| Sniff around in a Mumbaikar's kitchen and you'll discover their roots. Steal their masala daan and your food will taste different
Maharashtrian goda masala
Amti, bharleli vangi or matki chi usal… none of them goes without the smouldering fire of this dark blend. Ingredients
4 cups coriander seeds
1 cup dry coconut
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
4-5 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoon asafoetida
1-2 stick of cinnamon
3-4 cloves
1 black cardamom
3 dry red chillies
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Roast all the ingredients except coconut and coriander seeds with a little (1 tsp) of oil. Roast coconut & coriander seeds separately without oil. Now grind all these items and two teaspoons of raw (unroasted) cumin seeds and salt (to taste) together. Once the masala cools store it in an airtight container. How to use
This masala is used just like garam masala in curries or rice.
Basic Sindhi tomato base
After peeling, cleaning and chopping every Sindhi mother teaches her daughter how to make this tomato gravy that even makes the humble lauki taste good. Ingredients
2 onions, finely chopped
4 tomatoes
1-2 green chillies
1-inch fresh ginger
1 tsp dhania powder
tsp haldi
tsp red chilli powder
A few curry leaves
A few sprigs of coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Fry onions till golden brown along with ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. Stir in tomatoes, either finely chopped or pureed depending on the consistency of the gravy you want. Add dry masalas and stir. How to use
Toss in veggies into your authentic Sindhi gravy and cook well. Garnish generously with chopped coriander. Bengali Paanch Phoran
Bengali homes have jars filled with equal parts of five whole, raw spices for their own version of ambrosia. Ingredients
25 gm cumin seeds
25 gm mustard seeds (use red or white for authenticity)
25 gm fenugreek seeds
25 gm aniseed
25 gm onion seeds
Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container. How to use
Paanch Phoron is used for tempering (crackling in oil / tadka / vaghaar). It gets along with meat, seafood and veggies or tossed into cooked dal. For some genuine Bengali bite use mustard oil. Kashmiri Garam Masala
The richness of 'wazwaan' comes from the generous use of curd and the aroma comes from this flavourful, warm, heady spice blend. Ingredients
1/3 cup black pepper
1/3 cup dry ginger
1/3 cup cumin seeds or shahjeera
5 gm cinnamon
1/3 cup cardamom
5 gm cloves
Grind all ingredients at high speed for 3 minutes. You should obtain a fine powder which can be sieved and stored in an airtight container. How to use
As you would use any garam masala, roast or fry in the initial vaghaar until the spices release their aroma. Goan fiery red masala
Goan food is a blend of Christian and Hindu food with the telling influence of Portuguese. Goan spices go through the grind. But how they do depends on which part they get ground in. North Goa prefers separately ground spices and the south likes spices ground together with coconut and then passed through muslin cloth.
And whether cafreal, recheado or sorpotel, it's almost always hot, tangy and pungent. Dry Ingredients
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 tsp cloves
4 cm piece of cinnamon bark, broken up into bits
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander
75g small dried hot red chillies
2 tbsp hot paprika Wet Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
10 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
50 gm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small onion, diced
150 ml vinegar
Grind the dry ingredients together in a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder to a powder. Heat some oil in a saucepan over a moderate heat.
When the oil is hot add onion, garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook until the onion is soft and transparent, remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
Add wet ingredients including the vinegar to the dry ingredients in the mortar and pestle or a food processor (with a tad more vinegar) and process to a smooth paste. Place the mixture in sterilised jar with a little oil over the top of the masala. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. How to use
It is used as the marinade or part of the stuffing for any kind of meat or seafood. Bohri meat masala
Taste-enhancing ginger and garlic are imperative for any meat. Then there is 'red masala'. Ingredients
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
Whole jeera (vaghaar)
Powdered jeera (for meat)
Red masala (quantities, to taste)
— Red chilly powder
— Turmeric powder
— Coriander seed powder
Whole garam masala (quantities, to taste)
— Cinnamon
— Cloves
— Cardamom How to use
For one kg of meat, fry 1 tbsp each of ginger, garlic and onion well. Add the whole garam masalas. Add red masala and add meat. Fry well. Put very little water and pressure cook. Add large chunks of potato. Fry for a bit. Add water and cook until the potatoes are soft. Chop up tomatoes in chunks and add. Cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and flavourful. Garnish with kothmir. Tangy Mangalorean Kairus
This coastal cuisine has lots of coconut to balance the red chillies, but don't forget the tamarind. grated coconut
1 tbsp dry roasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp roasted coriander seeds
A pinch of mustard seeds
4 dry roasted red chillies
A pinch of turmeric
Lemon sized ball of dried tamarind
Soak imli in warm water and squeeze for extract. Grind with all dry masalas. How to use
Fry mustard and curry leaves in oil. Add chopped capsicum, cashewnuts, raisins (optional) and add water. When half done add masala and stir till done. Add a pinch of jaggery if you desire. The gravy should be semi dry and thick. Parsi Dhansak masala
An assimilation of many cuisines, meat and rice heavy Parsi bhonu is largely rich Persian with a whiff of simple Gujarati flavour. Urban legend has wedding guests fasting before the delicious lagan feast. Totally worth it.
This is one of the many versions of dhansak masala. Jamva chaloji! Ingredients
5-10 chillies (to taste)
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tbsp cloves
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp mace
1 tbsp green or black cardamom seeds
tbsp ground turmeric
Deseed chillies. Dry roast whole spices over medium heat, stirring frequently and well until they become aromatic and darken. stirring often to prevent scorching. Dry grind them to a powder when they cool. Dry roast fresh bay leaves for a few minutes. Grind and add to the other powdered spices. How to use
The original recipe calls for seven dals (dhan), many greens and veggies (saak) including toor, masoor, chana, brinjal, carrots, onions, potatoes, pumpkin, spinach and methi leaves but this very basic, easy version lends itself easily to almost lentils and vegetables.
Soak the dals overnight. Cook in a pressure cooker and blend into a paste. Cook the veggies and greens until soft and blend into a paste. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan (if you want to prevent sticking, though the slightly scorched taste is relished as well). Cook the dal paste for a few minutes.
Add some ginger, garlic and tamarind paste. Stir continuously. Add the veggie paste and keep stirring. Add the dhansak masala and salt to taste. You can add meat or chicken at this point. Cook on a very low flame for half an hour until well done. Add water if a thin gravy is preferred. Dig in with caramelised onion rice. | 
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
