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

Raw Masala

Ingredients: 

Coriander seeds - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup
Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 2 tsp

Cloves - 10-15

Cinnamon - 2" pieces - 4-5

Peppercorn - 10-15

Recipe:

Dry roast all the spices one by one on a medium flame so that they become crisp.
Keep stirring so they don't splatter.
Transfer them to a plate and let cool a little.
Grind them in a mixer/blender and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar.

Notes:

1) Be careful while roasting cloves and peppercorns as they can splatter and jump from the pan and cause burns.

2) Store all your spices and masalas in tight lid glass jars in a freezer. This way they don't go rancid and last a very long time.

3) I have 2 masala containers in my kitchen close to my stove. I just take out a little bit of all these 

spices in these containers and save the rest in the freezer.

Basic Garam Masala

Ingredients: 

Coriander seeds - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 2 tsp

Cloves - 10-15

Cinnamon - 2" pieces - 6

Peppercorn - 10-15
Masala Ilaichi (badi Ilaichi) - 5-6
Black mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 6-7
Nagkeshar - 1 tsp (optional)
Dagadphool - 2-3 (optional)
Oil to fry

Recipe:

Add 1/2 tsp oil to a nonstick pan. Roast cloves, fenugreek and black peppercorns on a medium flame
so that they become crisp. Keep stirring so they don't splatter.
Transfer them to a plate.
Then roast remaining items one by one in the same pan (don't add more oil) so you can grind them in a mixer/blender and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar.

Notes:

1) Be careful while roasting cloves and peppercorns as they can splatter and jump from the pan and cause burns.
2) Store all your spices and masalas in tight lid glass jars in a freezer. This way they don't go rancid and last a very long time.
3) I have 2 masala containers in my kitchen close to my stove. I just take out a little bit of all these spices in these containers and save the rest in the freezer.

Shahi Garam Masala (Garam Masala by Sailana Maharaj)

Ingredients: 

Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 6 grams

Cloves - 6 grams

Cinnamon - 6 grams

Peppercorn - 6 grams

Bay leaf - 6 grams
Ilaichi - 6 grams
Badi Ilaichi - 6 grams

Mace (Jaypatri) - 3 grams
SunTh (ginger powder) - 3 grams
1 whole nutmeg - make powder
Saffron - 1 gram

Recipe:

Warm above spices on a nonstick pan so that they become crisp and you can grind them in a mixer/blender and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar. 

Notes:

1) Be careful while roasting cloves and peppercorns as they can splatter and jump from the pan and
cause burns.
2) Store all your spices and masalas in tight lid glass jars in a freezer. This way they don't go rancid and last a very long time.
3) I have 2 masala containers (spice boxes) in my kitchen close to my stove. I just take out a little bit of all the spices in these containers and save the rest in the freezer.
4) This masala is very strong so use it only 1/4 tsp per dish (for 4 people).

Black Masala or Goda Masala

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds -  500 grams
Cumin seeds - 125 grams
Sesame seeds - 100 grams
Red chili peppers - 100 grams
Dry coconut - 100 grams
Dagad phool or Kallupachi (Black Stone Flower) - 25 gms
Nagakeshar - 20 grams

Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 10 grams

Cloves - 10 to 20 grams  (use 10 for milder flavor)

Cinnamon - 10 to 20 grams (use 10 for milder flavor)

Peppercorn - 10 grams

Turmeric - 1 Tb

Bay leaf - 50 grams

Hing (asafoetida) - 2 tsps

Salt - 1 Tb

Peanut oil to shallow fry

Recipe:

Add a little oil (2-3 tsps) in a nonstick pan. 

Fry ingredients with following order.

Start with Hing powder /asafoetida.  Stir well in oil

Add Turmeric powder. Stir well in oil

Add dry coconut and cook on a very low heat until golden and remove it to a bowl.

Add little oil each time for the rest of the ingredients and roast them one by one.
Once roasted transfer them to the bowl.

Be careful when you roast cloves and black peppercorn ( they can pop and burn you)

Once all the ingredients are roasted, 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 months.
Just take out enough every time that will last for a month 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) Dagad phool - make sure it is free of soil /stones. 

3) Nagakeshar - It looks lot like cloves.



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

Onion-Garlic Masala

Ingredients:

Dry onion - 1/2 cup shallow fried in oil until lightly brown

Garlic - 5-6 large cloves - shallow fry in oil until lightly brown

Peanuts - dry roast raw peanuts in shallow pan - about 1/2 cup

Cumin powder - 1 Tb

Coriander powder - 1 Tb

Chili powder - 3-4 tsp (or to taste)

Citric acid - a pinch

Recipe: 

Grind all the ingredients together and store in a glass jar.

Refrigerate (anything that has oil in it can go rancid).

Notes: 

1) You can use this masala with many dishes that has beans or dals (split beans).

2) You can use this masala with vegetable preparations that don't have curry (soupy consistency) or prepared dry like potatoes, bell peppers etc.

Chili Garlic Oil

Ingredients:

1/4 cup additional peanut oil
4/5 large cloves of garlic chopped
3 Tb chili powder
1 Tb cracked red pepper
pinch of salt

Recipe:

Heat oil in a tall pan. 

Add chopped garlic and let it cook until lightly brown.
Add cracked red pepper.
Remove from the heat and add chili powder (it burns easily).
Add salt to taste.
Cool and pour in a glass jar and store it in refrigerator. 

Notes:

1) It keeps well in refrigerator for many weeks.. Take it out and let it thaw before using it.
2)I serve this chili oil with many soupy curried vegetables like spinach/methi bhajis.
3) I use it with Chinese, Thai or Italian dishes.
4) You can use it as a condiment with fresh chapatis, phulkas. 
5) when I make pita bread pizza,  I spread this oil on pita bread before adding tomato sauce and then add veggies and cheese on top of it.