Regional Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi Masale (Spice Blends)

[Tan Can Cook]

Bottle Masala from Essential Marathi Cookbook

 

By Tan Can Cook
Modified and Adapted from Kaumudi Marathé

 

 

Ingredients (Quarter Quantity via Tan Can Cook)

 

25 g Byadgi dried red chilies
18.75 g Kashmiri dried red chilies
18.75 g coriander seeds
6.25 g turmeric powder
6.25 g mango ginger powder [Curcuma amada]
3 g poppy seeds
3 g white sesame seeds
3 g mustard seeds
3 g cumin seeds
3 g black peppercorns
1.75 g green cardamom
1.75 g cinnamon pieces
1.75 g cloves
1.75 g whole wheat flour
1.75 g split chickpeas (chana dal)
0.88 g black cumin seeds [Elwendia persica]
0.88 g Indian bay leaves
0.88 g cassia buds [Cinnamomum spp.]
0.88 g mace
0.88 g rampatri / maipatri [Myristica malabarica]
0.88 g cubeb pepper [Piper cubeba]
0.88 g asafoetida
0.25 g fennel seeds
0.65 g (⅛ piece) nutmeg

 

Method

• Clean and dry ingredients separately (except nutmeg); roast them slowly on a hot dry griddle, till fragrant and crisp.
• Grind nutmeg fine. Place it in a large bowl. Grind chillies fine and add to the nutmeg.
• Separately grind or pound the other ingredients fine. Mix them with the powdered spices.
• Store in airtight containers and away from light.

[Tan Can Cook]

Maharashtrian Malvani Masala from The Konkan Cookbook

 

By Tan Can Cook

Modified and Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor

 

 

Ingredients (Half Quantity)

 

30 g dry Byadgi red chilies
9.25 g (2 tbsp) coriander seeds
0.50 g (6 to 7) cloves
1.63 g (½ tsp) black peppercorns
2.70 g (1 tsp) fennel seeds
0.75 g (¼ tsp) cumin seeds
1.00 g (¼ + ⅛ tsp) black cumin seeds [Elwendia persica]
1.00 g (1) black cardamom
4.50 g (5½-inch) cinnamon pieces
1.25 g (2¼ tsp) stone flower
0.40 g (¼ tsp) nagkesar [Mesua ferrea]
1.00 g (¼ + ⅛ tsp) black mustard seeds
4.00 g (1½ tsp) turmeric powder
1.00 g (¼ tsp) asafoetida
2.75 g (½ piece) nutmeg
0.50 g (½ piece) star anise

 

Method

• Dry roast (on low-medium heat) all the ingredients one by one until fragrant.
• Cool & grind—allowing the roasted spices to cool completely.
• Grind them into a fine powder.
• Store and transfer to an airtight container and in a cool, dry, and dark place.

[Tan Can Cook]

Goda (Kala) Masala from Essential Marathi Cookbook

 

The original recipe yields 1.5 kg of Goda (Kala) Masala! Traditionally, families in Maharashtra make enormous batches and distribute them among family members or friends. The original recipe from Kaumudi Marathé was provided in grams, making it easy to scale down by a factor of 8 for convenient storage in recycled jam jars.

 

In my small batch, I opted to use dried Byadagi red chilies from Karnataka and dried Kashmiri red chilies from Kashmir. They are mild in heat and provide vibrant color. In this masala blend, coriander, coconut, and sesame dominate. The color turns dark brown, which is why it’s called "kala" (Hindi: dark color or black).

 

 

By Tan Can Cook

Modified and Adapted from Kaumudi Marathé
 

Ingredients [Reduced by Factor 8 ( Yields ~194 Grams)]

 

14.36 g virgin coconut oil
1.88 g Indian bay leaves
1.88 g black stone flower (Parmotrema perlatum)
31.125 g grated dried coconut
6.19 g dried Byadagi red chilies
6.19 g dried Kashmiri red chilies
6.38 g cumin seeds
3 g black cumin seeds [Elwendia persica]
43.875 g white sesame seeds
62.625 g coriander seeds
3 g cassia buds [Cinnamomum spp.]
2.625 g cloves
2.625 g cinnamon sticks
1.13 g black peppercorns
3 g asafoetida
2.625 g turmeric powder
1.88 g kosher (coarse) salt

 

Method

• Gently heat ½ tbsp oil on a griddle. Toast each ingredient separately, except turmeric and salt, in the order listed above for 2-7 minutes each. Toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, till fragrant.
• Toast larger quantities in batches. Reheat griddle and oil as required.
• Put toasted ingredients in a large bowl. Powder them fine, in batches if needed. Mix in turmeric.
• Store goda (kala) masala in jars. To store masala long term, mix in coarse salt, closing the lid tightly, and store in refrigerator.

 

 

This is not the same recipe for Goda (Kala) Masala from The Essential Marathi Cookbook, but if you search for the name on YouTube, you will find people in Maharashtra sharing their recipes and making it in gigantic portions. Here is an example video in Marathi:

 

.