When you enter the kitchen to whip up something for lunch or dinner, ingredients are among the first things that you check on. However, given our fast-paced life and increasingly lesser time on hand, we hardly have the leisure to prepare the ‘magic mix of spices’ that our mothers used to rely on when it comes to quickly making a delicious meal. The absence of the right masala mix means our cooking is more often delayed. But fret not. Here are a few ideas that can come in handy for you.
All-Spice Roast Mix
Take about 5 grams of the garam masala spices and dry roast them until they give out that roasty aroma. Wait for it to cool down and pulse grind it. Store in a clean container. This mix can be used as garnishing for chaats as well as spruce up your dry subzis and more.
Continental Mix
If you are a fan of Italian herbs but still like a desi touch to everything continental, mix some freshly roasted thyme and chilli flakes with fresh ajwain. Add either of the spices in a higher quantity than the others in order to fix a dominant spice taste in the mixture. This mix is best used for fries, cutlets, patty bases, pastas and pizzas. Avoid adding salt to this mix, as you may risk it getting spoiled.
Achari Mix
Let saunf reign supreme here along with kalonji, ajwain, methi and some jeera. Roast these till they release the typical achari aroma. You may skip any spice according to your liking too. The mix is best used in desi gravies and breakfast subzis. Avoid roasting the spices excessively lest they turn bitter to taste.
Jeera Mix
Roast some jeera and grind the same. Simple yet classic, this spice mix goes best with raitas, buttermilk and even lassi. Pungent yet powerful, jeera roast is a hands down winner.
Kadhai Mix
Roast some dried red chillies along with whole dhania and jeera. Grind and use it for kadhai-style gravies. Do not overcook the dish once you add this spice mix. Since dhania tends to be coarse, pulse the mix well for best results.
While cooking primarily remains an art form, it also has some science behind it. Therefore, when you have homemade spice mixes readily available in the kitchen, cooking gets a little easier than you expect. Make sure you roast the dry spices well so as to leave behind no hint of moisture. Go ahead and store these in sterilised stainless steel or glass jars.
*Satarupa B Kaur has been writing professionally for a decade. Always on the go, she loves to travel, read books and enjoy playtime with her toddler, as she explores new places and food.