When Indian spice mixes are called out, the names of garam masala, curry powder and sambhar masala surface. These might be the most known or travelled Indian spices, but there are numerous more at work across the country’s kitchens that seldom reach beyond the boundaries of states.
Pankaj Bhadouria, India’s first MasterChef, brings to the table some of these secret spice mixes through her book The Secret’s in the Spice Mix: Fifty Unique Homemade Spice Mixes with Recipes.
Pained at the thought of people buying Indian spice mixes off the shelves, Pankaj started documenting recipes from her multicultural family and people she met at places where work took her.
“Spices and spice mixes celebrate the essence of cooking and it is important to document these as a reference point for those trying their hand at Indian cooking,” says Pankaj.
Her mother belongs to the Bengali community and from her she learnt how to put together an easy mix of Panch Phoron, used to make an array of dishes and her favourite Chorchori (Bengali style mixed vegetables).
“My paternal grandmom belonged to a Punjabi family from Delhi where I was born and raised. Growing up, I’d often see her make garam masala and kadahi masala. While the very potent garam masala would be made in small batches, stored in airtight containers and used over a period of time, the fragrant kadahi masala would always be made fresh, a lesson that has stayed with me,” says she.
Pankaj holds the recipes of Lazzat-e-taam from Uttar Pradesh, East Indian Bottle Masala and Veri Masala from Kashmir as her most prized recipes from the book, which is her fifth.
“The Lazzat-e-taam is an extremely underrated spice mix, without which most of the Awadhi kebabs and kormas would be incomplete. Similarly, the East Indian Bottle Masala that goes into the making of dishes like Bombil Duck curry, bhendi fry among many others is fabled to be comprises up to 35 spices,” says Pankaj.
The book features regional spice mixes like the fiery Kolhapuri masala from Maharashtra and Gojju Podi from Karnataka, besides Amritsari chole masala. Also, for lovers of world cuisine the book features international spice mixes like Jerk seasoning, Taco seasoning, Thai curry mix, KFC spice mix.