North Indian
House Dry-Roast Masala Blend
A fragrant in-house dry-roast masala — coriander, cumin, cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, cardamom, mace and dried red chilli, dry-roasted and ground. Punchier than garam masala, leaner than chicken masala. Use 1/2 tsp wherever a sabzi needs a top-note lift.
Prep
2 min
Cook
8 min
Serves
4
Per serving
52kcal
Protein
2g
Carbs
9g
Fat
3g
Fibre
5g
Ingredients
- 5–7 tbspCoriander seeds
- 3 tbspCumin seeds
- 4–5Cloves
- 2 tbspBlack peppercorns
- 7–8Bay leaves
- 2Green cardamom
- 1 bladeMace (javitri)
- 4–5Dried red chillies
Method
- 1
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on the lowest flame possible. Add all the whole spices in one go.
- 2
Dry-roast for 4–6 minutes, stirring constantly, until the coriander seeds turn a shade darker and the kitchen smells warm and toasty. The goal is fragrance, not colour — do not let anything brown.
- 3
Tip onto a cold plate and cool completely. (Hot spices grind into a sticky mess.)
- 4
Grind to a medium-fine powder. Store in an airtight jar for up to 3 months.