strong aroma. Generally made in bulk at the time of weddings, they can be stored for the rest of the year or more. Small amounts are broken off as required, crumbled and sprinkled over food to give a distinct Kashmiri flavour.
Kashmiri Spice Cake
Ingredients
250 g black gram flour (dhuli urad dal atta)
60 ml water
125 ml mustard oil (sarson ka tel)
Powder
70 g fenugreek seeds (methi dana), roasted in a little oil and then powdered
15 g turmeric powder (haldi)
60 g red chilli powder
15 g cloves (laung)
60 g black cardamom seeds (badi elaichi)
6 bay leaves (tej patte)
60 g cumin seeds (sabut zeera)
15 g green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
60 g dry ginger powder (sonth)
10 g roasted asafoetida (hing), powdered and dissolved in a little water
30 g coriander seeds (dhaniya)
5 g mace (javitri)
30 g cinnamon (dalchini)
1 nutmeg (jaiphal)
Method
- Grind the above ingredients into powder. Mix the powdered spices with the black gram flour till well blended. Then adding mustard oil, dissolved hing and water little at a time, knead the mixture into firm stiff dough. The dough should not be soft. Use as little water as possible unless too dry to knead. Keep the dough covered in a vessel overnight.
- The next morning, from the kneaded dough, make ¼ inch thick flat baris (cakes) of 2 inches in diameter with a hole in the centre and arrange them individually on greased thalis (plates). Dry them out in the sun (on both sides) for the next two–three weeks till completely dry. Store them in an airtight container when thoroughly dried. These baris, if made properly can last a few years.
Tip: Avoid making them during the monsoon or foggy days in winter since they need a lot of sunshine to dry the natural way.
