-Submitted by Dahlia
(Kari Masala)
Each sunday, preparing some non-veg gravy is a regular task at my home. It is mostly for lunch but sometimes for breakfast or dinner too. Why to repeat the same kind of gravy every week? I always try out new non veg gravies whenever I come across a yummy one online or in some cook books.
Most ladies add their own mysterious chicken masala blend to their non veg gravies which is passed on from their parents. In country side, ladies generally prepare this chicken masala powder which gives a thicker gravy content and helps in cooking a delicious curry faster. It is referred to as chicken masala or kari masala but it can be used for any meat preparations. In fact it can also be used for some vegetarian preparations like potato curry, mushroom curry or soya curry.
It is common to find in villages that, ladies never want to share their Kitchen Queen Award with anyone else. So they do not disclose their secret recipe. Everyone attempts to make the best chicken curry with their own chicken masala powder. Today the case is different, we have so many resources available. Here I would like to share my mother’s recipe for non-veg gravy masala powder.
When cooking any non veg gravies, I always recommend cooking in an iron tawa or earthen pots. It gives a delicious taste.
Recipe for Homemade Chicken Masala
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: about 1.5 kg
Ingredients (Making for full year)
- Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya) - 1 kg
- Dry Red Chilies - 1/4 kg
- Black Peppercorns - 50 gms
- Fennel Seeds - 50 gms
- Cumin Seeds - 50 gms
- Rice - 50 gm
- Cardamom - 50 gms
- Poppy seeds - 100 gms
- Curry Leaves - 5 handful of leaves
- Turmeric - 50 gms
- Bay leaves - 20 leaves
- Star anise - 10 gms
- Cinnamon - 10 gms
- Cloves - 10 gms
- Kapok Buds (Marathi Moggu) - 10 gms
- Black Stone Flower (Kalpasi) - 10 gms
- Crystal Salt - handful
Method
- Dry roast all the items individually on a medium low heat. While you fry red chilies alone add a spoon of oil.
- Fry a handful of crystal salt. Remove everything and spread in a big plate in hot sun.
- This can be made as a powder in a mill and stored for an year.
Ingredients (Making about 1/4 kg)
Above mentioned ingredients is perfect for making for a whole year. It is enough for an entire joint family. These days we see more of nuclear family system. Many young couples even live abroad. They are mostly looking for making smaller quantity of masala powder in their mixie jars. For such people I want to give the measurements below. Just roast the ingredients and powder it in a clean dry mixie jar. It will last upto 2-4 months for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids.
- Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya) - 100 gms (about 1 cup)
- Dry Red Chilies - 25 gms (about 1 cup packed)
- Black Peppercorns - 2 tsp
- Fennel Seeds - 2 tsp
- Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
- Rice - 2 tsp
- Cardamom - 1 tsp
- Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
- Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
- Turmeric - 1 piece
- Whole Garam Masala - 2 Bay leaves, 1 Star anise, 1" piece Cinnamon, 5 Cloves, 2 Kapok Buds (Marathi Moggu), 3 Black Stone Flower (Kalpasi)
- Crystal Salt - 1 tsp
How to use Chicken Masala?
This homemade chicken masala makes the gravy very tasty and makes cooking easier. This powder can be used for any non-veg kurma or curry varieties. This can be added to both chicken and mutton gravies. Infact you can use for other meat preparations like turkey, beef and pork too (except for fish curry). I will share a basic recipe for chicken curry using this homemade masala.
For ½ kg of meat, fry 2 onions and ginger-garlic paste. Fry a small tomato and add meat. Add 3 to 4 tsp of the prepared chicken masala powder, 3 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and salt. Adding coconut paste, coconut milk or cashew paste is optional.If required, add two to three pinches of black pepper powder.Cook everything together for about 10 - 15 minutes till oil separates from the curry. This basic chicken curry is so delicious and goes well with dosa, idli, chapati, poori, rice, aapam, idiappam etc.
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