Sandwich Masala

Some time back, a friend mentioned about a popular sandwich stall in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. I was even a lucky recipient of the signature sandwich masala powder. Generally when I make the street sandwich, I sprinkle a little bit of chaat masala or black pepper powder on the boiled potatoes. But after using this masala powder, I created my own version.

Mumbai Sandwich Masala
Ingredients
1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
1/4 tsp cloves, roasted
1/2 tsp black peppercorns, roasted
A pinch of fennel seeds, roasted
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp Pink Himalayan salt or Rock Salt or Saindhav/Sindhav

Method
1. Roasted whole spices one after the other. Let it cool down completely.
2. Powder to a fine powder, mixing cinnamon powder and salt.
3. Store in an airtight container.

Note
1. Sprinkle this masala while making Mumbai Street Sandwiches.



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Goda Masala

Goda Masala is, undoubtedly,  my most beloved spice powder. Mostly Indian food lovers are familiar with Garam Masala  but Goda Masala is a very complex and rustic spice blend used primarily in Maharashtrian cooking.

After painstakingly preparing Goda Masala at home for years together, my grandmother herself at one point, approved and endorsed Ketkar's Goda Masala [Dadar TT, Mumbai] and since then, she always bought her masala from there. This masala tasted just like my grandmother's own blend. Later, when Ketkar brothers closed down their shop, my frantic aunts and mom looked around for getting Goda Masala.

With due respect to all the pre-made, branded blends available in the market today, I am not very happy with the flavor of the goda masala which is available in the boxes on the shelves of the stores. However, there are quite a few places in Mumbai where you do get very good Goda Masala - Sarvodaya Stores, Dadar or Vijay Stores, Vile Parle  are really good.  But making your own blend is always very special.

This blog has many recipes that feature Goda Masala and I repeat, no other masala can substitute goda masala as flavor won't be just the same. Also please note that this Goda Masala is not the Kala Masala using onion and garlic. However, since this goda masala too is very dark brown - almost black in color, it is referred to as "KaLa Masala" in my family. Traditionally,Goda Masala is never, ever used with any non-vegetarian cooking. But of course, you are the ruler in your kitchen, so do as you please.

After gathering all the ingredients, I finally decided to make my own batch. I have used my cooking bible - Ruchira for making this masala. This recipe is based on Ruchira though it's not exactly same.

Thank you, Chaitali for that final nudge for posting this recipe. I would not have blogged it without your encouragement.




Goda Masala
गोडा  मसाला
Maharashtrian Spice Blend
Ingredients
2 cups coriander seeds/धणे
1 cup grated, dessicated coconut/सुके  खोबरे
1/2 cup white sesame seeds/तीळ
2 tbsp. cumin seeds/जिरे
1 tsp shahjire/शहाजिरे
1 tsp cloves/लवंग
2 pieces of 1" cinnamon/दालचिनी
1/2 tsp asafetida/हिंग
2-3 bayleaves/तमालपत्र
2 dagadfool/दगडफूल
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/हळद
1/4 cup chili powder/तिखट
2 tbsp. salt/मीठ
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds/मेथी दाणे
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/राई /मोहरी

Oil as needed

Method
1. Dry roast sesame seeds. (without adding any oil)
2. Dry roast dessicated coconut (without added any oil)
3. Heat oil. Add asafetida.
4. Roast each spice one after the other, taking care not to burn. Use low flame.
5. Now, add roasted sesame seeds and coconut and roast again for few minutes.
6. Grind to fine/coarse powder based on your preference.
7. Store in an airtight container.

Some recipes for which Goda Masala is a must are -
1. Aamti
2. BhopLyacha Rassa
3. Batatyacha Rassa
4. Gavarichi bhaaji
5. Shenga -Vangyachi Bhaaji
6. KaLa Bhaat
7. Bharli Vaangi

Note
1. Let spices come to room temperature before grinding otherwise steam will be trapped in the masala blend.

Goda Masala Ingrdients

Credits
Ruchira - by  Mrs. Kamalabai Ogale.

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Chhole Masala Powder

I love to experiment with my own Masala blends these days. I have been making this Chhole Masala powder, for a while now. It not only goes well with chhole but also substitutes for Garam Masala.

Chhole Masala Powder
Ingredients
1/2 cup coriander seeds
1 tbsp. shahjire
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
2 green cardamoms
2" cinnamon piece
7 cloves
15 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

You will also need,
1 tbsp. paprika or Kashmiri chile  powder
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1/2 tbsp. amchoor powder
1 tbsp. chaat masala

Method
1. Dry roast the spices from coriander seeds till bay leaf, one after the other on a medium flame. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Grind to powder.
3. Add the remaining powders.
4. Grind again till it reaches fine powder consistency.
5. Pour in an airtight bottle.
6. Use as needed

Note -
1. Do not let the spices to burn, while roasting

Some recipes you may try with this chhole masala powder -
Chhole
Paneer Chhole
Kale Chhole
Palak Chhole
Mushroom Chhole
Badiwale Chhole
Crockpot Chhole


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