Kissan Tandoori Masala 23.5oz (665g)

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Simple. Toast the dry whole spices in a shallow pan until fragrant. Let the toasted spices cool down, then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Mix in the powdered spices and your seasoning is ready to use. If you cannot find alkanet, use any of the options given above. They work quite well in this recipe. Whole dried Kashmiri Red Chilies— These chiliesdo not carry much heat but impart a terrific color to any dish. Here we add it to the masala mix to get an intense and appealing color. Ginger Powder— Adds an intense aroma and a slightly pungent flavor to the masala. You can use freshly ground ginger powder for this masala recipe. We do first eat with our eyes. It’s your kitchen. Your call. I’m about flavour. Colour is up to you.

I’m not sure it’s possible to overstate how big a deal freshly ground spices are. Game changer. Mind blower even. Huge. Coriander seeds— This spice forms the base ingredient of our Tandoori masala mix. It brings about a subtle woody flavor that is so peculiar to it. It also helps blend the flavors of other spices while lending an impactful character.

Red doesn’t mean anything

Food coloring— Sometimes, color additives are added to food color to attain a deep red color. But if you are looking for a natural food color, try beetroot powder, which works great. Lately, I have been using beetroot powder in my tandoori recipes, which gives my dishes a beautiful color. Having mixed Pakinese kids (half Pakistani, half Guyanese, fully Canadian) meant that it was important to me to introduce them to delicious traditional dishes from their grandparent’s cultures. I also wanted to balance our meal plan with our own favourites dishes (Mexican, Italian, Chinese and Canadian eh?). I’m all about fusion food in my home. If it tastes good, then why not mix it up and discover something new and delicious? Except for one ingredient. Amchoor. Ground dried mango powder. There’s a tang to tandoori masala. It’s important. Critical even. I came to the conclusion that the error bars on tandoori masala are pretty big. A little more of this. A little less of that. Doesn’t make a huge difference. Nutmeg Powder— Nutmeg enriches the masala with its distinctive warm and nutty flavor and also with its added citrusy notes.

It’s not hard to make tandoori masala. Dead easy really. If you can measure spices you can make it. Toss some whole spices in a pan. Toast them until fragrant. Grind. Mix with some ground spices. That’s it. Boiling water is more complicated. That’s the awesome version. Maybe not for the faint of heart though. So the watered down version uses food colouring. Alter any spice— Every spice adds a distinct flavor and aroma to the spice mix. Among these assorted spices, some are overly flavorful or warm. If you find any herb stronger and overpowering the fragrance or flavor of other spices, feel free to modify the quantity of that particular spice. Examples of such spices are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. I don’t know where it started. It has to be bright red/orange or it’s not tandoori. Why is that even a thing?Cumin seeds— Added for their unique earthy tone and an intense warming flavor that lends depth to the masala. Cinnamon— Cinnamon is known for its distinct sweetness and unique flavor, besides its amazingly unique aroma that takes the dish to the next level. Kashmiri Red Chillies - available as whole dried chillies or in the form of a powder. While they will not add a very deep red colour to anything, they are certainly an option if nothing else is available as they are not too hot.