Bottle Masala

[Suvir Saran]

Indiagirl,

Would you share some information about Bottle Masala???

I have always wanted to learn more about it from a Maharashtrian....

I lived in Nagpur as a kid for 3 years.. and I have always had very fond memories of that city and Maharashtra.

I would be grateful for any light you can shed on this spice mix.

Thanks for your help.

[indiagirl]

Suvir,

Bottle Masala? Oh dear. I must dissapoint you - I have no idea what it is. The essential Maharashtrian masala of course is Kala Masala, also called Goda Masala.

I suspect they are they the same thing? Perhaps you can describe your memories of it some more and I could confirm whether they are the same.

Kala Masala is the dark oily spice mix that gives Masale Bhat and Bharleli Vangi (Stuffed Brinjals) the very distinct flavor they have. Aaah, I've just guaranteed myself a day of unsatisfactory meals!

Also, I will investigate Bottle Masala further - I will consult the trusty, tattered cookbook and call my mom and report back in here in a day or two. I hope that will do.

BTW, I was born in Nagpur, as were both my parents! It's a small world.

Glad to see you back ....

[Monica Bhide]

Welcome back Suvir, hope all is well.

Hope its okay for me to respond to this.

Bottle Masala:

The masala consists of 15 -20 spices (or more!) in varying proportions. The spices have to be dried in the sharp sun, that is why Bottle Masala is made before the monsoon. Each condiment is roasted on a slow fire and pounded. The spices are then packed in airtight dry bottles -- hence the name. I believe the main ingredients are dry red chillies and coriander seeds

"Bottle Masala differs in pungency, flavour and even colour depending on the ingredients used. The East Indians use it for everything. They swear that the cuisine does not taste the same without it! The Bottle Masala has travelled far and wide, East Indian emigrants take it with them to Canada and Australia, and there are some restaurants aborad, like Namita Panjabi’s Chutney Mary in London, that use it in their cooking. " -- A friend send me this quote from some paper...

[Suvir Saran]

Monica, of course your word here carries great weight. And even more so with your last name being Bhide. Two women I adore are Manik Tai and Ashwini, and they are also both Bhide's. Singers of great repute, they are my champions.

And yes bottle masala is exactly how you describe. But each family has their own recipe.

What does the Bhide clan use??? What proportions?

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir,

Bottle Masala? Oh dear. I must dissapoint you - I have no idea what it is. The essential Maharashtrian masala of course is Kala Masala, also called Goda Masala.

I suspect they are they the same thing? Perhaps you can describe your memories of it some more and I could confirm whether they are the same.

Kala Masala is the dark oily spice mix that gives Masale Bhat and Bharleli Vangi (Stuffed Brinjals) the very distinct flavor they have. Aaah, I've just guaranteed myself a day of unsatisfactory meals!

Also, I will investigate Bottle Masala further - I will consult the trusty, tattered cookbook and call my mom and report back in here in a day or two. I hope that will do.

BTW, I was born in Nagpur, as were both my parents! It's a small world.

Glad to see you back ....

Thanks Indiagirl!

DO you have recipes for Kaala Masala? I think it is the same thing as bottle masala. I love Bhareli Vangi. IN fact I hated vangi (eggplant) as a child but bhareli vangi and rasa vangi (both maharashtrian dishes) were two of my favorite or only acceptable eggplant preparations.

Do you make either? Have any certified authentic recipes?

Born in Nagpur?? Wow, you are lucky! I envy you... I love, absolutely love Nagpur. My fondest memories from my youth are from there. It was my dream world. I learned many Hindu customs there and also went for my first Midnight Mass (for Christmas) in Nagpur.

Where did you family live in Nagpur?

What were your favorite restaurants?

Did you know Dinshaws ice cream parlor??

Now I shall miss Nagpur even more.

[indiagirl]

Suvir. Boy, Dinshaws. Of course I remember Dinshaws. I just called my Mom and Dad out of a sheer Suvir inspired nostalgia attack. Do not remember too much about restaurants.

My parents moved to Bombay soon after I was born but we went back there every summer (all the cousins) and so not much eating out was done.

But boy, do I remember the meals, sitting on the floor - a long line of cousins, being served by aunts and uncles and pigging out on mangoes (alphonso, the only kind) and ... playing in the mango tree.... and raiding Dinshaws. My mothers family lived in (and my parents have now retired to) Dharampeth and my fathers in Ramdaspeth.

So if you have any specific Nagpur craving, we could always charm my parents into providing them.

(Do you ever wonder why you left home? Or whether you knew what it would really, really mean to leave?)

So my Mom does not know what Bottle masala is either, but sounds like Monica has a pretty good idea. It sounds fascinating. Thanks. I will have to see if Ruchira has a recipe although the damn thing does not have an index page anymore so ... this may take a while!

So here is the Kala Masala, also from the trusty Ruchira:

Again 1 katori= about 1/2 cup

4 katoris coriander seeds

1 katori dried coconut

1/2 katori sesame seeds

1/4 katori cumin seeds

3 spoons caraway

2 spoons cloves

4-5 2" long cinnamon sticks

1/2 spoon fenugreek seeds

2 spoons asafoetida

5-6 bay leaves

1 spoon turmeric

1/2 katori chilli powder

1/4 katori oil

1/4 katori salt

1 spoon mustard seeds

Dry roast sesame seeds and grind to a powder

Shallow fry the following and grind to a powder separately (I must confess to frequently cheating here and doing this in four groups - asafoetida, coconut, cinnamon and then all the seeds, it seems to have done no lasting damage!)

asafoetida

coconut

cumin, caraway, bay leaves, mustard, fenugreek

cinnamon

Mix all off the above powdered ingredients with the turmeric, chilli powder and salt and voila!

And where were you born, Suvir?

[Suvir Saran]

Dinshaws inspired my life.. and it also was a player in the changes that happened in my life in my early adulthood.

Dinshaws will always be a part of my life. Can never be forgotten. I still remember those beautiful yet simple cups in which they served ice cream unlike any I have eaten since.

Dharampeth was where we went to shop for saris...

We lived in Ambhajhari Lane and also in Presitige Apartments (near Bishop Cotton School) and finally in Bungalow Number 3 in Civil Lines. The largest bungalow of its kind in Nagpur. Once the home of the Governor.

I have vivid and very fond memories of Nagpur. Mr. Billimoria (whose families name is the name of the famous Cricket stadium) was a sweetheart. He would feed me sweets as if there was never going to be a tomorrow for this little boy (me).

And I thank you for bringing back such beautiful memories for me in a time in my life when I need happiness that comes from going back in memory lane. Thanks indiagirl.

Bottle Masala and Kaala Masala are the same.. and they change from home to home.... I would love to see Ruchira's recipe.. when you have time.. if you can share that.. it would be a great treat.

Thanks for all your posts.. They are a joy.

[Suvir Saran]

I was born in Delhi at the Holy Family Hospital.

[A Scottish Chef]

Would you share some information about Bottle Masala???

How some other Scots express their deep love of Indian cooking

Where Kilt Lifters honour India

[indiagirl]

a kilt lifter. i love it!

hahaha

if i could do emoticons (which i cannot for some reason) that would be a guffaw

what would the indian version be, i wonder.

a dhoti destroyer

a sari stripper

or a lungi lifter!

[bague25]

Suvir

I read an earlier thread in the archives where you ask for this recipe. Excuse me if you've got your reply and this post is a repitition but here is one of my family recipe that is made either by my Mom or an Aunt every summer. Jars of this masala find themselves in various parts of the globe:

Bottle masala

¾ kg chillies

¾ kg coriander

¼ kg turmeric

¼ kg sesame

¼ kg poppy seeds

¼ kg mustard

¼ kg chana dal

¼ kg wheat

¼ kg cumin

125 g pepper

1 nutmeg

50 g shahjeera

50 g cinnamon

50 g cardamom

50 g cloves

50 g star anise

50 g allspice

50 g triphal

50 g nagkesar

50 g jaipatri

50 g maipatri

(don't ask me for an English translation of the last four spices)

Dry ingredients in sun for a couple of days (or dry roast each ingredient separately). Powder and store in airtight tins.

I have never made it myself but have tasted it and I have a jar in my spice cupboard.

[Vikram]

Bottle masala is great stuff, it gives a flavour that is savoury without being too spicy or too bland. All East Indian families (I have already delivered a diatribe on this forum on what the East Indian community in Bombay is, as opposed to the general East Indian term slapped on all Indians abroad) claim to have their own special recipe for them, but in fact most of the recipes I've seen are more or less on the lines of the one listed by bague25.

What I like is the way they are still made. In winters in Bombay these groups of hefty women workers come to East Indian houses (and also other communities that grind some of their masalas for the year, like Gujaratis), and take the spices which are bought and given to them in the right proportions by the women of the house.

They then take up residence there for a day or two, roasting and drying the spices in the courtyards or terraces and then mixing and pounding them in a battered wooden bucket using long wooden staves. 3-4 women stand around the bucket and lift and pound in the staves in turn, with a definite rhythm which they keep up for hours until all the spices are powdered into one orangey-brown mixture.

The mixture is then kept in old beer bottles which are chosen because they are opaque and their long necked shape makes them easy to use - you just keep a bottle at arm's length while cooking to pick up and shake in as much masala as you need. Here's an all-purpose bottle masala recipe given to me by an East Indian friend (who, as can be seen, had just given birth when she sent it). I can confirm its very easy to do and delicious:

Okay. The idiot's guide to home cooking.

Basic Bottle Masala Curry. (Really basic) (this recipe serves about 4)

Ingredients:

Approx: 8-12 cloves of garlic (cloves not a pod. i always put a lot of garlic so err on the side of plenty. crush them then chop the m'fuckers)

Curry Leaves. (Kadi Patta) about 8 - 10 leaves.

4 tablespoons Coconut Milk Powder (Maggi's is good. Little box and silverfoil pack inside.)

2-4 tablespoons of bottle masala.

1/2 kilo chicken / mutton

3-4 potatoes

Optional Ingredients.

5 onions [chopped] (refer to note on garlic)

2 tomatoes [chopped] (better to add to mutton. chicken will do without)

2/3 pieces of kokam (black sour like thing.)

heavy bottomed pan. heat some oil and throw in your garlic & curry leaves first. always.

boil some water, put coconut milk powder in a mug, add boiling water and stir till smooth.

wait till the garlic browns and smells nice then put in your onions if you got any. if you got none then jump to ***

let the onions brown (on a medium to high flame). when onions are quite brown add the chopped tomatoes, continue to fry them till they're all messy and well fried.

***now take the pan off the stove, add the bottle masala and mix it into the onions etc in the pan.

put the pan back on the flame, stir around for about 30 seconds, then add your coconut milk. boil it up.

let it simmer for some time. add salt.

put in your chicken / mutton along with the kokam.

NB: if you want to put in potatoes, it's a little more tricky. you have to figure out when the chicken is about 3/4th cooked for medium sized pieces of potato. the mutton should be almost cooked before you can put the potatoes in cos mutton takes ages. chicken with bones takes about 45 mins to cook in

a normal pan. mutton can take 1.5 hrs on a low flame (which is how i cooked lunch the other day). boneless chicken takes about 20 mins. you could just boil it all up though and add some prawns and boil the curry for 7 mins with some fresh coriander and end the kitchen misery.

will respond to the rest of your letter later. lactation time.

[bague25]

I'll add another basic recipe to Vikram's...

Basic fish/seafood recipe (called fish/seafood kalvan)

4-5 cloves garlic

1 1/2 inch ginger

2-3 green chillies

1 onion chopped

2 Tbsps oil

1 golf ball size tamarind (soaked in 1 cup warm water and juice extracted)

500 g fish (approx)

2-4 tbsp bottle masala

Grind or preferably pound in a motar and pestle garlic, ginger and green chillies.

Fry the paste with onions till golden add bottle masala and stir for a few seconds. Add tamarind water and bring to a rolling boil. Add fish or seafood (small prawns are wonderful) and salt and cook till done. Potatoes can be added to this dish. Its best eaten over rice.

In season, a couple of chopped green mangoes are added.

And yes, Vikram, papads, pickles and masalas are prepared as you describe in my family. Ladies from neighbouring houses are invited to help and ofcourse the favour is returned - it's quite festive...

[BBhasin]

Bague25

your recipe for the bottle masalla sounds great. Can someone please enlighten me what those last four ingredients are.

bhasin

[bague25]

Bhasin

thanks!

Ttriphal is Schezuan peppercorns for the rest others may be of help

[bague25]

Bhasin

Thanks!

Triphal is Schezuan peppercorns for the rest others may be of help

[bague25]

... and jaipatri is javitri that is mace...

[Rushina]

Could the Commercially available "Kitchen King" be the same thing? A lot of the ingrediants sound the same as on the box.

Rushina

[bague25]

Could the Commercially available "Kitchen King" be the same thing? A lot of the ingrediants sound the same as on the box.

Rushina

Rushina

I use Kitchen King often - it is not the same thing...

Bottle masala is really a family thing. It's not commercialized, or maybe, by some enterprising housewife in a very small quantity. Maybe Vikram will know of places where one can buy some in Bombay

[deliad]

A few minutes on Google.... and these terms became easier..

=================

Triphala (Trifala)

Triphala, a cornerstone of ayurvedic medicine, is a composite herbal preparation containing equal proportions of the fruits of three myrobalans, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula and Terminalia bellirica. This preparation is known to be a safe hypoglycemic agent. Triphala prevents aging, imparts immunity and improves mental faculties. It helps to detoxify the liver, restore digestion and purify blood. Triphala is widely used in a large number of medicinal preparations. It is also a laxative that rejuvenates the membrane lining the digestive tract and contributes to effective cleansing of the colon, a key condition in Ayurveda to maintaining optimum health.

=================

Nagkesar

Mesua ferrea Linn.

English Name: Mesua

Family: Guttiferae

Indication

The essential oil has antimicrobial and anthelmintic activity. Others have shown anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activity. Recently it has been shown that calophyllolide is effective in reducing the increased capillary permeability induced in mice by iiistamine, 5-HT and bradykinin. Main use of stamen has been described for controlling bleeding in menorrhagia and piles.

===================

JAIPATRI

(Myristica Fragrance)

Same as Javitri

Also known as Mace

=================

[Vikram]

If you're in Bombay bottle masala is quite easy to get. Its sold in packets in lots of places - Bandra obviously (try Jude's at Pali Naka), but any decent butcher should have it. Farm Products in Colaba does. Its also possible to get the original packaging beer bottle version in shops in Bandra. There's also a guy called Vivian who can be called on at any time of the day or night in case there's a bottle masala emergency. Have his number somewhere, message me directly if you want it,

Vikram

PS: And triphal is NOT Sichuan peppers as far as I'm aware

[bague25]

PS: And triphal is NOT Sichuan peppers as far as I'm aware

I may be wrong - I did a search and fell upon this.

http://www.humnri.com/HumZone/Recipes/read...RecipesCatid=15

[Episure]

Triphal, Sichuan Pepper and Sansho are Zanthoxylums with slight variations as sub species.

With hints of lime, cardamom, mint and anise, it's a great spice that deserves wider use.

I use it as an essential ingredient in coastal style Fish curries and in my home made Shichimi Togarashi.

And here is my Signature recipe that has all my friends clamoring for more.

It is simple, easy and uses no masalas! ( I hope the trained pros on this site will forgive me )

Episure's Chicken Malabar

1 cup coconut milk 1st extract(thick)

2 cups coconut milk 2nd extract(thin)

500 grams Chicken pieces or boneless if you prefer

Garlic paste

20 nos. Triphal

Slit whole green chillies as per your tolerance.

Cook the chicken and Triphal in the 2nd extract till done. Add the 1st extract, Chillies and Garlic paste and simmer for a few more minutes. Garnish with sauted Curry leaves and red chillies.

Can be devoured with Rice, Pao, Bread, Nan, Roti.....practically anything.

Sigh! There goes another recipe to Bhasin's restaurant.

[Episure]

I forgot to write Salt.

[bague25]

Episure

I also tried your Malabar chicken recipe. I made it using canned coconut milk. It really turned out good. I'm going to try it out on a couple of friends comming over tonight. Thanks for sharing this recipe.