Recipe: GUJARATI MASALA

Gujarati Masala

I managed to get the Garam Masala (Punjabi-style) recipe. Later, I could buy the Maharashtrian masala readymade during an exhibition at Bandra Kurla Complex. But the Gujarati masala had been eluding me since many years.

I have a few Gujju friends from whom I tried to learn this one. But they used to get the masala from their hometown in Gujarat and none of them knew how to make it. I suppose it is something like the sambar powder form Tamil Nadu. Most of the people get it directly from their families living in that state and do not have a clue about the ingredients that go in it.

I prefer to make fresh masalas at home as the food tastes much better. Since I have the luxury of time on my hands, life is a lot easier, of course.

Roasted ingredients

Luckily for me, a Gujarati family have moved into the flat across mine and the daughter-in-law Pratiksha was only too ready to help me with this recipe. She gave me the names of the ingredients a few days ago. As I began to get the ingredients together, I realised that she had not given me the proportion. I did not want to disturb her in the morning as she has a school-going son. So, I just prayed and put stuff together. The result was a super-delicious Gujarati Masala that tasted heavenly when added to the cauliflower-peas sabzi that I made today.

INGREDIENTS

Red chillies – 10
Green chillies – 10 (broken into 2-3 pieces each)
Bay Leaves (Tej Patta) – 6 (broken into pieces)
Curry Leaves – a handful
Black Pepper – 2 tbsp
Jeera – 2 tbsp
Cloves – 15
Cinnamon – 1” piece

Cauliflower-Peas Sabzi

METHOD

Take a kadai and dry roast the ingredients one by one. Please ensure that the green chillies are broken into pieces. If you drop full green chillies on to a hot saucepan, the chances are high that the chillies might burst in your face.

Cool the ingredients before grinding them dry into a coarse powder. The Gujarati Masala should be stored in an airtight container in the freezer as it might not survive if kept outside at room temperature.

You can add about 2 tsp for about a kilo of sabzi. Use more or less depending on how spicy you want the sabzi to be.

The Gujarati Masala has a superb aroma!