Making things in our home are safer, and healthier. When it comes to spice mixes, making them at home ensures there are no preservatives and the raw ingredients added are of best quality – most importantly, they add a touch of our personal taste preferences. Of course, it’s always choice to make spice mixes at home, or use store bought. Opting to make them at home requires a bit of work, determination and time. But trust me, once you get the hang of making your spice mixes at home, there is no looking back. Homemade spices are flavorful, as compared to box mixes which taste all the same.
The spices mix you make does have to have a fixed recipe. You need to feel and experience your spices. The process of buying, sorting, roasting and grinding is an adventure in itself! The cooking process becomes more personal and enjoyable.
Here’s what you do: Keep one day in a month for yourself, where you go to a local bazaar nearby, (or if you’re from Karachi, Empress Market!), and buy a month supplies of dry, whole spices depending on the spice mixes you need. When you are hope make yourself tea, or coffee then sort out the spices, according to the spice blends you intend to make, like garam masala, chaat masala, fajita seasoning, biryani masala. Now you are ready to make your perfect, hygienic and full of love spice mixes for the month. This way, not only are you saving time but also ensuring you have a fresh blend.
I would like to share with you two of my easy recipes to begin with. And then maybe later on you all can explore by your own by adjusting according to your personal preference.
First up we have a masala for, the king of all food us Pakistanis eat:
Biryani Masala:
You need:
zeera (cumin seeds) 1 tbsp
dhania (coriander seeds) 1 tbsp
red chili powder 1 tbsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
salt 2 tsp (or according to taste)
ground five spice powder 1 tsp
Heat up a frying pan on medium-low flame. Now add whole cumin and coriander seeds. Lightly toast them in the pan, constantly swirling the pan so they don’t burn – two minutes or when you start smelling the fragrance of the spices. Take them out in a bowl and let cool. Once cooled, grind them in a grinder or for maximum flavor, use a pestle and mortal, the traditional way. You can make this in bulk, as it’s a staple spice mix. For biryani masala, simply add a tablespoon of freshly made cumin coriander blend, red chili powder, a teaspoon of turmeric powder, garam masala and salt (to taste). This mix is literally my go to for homemade biryani. Use this to simply marinate the chicken for biryani, or add it to the onion tomato base for biryani.
And now the spice mix no curry is complete without!
Garam Masala:
peppercorns 1 ½ tbsp
cloves 1 tsp
bay leaves 5 whole leaves
black cumin (shah zeera/kaala zeera) 1 ½ tbsp
nutmeg 1 piece
mace 2 pieces
star anise 4 pieces
green cardamom 1 tsp
black cardamom 2 tbsp
cinnamon 8 medium sized sticks
This masala however doesn’t include toasting of the whole spices, yet it turns out as aromatic as other spice blends. Simply mix the whole spices and grind in a coffee or spice grinder. The cons of store bought garam masala is that they tend to add the cheaper spice in more quantity, as compared to adding more of what increases the flavor of the spice. When we make it at home, we are using ratios that would enhance the flavors rather than ruining the flavor profile.
Now the holy grail: A mix we all need for our desi saalans (traditional curries!). Just a few teaspoons of this in your usual tomato and onion base, and it completes your curry.
Curry Masala:
This is not the usual curry masala we get box packed or abroad. It’s made keeping our Pakistani taste in mind.
Salt 1 tsp (or to taste)
Red Chili Powder 1 ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder 1 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 ½ tsp
Cumin Powder 1 ½ tsp
This is perfect for 1 kg meat!
There are some pros and cons to making spice mixes that I have learnt over the years. Pros would be: Healthy, cost-friendly, more flavorful with the cons being resolve, time-consuming and extra work.
The spices can be bought in bulk (saves you money!) and made one time, enough for the entire month. The best part? You make spice mixes according to your own taste buds. Want it spicy? Add more chili powder. Want to make it smoky? Add paprika powder. Low in sodium? Less salt; so on and so forth. This may take some practice, (practice does make one perfect, no?) but making something from scratch, knowing the ingredients, saving money, all matters no?
What you buy from the store, you can make it home, preservative free for half the price, literally!