INDIAN SPICE BLENDS

We all know that Spice blends and masala's are the heart of Indian food,.Whether spicy or milder,simple or complex.each blend provides a signature flavor of the dish,The perfect taste comes only when the ingredients are roasted and bended which gives more aroma.Though many brands of masalas are available it is easy to make at home,as freshly prepared masala gives more taste to the food items,in India spice box( a circular box which contains seven bowls,in that commonly used spice are kept in the kithcen shelf) is one of the important container in the kitchen of every house ,which remained traditional as ever.Previous they used wooden spice box,but gradually they were made with differnt metals.Now every one are using the steel box.To maximize the life time of the blends shoud always be stored in dry and airtight containers and refrigerated to avoid insects.In India every region got its cuisine with its prominent tastes.And this is because of their regional cooking style and the masals or spices they use.I want to share some spice blends and masala recipes.

MASALA WITH CHILI POWDER: It is flavored chili powder added for curries,no need to add extra masala for this.

1. red chili's -1 kg


2. Whole dhaniya -1 /4 Th kg


3. Turmeric/haldi-100 grams


4. Mustard/aavalu-100 gms


5. Cumin-100 gms


6. Methi/ fenugreek-25 grams

Dry roast all these ingredients and grind with salt 150 gms and 100 gms of garlic,cool and store it in a dry jar with tight lid

Place it in fridge,remains fresh for many days

CHAT MASALA-Used for chats and snack items.

1. Amchur/dry mango powder-25 gms


2. Kala namak/black salt-15 gms


3. Pepper powder-5 Gms


4. Musk melon seeds-15 gms


5. Dry ginger-5 gms


6. Lemon salt-2 gms

Dry and grind to fine powder

THAVA MASALA:Used for curries

1. Whole dhaniya-25 gms


2. Dry mango powder/amchur-20 gms


3. Salt-20 gms


4. Red chilis-25 gms


5. Cumin-15 gms


6. Pepper-10 gms


7. Fennel seed-10 gms


8. Fenugreek or methi-15 gms


9. Cardamom and mustard-10 gms each


10. Dry ginger-10 gms


11. Cloves-3


12. Shah jeera-1/2 teaspoon


13. Bay leaf-1

Roast and grind to fine powder

GARAM MASALA-NORTH INDIAN STYLE-good for sprinkling on the rice dishes

1. Cumin seeds-2 table spoons


2. Dhaniya/coriander seeds-2 table spoons


3. black pepper-2 table spoons


4. Cardamom-1 table spoon


5. Whole cloves- teaspoon


6. Broken bits of cinnamon stick-3 inches


7. Grated nutmeg-1 teaspoon

Dry roast and blend to a fine powder

PANCH PHORAN-BENGAL -blend of 5 spices

1. Cumin


2. Fennel


3. Mustard


4. Fenugreek


5. Nigella

All one table spoon are dry roasted and make fine powder.are used for the Bengali curry recipes

MASALA PRESERVE

1. Coriander seeds/Dhaniya-1 cup


2. Pepper corns-1 cup


3. Mustard-1 cup


4. Chili powder-1/Th cup


5. Cumin seeds-4 ts


6. Poppy seeds/khus-khus-6 ts


7. Ginfer-2ts


8. Garlic cloves-12


9. Venegar-3 tsps

Roast with oil blend to a fine paste and add venegar mix well, and refrigirate

MOGHLAI GARAM MASALA-HYDERABAD CUISINE-used for dum biriyani a,d mughlai chats

1. Whole dhaniya-50 gms


2. Shahi jeera-2 gms


3. Cumin-25 gms


4. Cinnamon-15 gms


5. Cardamom-15 gms


6. Whole pepper corns-15 gms


7. Cloves-10 gms