Indian Masalas for Western tastes

Here are a few recipes for the masalas or spice-mixes that add the Indian flavour to curries. You could make them at home with ingredients available at any Indian store. These recipes have been put together for palates that can’t quite handle the pungent spices that most Indian curries use.

Indian curry powder 
(or, you can pick this up in most stores)

A few cloves (lavang)
1” stick of cinnamon (dalchini)
A few peppercorns (kali miri)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
Poppy seeds (khus khus) – 1 teaspoon (optional)
Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon
Onion powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds or powder (dhaniya) – 1 tablespoons
Cuminseed or cuminseed powder (jeera) – 1 tablespoon

Roast all together for a couple of minutes in a pan without any oil, powder and store when cool.

Red masala paste

Fry one onion chopped, 1 tomato chopped, 2 cloves garlic in a little oil for a few minutes, cool, grind to a paste with ½ teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of red chilly powder (optional). Bottle, refrigerate and use when needed


Green masala paste

Fry 1 onion chopped, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, 1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of green chilly paste (optional). Cool, grind, bottle, refrigerate.


Brown masala

Chop 1 large onion fine and fry in a bit of oil with 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Fry till light brown, add 2 teaspoons curry powder and ½ teaspoon salt. This masala is best made when you need as it doesn’t taste as good when it’s stored.

White masala

Grind 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 10 large cashewnuts, ½ teaspoon white pepper powder, ½ teaspoon curry powder, a huge pinch of sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, a dash of chopped cilantro leaves and mint leaves. This masala is best made when needed.