India's social media network on food and drink: Masala Mixes - India's social media network on food and drink

Jyotida was kind enough to send me some Packets of Noori Masalas when Ravum met up with him in Delhi. Member Rahul Varma has also written a piece on this ancient Pasari ( Grocer).

The weather here is now cool enough to cook from these warming spice mixes.

Mutton would probably taste better in this hearty stew recipe but I had to make do with Chicken.
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Looks delicious! I'm imagining the taste and going crazy.

Sekhar,
As is visible(or not visible) in the photo, I didnt use 250 grams of Ghee.

Jyoti da took us to Karim's back in 2006, and here's the 'Ishtew' we had :

Suresh Hinduja, on 09 November 2009 - 05:14 PM, said:

Dear Suresh,

I remember your describing your vist to Karim's a while back wheyou ordered a dish of brains. Did you taste their ishtoo on some other occasion,ad if so, do you have some comments on this Noori spice mixture and that other, which seems to have very little [or no?] tomato in its composition?

I have a recipe for Delhi style ishtoo that is also 250gmghee for 1kg meat,onions 500gm cooked to pre-golden stage, g&g, whole cassia,cassia leaf, black cardamom, black peppercorns , cloves, some red pepper, little ground coriander, yoghurt,finish with kewra optional. I wonder if this will give aything close to the desired taste?

Look at the photo Suresh attached of Nori Masala

Acha, Ek baat batao If we put soo much of tomato, onions, curd and ghee in mutton/chicken then we have actually killed any taste the meat will have nah ?
Or have I strayed too far from our desi palate to even appreciate the mutton, chicken taris served in the gallis of Amritsar,Lucknow,Delhi to even question this wisdom ?

anil, on 17 November 2009 - 04:26 PM, said:

This is not home food so more likely the latter.

Fistful of flavour

writes Reshmi Ray Dasgupta :

Quote

It would be interesting to delve into how organoleptic properties and the flavour changes once you shift and transplant a spice into different soil and climate.

E.g., wouldnt coriander or cumin grown in another country be slightly different?

Suresh Hinduja, on 29 November 2009 - 03:39 AM, said:

Suresh,

Their speech would have different accent.

TLG

In the coming month(s) (before I head to my annual desh trip) I'll be reverting to one microwave/one primitive oven situation if and when I cook.
I thought of picking up some pre packaged masalas which would reduce to minimum my cooking experiments and also reduce my time wasting on the 'net. I need your recommendations for pre packaged masalas -

Which one and Why ? and with what ?

Suresh Hinduja, on 29 November 2009 - 10:39 AM, said:

Exactly what the French (and others too) protect so fiercly and that is why Champagne is only a wine grown in the geographically denominated area called (champagne). Same with Roquefort and many, many other products...

anil, on 30 November 2009 - 12:01 PM, said:

I prefer MDH for north Indian preparation and MTR for South Indian. I am sure there are many more that may be good.

I have to cook more with the Noorie Masalas (mentioned upthread) to form an opinion.

Where will you be buying these from?

I find Shan a hit or miss these days, in the sense there seems to be an odd artificialish taste/aftertaste. I tried Laziza Masala masala last week for Paaya and to me it tasted better than Shan that I had tried earlier. I've not tried Laziza's other masalas. Banne Nawab (Hyderabad style) and Ahmed Masala was OK for mutton curry if I remember.

For Chicken 65 craving fix, I like the 'Desi' Brand Chicken 65 Masala, just marinate and stirfry. Have never tried making it in a microwave/oven. You may need some curry leaves for really authentic taste and some jalapenos.I think they have a tandoori masala in a similar (plastic) bottle:

Suresh Hinduja, on 30 November 2009 - 11:04 AM, said:

NEW Welcome to a Landmark for Fine Specialty Foods!

Sekhar, on 30 November 2009 - 11:58 AM, said:

I think that is important for me 1. Plastic is light 2. I can use a carryon as TSA can inspect and see that there is no liquid/gel in the bottle. :::Island Spice:::Jerk Seasoning Spice 8oz

Sekhar, on 30 November 2009 - 10:58 AM, said:

On Sunday evening, I had stopped at the desi store to buy Shan's Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Tandoori Masala and I noticed that there is a new masala named Boti Tikka (BBQ) Masala from Shan. Not sure if others know it already.

They way I do it is, I marinated the chicken breasts this morning in yoghurt using portions of both Tikka and Tandoori masala, G&G paste and lemon juice and put it away in the fridge. I will cook the chicken on sheet pan in the oven. While making the sauce(cans of tomato sauce, heavy cream, pinch of garam masala, tbsp honey/sugar), I make it very mild as my wife likes it that way.

Has anyone here had the chance to compare Laziza vs National vs Shan, [all three from Pakistan?]for any one dish? I also find certain things interchangeble, as Termz does, e.g. National biryani masala is excellent for qorma & meat gravies [not surprising!]. The interesting thing is Laziza sells a dozen different packaged biryani styles, Delhi, Bombay, Sindhi , x, y, z, but a single wholesale biryani mix in kilogram lots, so guess what?

Look here for small packets: Laziza International

And here for bulk:http://www.lazizafoods.com/plainspices_pop.html

23. TANDOORI MASALA POWDER 1KGX6 POLY BAGS
24. TANDOORI MASALA POWDER 400GMSX12 POLY BAGS
25. TANDOORI MASALA POWDER 200GMSX24 POLY BAGS
26. BIRYANI MASALA POWDER 1KGX6 POLY BAGS
27. BIRYANI MASALA POWDER 400GMSX12 POLY BAGS
28. BIRYANI MASALA POWDER 200GMSX24 POLY BAGS

Sekhar earlier had reviewed BANNE NAWAB ready made mixes.
They have 16 sorts at this vendor : Pakistan House – Home of Zabiha Halal Meat and Full Line of Pakistani and Indian Groceries

which also carries

AHMED, a well-known brannd in pickles, now making MANY spice mixes besides the mutton curry reviewed by Sekhar; it would be interesting to hear how they stack up agains their competition: Pakistan House – Home of Zabiha Halal Meat and Full Line of Pakistani and Indian Groceries

ZAIQA: Pakistan House – Home of Zabiha Halal Meat and Full Line of Pakistani and Indian Groceries

NASEEM:https://pakistanhouse.com/products-114-maincat55-NASEEM.php

NATIONAL:https://pakistanhouse.com/products-59-maincat55-NATIONAL.php

Shan is to be praised for its attractive packaging and tremendous market penetration, signs of excellent entrepreneurship: I am sad I do not like their taste; I wish I could. It is merely a personal foible.

All boxed dry masala mixes seem to contain quite a bit of MSG, salt, coriander powder [this spice having the attribute of staling and turning tasteless sawdust in certain lots; cumin suffers a similar fate, and mixtures become strangely bitter & flat over time: is it because some things are roasted in some formulations? I have not a clue.]

I saw Kitchens of India sellings sachets of curry paste, therefore NO liquids for air travel. Chicken curry, tikka, tandoori, meat curry. Has anyone tried these out? I would have, except I am a bad judge to, because things with N. Indian names generally taste the same to me: heavily browned onion, coriander & tomato drown out any further avenue of disthinguising flavors, for my taste buds.

For Anilbhai off to his Dandakaranya:

Flavors of SE ASIA: convenient Simmer Sauces [ & in case Osamatai comes calling, all Halal!!]

NO MSG
NO PRESERVATIVES
NO COLOURING

1. BRAHIM'S THAI SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

A tangy sauce with a balanced sweet and sharp flavour. Ideal for use as a cook-in sauce, marinade or dripping sauce.

300g/10.5oz - $2.66

2. BRAHIM'S THAI GREEN CURRY SAUCE

A creamy, aromatic sauce with coconut milk, green chilli and lemon grass.

300g/10.5oz - $2.66

3. BRAHIM'S FISH CURRRY SAUCE

A spicy read-to-cook Malaysian Curry Sauce with coconut milk, coriander and spices. Usually cooked with fish and seafood.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


4. BRAHIM'S HONEY CHICKEN SAUCE

A sweet ready-to-cook sauce with honey, ginger, vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, onions and selected spices.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


5. BRAHIM'S PAJERI SAUCE

A creamy ready-to-cook sauce blended with coconut, ginger, selected spices, garlic and salt.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


6. BRAHIM'S SATAY SAUCE

The delicious ready-to-cook sauce packed with peanuts, chillies, onions and tamarind ideal for cooking up aromatic dishes.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


7. BRAHIM'S MEAT CURRY SAUCE

A spicy aromatic ready-to-cook Curry Sauce for meat with coconut milk, chilli, coriander and spices.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


8.BRAHIM'S SAMBAL TUMIS SAUCE

A favourite hot & spicy ready-to-cook Malaysian sauce with chilli, tomato paste and lemon grass. Traditionally cooked with seafood.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


9.BRAHIM'S RENDANG SAUCE

A exotic ready-to-cook Malaysian Dry Curry Sauce with roasted grated coconut, galangal, lemon grass and spices. Traditionally cooked with beef.

180g/6 oz - $1.43


10. BRAHIM'S MERAH SAUCE

A spicy sauce with tomato, coconut milk and a hint of ginger.

300g/10.5oz - $2.66


11. BRAHIM'S INDONESIAN RENDANG SAUCE

An intensely spiced, authentically dry curry sauce with coconut milk, galangal, ginger and ground spices.

300g/10.5oz - $2.66


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I have heard this brand receive extravagant praise from Malay & Spore Chinese on another site; hence, include it here in such detail.

This post has been edited by Gautam: 17 December 2009 - 06:20 AM

Having enjoyed the Laziza Paaya Masala (as mentioned above), I think I'll stick with Laziza for paaya etc. - Banne Nawab (for biryani) - Desi (above) for Chicken 65 and TLG's Rasam & Sambar powder recipes.

T-meister,

Some day, if you are feeling extravagant with your time et al.. youmight like to jazz up a basic tomato gravy that will stand you for all types of resto punjabi-type khana: tofu, ricotta cheese or paneer bhurji, butter masala, malai/navaratan kofta, mild chicken/lamb curries, meat/turkey ball curries [mild], egg curries, mild, [with or ithout addition of poppy seed paste, and youcan use your imagination:things might taste same-same, but not if there is only that main course on display that meal! You can even make 2 mean Nigerian/west African dishes, Jollof Rice, and Curry flavored Chicken with the same base:

You can use all canned tomato or part fresh tomato part canned, as per your taste. In scant neutral (canola type) oil or butter or combo, gently tadka some cumin, cassia bark, black cardamom, cassia leaf [bay leaf if you must], mild green chili, chopped ginger root, a few cloves, a few pepper corns, a few slices onions, stir until sweat, add fresh tomatoes, salt, then other tomatoes, or puree, cover, simmer until just cooked. Add paste of some raw cashews that have softened by soaking you may add a few roast cashews here, as per Suresh's innovation, mixing a touch of the roast with the raw, and also a touch of raw blanched almonds [soaked as well]. You can buy almond milk & use for grinding liquid here or just water. Thank Suresh for these ideas.

BUT as soon as you put in these rich thickeners into the tomato base, they will sink to the bottom & start to scorch. So, be very useful if you started out with a non-stick dutch oven or JoyceChen 14-inch non-stick wok [very good buy if you get it for <$40]. Therefore, stir carefully & watch the heat, use a diffuser. You may wish to use an immersion to thoroughly puree the gravy your choice. Please remove the bay leaves & black cardamom before doing so. Other spices may remain. You can strain or not. Do not throw away the solids; cook them with some dal like masoor to make dal soup.

Now you can put your base into little freezer containers and have them ready for all sorts of stuff: kadhai things, tikka masala, butter gravy, etc. Liven up the flavor with crushed KASURI METHI when finishing a dish. You will impress family & friends, even the ferrets.







paste of raw & smidgeon remove bay leaves. Whirl with immersion. Strain or not, blender blenderimmersion

Gautam, on 16 December 2009 - 02:47 PM, said:

Gautamda - I have always suspected that these big spice companies are indeed cutting corners. So same spice packaged differently. Here is another evidence - Untitled Document Look at their karhai Ghost Masala and karhai Chicken Masala recipes. The did not even bother to change it from mutton to chicken in the recipe, but called it chicken masala anyway

Quote

Reminds me of a few food bloggers in the left coast, who apparently are writing their recipes in kilograms, and grams
Aare bhenji/mulgi/bai/khoki/chechi/chokri jara editing to karo.... do just cut and paste.

I tried out Kitchens of India package - The local Supermarket started carrying - Ooff expensive and average flavoring - However Taste of India sent me a CD of Classical Indian music Free.

In my bag went:

MDH: Jaljeera Masala,Daal makhni,Pav Bhaji Masala

KALUSTYAN'S: Malaysian Meat Spice Mix, West Indian(Trini) Spice Mix,Garam Masala Mix.

SHAAN: Aachari Ghost Masala

and Bahamian spice mix.

Bringing back: Packages of achiote, and varied chilli sauces given thaat my puddle-jumper coming back is gonna check my carryon anyways.