Ajamma’s Kundapur Masala Powder

Kundapur Masala Powder

NB: Ajamma means grandma in Kannada and Kundapur Masala Powder is her family recipe.

Spices often spill out secrets that have got lost over a period of time.  Masalas  are as outstanding today as they were hundreds of years ago.  Making your own masalas can be very satisfying and knowing how to combine them right is an art.

I remember my Mum drying platters of chillies, coriander seeds, jeera seeds, pepper corns, fenugreek in the hot sun for days at a time for the various Masala Powders she made.  This was usually done in Summer, on the terrace or the back yard and covered with fine netting.  The spices were carefully brought in and stored in the meat safe or larder and taken out next morning.  When my Mum was satisfied, the spices were roasted one by one in the kitchen in a huge pan.  She usually covered her nose and mouth with a large handkerchief and we kids found it a hilarious sight.  By the end of the roasting, her eyes would be streaming and a pungent aroma filled the house for the next few days.  Once the spices had cooled down, an orderly would be sent to grind it at the mill and what came back was a fragrant, strong, deep red Masala Powder that lasted for a year and which she gave as gifts or exchanged with friends and family.

The recipe for Kundapur Masala Powder comes from my Mum’s family.  Her grandmother came from a Bunt (a local Mangalorean community and Portuguese background and hence many of our family recipes are Bunt recipes.

This Masala Powder requires chillies and we usually use a combination of Country Chillies ( long, smooth and very hot) and Ghat Chillies ( very long, crinkled and bright red) to add flavour and colour to the curries they are used for.  Kundapur Masala Powder is a very versatile powder and can be used for both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes.  There is absolutely no substitute for homemade Masala Powders.

The Recipe For Kundapur Masala Powder

The Ingredients For Kundapur Masala Powder:

¼ lb ghat chillies (very long, crinkled and bright red)

¼ lb country chillies (long, smooth and very hot)

1/8 lb coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp peppercorns

1 tsp jeera seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp dried turmeric

Method For Kundapur Masala Powder:

Dry all ingredients in the sun for 3 days .  ( I roast them in my oven or on the stove top, one ingredient at a time until crisp).  Cool completely and send to the mill for grinding.  I use a grinder and then sieve the powder and grind the coarse powder again until fine.

Crush half a pod of garlic with skin and mix with the powder to prevent staleness.  Store as long as you like.  Use a dry spoon to take out small quantities for curries.

1 pound = 453.592 grams

Other Recipes With Kundapur Masala Powder

Kundapur Chicken Curry

Uppu Motte / Mangalorean Masala Eggs With Video

Kundapur Chicken Ghee Roast

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