My love affair with Maharastrian cuisine started around a year or so back when one of my very dear friend introduced me to it . I have eaten it before as my hubby was from Mumbai , but it was mainly street food .
I came to know through the friend that every Maharashtrian family has their own version of masalas .
This recipe was passed on to me by a friends Mom . The recipe I was given was too hot and spicy for my family so I changed it a bit . The recipe calls for 4-5 cups of hot red chili powder but i have used 2 cups of spicy red chili powder and 2 cups of Kashmiri chili powder .
I mostly use this masala for my everyday cooking . Some ways to I use this masala while cooking are in eggplants , cauliflower , chicken curry , pulao , Fish curry etc just to give you an idea . You can basically add this masala to anything ..
Be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen as this masala is a little time consuming but very well worth the time spent .
Lets get going
We will be needing
3/4 cup Garam Masala
4 cups Red Chili Powder ( I used 2 cups of spicy red chili powder & 2 cups Kashmiri lal mirch powder )
500 grams / 1 lb. Red Onions
1 Large Bulb Garlic between 1/2 cup
1/2 cup Sesame seeds ( dry roasted )
1 cup Dry Grated Coconut flakes (loosely packed)
1/4 cup or as per taste Salt
1/2 cup Oil Divided
Preparation –
Step 1
Peel and thinly slice onions. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add sliced onion and s sauté on low flame. We will be caramelizing the onion without burning them. It can anywhere between 30 mins to an hour . Add more oil, 1 tbsp at a time, if needed. This step is very important so please do not try to save time here otherwise the whole masala can go bad in a few days.
Well cooked onions will be caramelized and will taste sweet.
Once the onion is cooked well, keep it on a kitchen counter & let it cool completely
Step 2
Dry roast grated coconut and set aside to cool . Ones cooled down grind to fine powder.
Grind garlic to a fine paste with little salt if needed. Please do not use water at all.
Once onion has cooled down , grind it in batches to a fine paste. Again please Do not use water.
Now all the ingredients are ready for mixing.
Step 3
BE CAREFUL WITH OIL AS THE MIX NEEDS TO BE DAMP AND NOT WET .
Divide everything in 4 parts and add one part of each ingredient in food processor with ‘S’ blade. Run the food processor to mix thoroughly. Once its mixed taste the salt and add more if needed and mix again. Remove it in a large mixing bowl.
Repeat the process with remaining 3 parts.
Now mix everything in a bowl and adjust salt to taste .
The final product needs to be little damp and that is the correct consistency.
If you put too much oil then mix will become wet.
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