masala dhaba | spice tin

Every household with a strong cultural cuisine has its own go-to ingredients, spices and herbs at arms reach. In a Punjabi household a dish starts with a masala dhabba and ends with freshly chopped coriander. The ubiquitous round, steel, spice tin is made up of seven smaller steel bowls nestled together and filled with a favoured spice of choice. The chosen spices are the ultimate go-to pinch, spoon, flick of a flavour and as a first time masala dhabba owner, it was a somewhat stressful decision-making process. Spice is serious business.

I quickly learned that not only will the spices differ depending on the region of Indian food you're making (the broadest distinction is between Northern and Southern India) but also that you will often require additional spices to your masala dhabba in any given dish.

Below is a list of ingredients that I suggest you stock up on as they will be used regularly in the recipes on the site. The ones with an asterisk are currently in fat madame's first masala dhabba (now there are three).

Hing | Asafoetida

Tej Pate | Bay Leaves

Kali Mirch | Black Pepper

Elaichi* | Cardamom

Ajwain | Carraway Seeds (powder and pods)

Dalcheeni | Cinnamon (powder and sticks)

Laung | Cloves

Dhania | Coriandar (ground and fresh herbs)

Jeera* | Cumin Seeds

Amchur | Dried Mango Powder

Saunf* | Fennel Seeds

Methi | Fenugreek (seeds and dried leaves)

Garam Masala* | Garam Masala (see below note)

Lehsun | Garlic (fresh and powder)

Adharak | Ginger (powder, paste and fresh herb)

Javitri | Mace

Poodina | Mint

Anardana | Pomegranate Seeds

Lal Mirch* | Red Chili Pepper

Kesar | Saffron

Loon* | Salt

Imli | Tamarind

Haldi* | Tumeric

And then there is a category of spices that are made up of multiple spices, a seasoning per se, like Old Bay or All-Spice or dare I write Taco Seasoning.  Garam masala, is the mother load but you'll find yourself in need of Chaat Masala, Tandoori Masala and Kashmiri Masala every other Papadi Chaat snack or Tandoor Chicken dish now and again. I have yet to concoct my own masala mix but in time, this too, will come.

phulka | unleavened flat round bread

There is much to learn about the variations in flour and what type of taste and texture it will yield. For the sake of ease, I’ve merely listed what I use to make my own version of atta (this word refers to whole wheat flour but here I use the generic definition of it: “dough”). This yields approximately a 67:33 percent split between wholemeal and white flour, which I find to give a chewier phulka. The bread flour adds back some tougher gluten as spelt, while not gluten free, has a more fragile gluten make.

Method

Mix together all the flours: 2 cups wholemeal spelt flour (115 grams), 1/2 cup white spelt flour (51 grams)* and 1/2 cup white bread flour (63 grams). Add water slowly with one hand and with the other, mix the flour until water has incorporated into all of the flour. The dough should not be wet but will be slightly sticky. It shouldn’t grab onto your fingers if you prod it but it will leave a slight residue. Do not over mix.

*If you substitute unbleached all-purpose flour for the white spelt flour, the metric amount is 60 grams.

To make the phulka, take a 3cm ball of dough, dipped in flour to coat the outsidea and flatten it into a round disc using a rolling pin. You will need to about 12cm in diameter. The phulka should be about 2mm thick. Place the disc directly onto a pan (tawa), on high heat. Let each side cook. Remove off heat and spread butter on top to keep from hardening.

tarka | tempered spices

A tarka is the ultimate substance of flavor that helps to initiate a dish or used to round off and finish a dish. It is a salsa of carefully tempered spices heated carefully in oil or ghee in order to bring out the essential oils and deep flavor of the spices.

garlic - ginger paste

Often used in tarkas (see above), this homemade paste can be found in any Asian market but it far more flavorful when a fresh batch is made at home.

Method

Grind 1/2 cup garlic cloves, 1/2 cup peeled and chopped ginger, and 2 tbsp oil in a food processor until it is a semi-smooth paste. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Freezing suggestion: fill an ice tray with the paste and defrost as many cubes as needed for a given recipe in the fridge overnight or under warm water (1 cube is about 1 tbsp in a standard ice tray).

dal wadi | dried lentil nuggets

These dried lentil nuggets can be added to a vegetable dish, curry or even soup for an added textured “meatiness” and spice.

Method

Recipe in work.