Ghati Masala

Ingredients:

Onions - 3 medium
Garlic cloves - 1/4 cup - 2 whole garlic pods
Red hot chili peppers - 250 grams
Dry coconut pieces - 100 grams or from 1/2 coconut
Black peppercorns - 50 grams
Coriander seeds - 50 grams
Cumin seeds - 25 grams
Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 25 grams
Cloves - 25 grams
Cinnamon - 25 grams
Green ilaichi - 25 grams
Poppy seeds (khaskhas) - 25 grams
Star anise (chakriphool) - 2
Black ilaichi ( badi ilaichi) - 2
Whole nutmeg - 2
Mace - 3 Tb
Salt - 1 Tb
Peanut oil to shallow fry - 5 Tb

Recipe:

Add 1 Tb oil each time in a wok and fry ingredients with following order and remove them to a bowl.

1) Start with cloves, cinnamon and black peppercorn ( be careful with them as peppercorn and cloves can splatter and can cause burns)
2) coconut pieces until golden
3) Remove stems from red chilis and fry them. Remove them to a bowl and add salt to them.
4) Fry onion until it becomes golden in color and crisp.
5) Fry rest of the ingredients except cumin, poppy seeds and garlic (don't fry these 3 ingredients)

Once all the ingredients are fried, mix them well and grind them in a blender/mixer and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar.  Store it in a freezer so that it won't go rancid and will last for many months.
Just take out enough every time that will last for few days in your spice box.

Notes: 

1) Every family has their own masala recipe in India. This recipe is my family recipe. It came from My mom's mom, my maternal grandmother (Mrs. Pramodini Joshi) to my mom (Mrs. Sheela Datar) and now to me.
2) I use this masala only in rustic dishes.

4) Glossary of Spices & Condiments - Indian Names
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/indian/glosss1.html

5) What is asafoetida?   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida