The Spice Box... Masala Dabba....

The vastness of our country overwhelms.A population of a billion + overwhelms .That we live in a huge sub continent, have 29 States,15 official languages and more than a few hundred dialects also overwhelms.Add to this the color and vibrancy of the landscape, the people and the attire.Truly a fascinating nation.
India is not the India of yore…it has changed by leaps and bounds –can’t find the quintessential elephant or snake charmer on the road. Not even a Maharaja!
Keeping in pace with the “newness” of India, our cuisine has changed –there is more of what’s popularly known as “fusion”cooking – new approaches to old dishes-so that one doesn’t miss the essence of Grandma’s food-while trying to blend in “borrowed flavors “ from the west, or trying to reduce cooking times for people of this fast paced world.The food is rich and varied, and one can draw on the vibrant flavors from all the states and cook in a diversity of styles.”Indian Cuisine” as such can, in no way describe or define the range of cuisine available in India.
Indian cooking is not about messy masalas, spicy hot and greasy food or something that’s equivalent to learning rocket science.With a few simple , easily available spices and herbs one can stir fry, broil, braise and cook your way to an Indian meal!
Though we use many spices in our cooking, I basically use 7 basic spices with which food is flavored into various forms. The secret is not to over spice, just use a subtle blend of the spices to lend an aroma to the natural food that is being cooked. Making it too hot or spicy kills the flavor.We normally store these basic spices in a “Masala Dabba”(Spice Box).Commonly used-everyday spices:

In my masala dabba:

Center-Turmeric
Clockwise starting from the Red chilly powder:Cumin, Black mustard seeds, Salt, Coriander powder and Garam Masala.

Other spices that I usually use:

Green Cardamom (Chota Elaichi)
Big Cardamom (Bada Elaichi)
Cloves
Cinnamon (Laung)sticks and powder
Black Pepper (Whole and powdered)
Asafoetida (Hing)
Whole coriander seeds
Fennel (saunf)whole, powdered
Fenugreek seeds
Powered Cumin
Raw mango powder (amchoor)
Saffron
Nutmeg
Mace(Jaivitri)
Poppy seeds (Khus)
Sesame seeds (Til)
Black salt (Kala Namak)
5 Spice Mix (Panch poran)* Cumin,Fennel,Kalonji(Nigella seeds),Fenugreek,and Mustard seeds
Tamarind


The source of the word “Curry” has probably been an enigma. I do not use a curry powder to flavor food-I do not think any one who cooks authentic (or near authentic) uses it either.When I have the time, I like to roast and dry grind the spices at home-if not ready made is always there!The one spice that I always fresh-grind at home is the garam masala.I suppose each home has their own unique way of making it.

My recipe:Garam Masala

12 green cardamom pods ,08 cloves (laung) ,10 black cardamom pods,08 pieces cinnamon (dalchini) ,04 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera) ,04 tbsp coriander seeds (dhaniya) ,03 tbsp black peppercorns

Dry roast on a hot griddle, till you get the aroma of the spices. Cool and blend in a coffee blender. Store in an airtight bottle –can keep for up to 6 months.

Early mornings at our home were mostly chaotic -trying to ready myself for work at the clinic…nudging the kids out of bed….hurrying my husband up, lest he be late to see his patients. And yet, amidst all this chaos, in the warmth of our family room, with the news channel on TV in the background, we all did find time to sit and chat (even if it were for a few minutes).And while we adults drank masala chai , with “rusks” dunked into it, the kids would have their milk…Even before we were through this ritual every morning, the inevitable question would be “What’s for dinner tonight?!”My future blogs are therefore going to be on “What’s for Dinner tonight….”and will feature our everyday simple, home meals.Hope you can cook them with ease…and share them with friends and family, with the same joy as we do…Till then…..