HOMEMADE CHOLE MASALA POWDER

 In this busy and hectic world, we all opt for store bought curry powders and masalas. There is nothing wrong about it but at the same time we can’t deny the fact that the home made masalas carries a unique taste and you can blend the spices as per your family’s preference.

While I make my own Goda Masala, Biryani Masala, Pavbhaji Masala, Saoji Masala, Tea Masala and Garam Masala at home, along with a few other South Indian spice blends, I had been okay with store-bought Chole Masala. But this time , I wanted to give a try making it at home. A search on the Internet gave me several ways to make HOMEMADE CHOLE MASALA POWDER, So, I tried it, with a few changes and variations… And it took me various trials and errors to achieve this perfect taste & balance which the store bought masala blends lack anyway ! Finally, I could achieve the perfect balance of taste in this homemade version of the Chole Masala Powder and we all liked. Finally, it's time to ditch the store bought Chana Masala Powder.

Homemade Chana Masala Powder Recipe is a quick recipe that’ll make your Indian version of Chickpea curry or Chole Masala taste out of the world. Believe me, it turned out absolutely brilliant! Trust me, this home-made version smells so wonderful and is so fresh and delicious, store-bought versions aren’t a patch on this. As my family loves Chole Bhature a lot so I used it a many times, and totally, totally adore it. The above recipe yields a completely vegetarian and vegan (plant-based) chole masala powder. It is completely gluten-free as well. The best part is that it takes bare minutes to make it! 

I will be the first one to post the chole recipe first and then the chole spice mix.  You can find the chole masala recipe in this link - https://kalpanaslacucina.blogspot.com/2018/07/amritsari-chole.html?m=1

Home made Chana Masala Powder obviously makes the recipe more tempting and tasty than market available masala. 

It’s finally time to ditch the store bought Chana Masala Powder. So follow the recipe to the T, do not swap this for that, no skipping any whole spice & no playing around with the ratios. So let's make Channa Masals Powder at home today.

📌📌 Watch the video recipe here 👇👇

https://youtube.com/shorts/SFBH9Ydvf1c?feature=share

INGREDIENTS :

15-20 Dry Kashmiri Chillies

2-3" Cinnamon Stick ( दालचिनी )

2 Black Cardamom ( मसाला विलायची )

4-6 Bay Leaf ( तेजपत्ता )

1 teaspoon dried Fenugreek ( कसुरी मेथी )

2 tablespoon Cumin Seeds ( जिरा )

1 tablespoon Caraway Seeds ( शाह जिरा )

4 tablespoon Coriander Seeds ( धणे )

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds ( सौंफ )

1 teaspoon Carom Seeds ( ओवा )

7-8 Cloves ( लवंग )

2 tablespoon Black Peppercorns ( काळे मिरे )

1/2 teaspoon Mace ( जावित्री )

2 tablespoon dried Pomegranate Seeds ( सुखा अनारदाना )

Powder Spices:

1/2 teaspoon grated Nutmeg ( जायफळ )

1/2 teaspoon Ginger Powder   ( सुंठ पावडर )

1 teaspoon Dried Mango Powder ( आमचुर पावडर )

1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida ( हिंग )

2 teaspoon Black Salt ( काळे मीठ )

1 teaspoon Salt ( मीठ )

METHOD :

STEP 1 - It’s ideal to gather all the ingredients from the list first.

STEP 2 - Heat a wide pan, add red chillies and dry roast them for 4-5 minutes. Transfer on a plate and keep aside.

STEP 3 - In the same pan add black cardamom, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and dry roast on medium flame. Stir frequently & do not leave the whole spices unattended. They tend to burn quickly. Transfer to the same plate with red chillies.

STEP 4 - Next add black peppercorns and coriander seeds and roast on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or until they turn fragrant Transfer to plate with red chillies.

STEP 5 - Now, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, carom seeds, caraway seeds and mace and dry roast them. Take care to ensure that they do not burn.

STEP 6 - Next, add pomegranate seeds and kasuri methi and dry roast on low - medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Be careful while roasting kasuri methi, keep stirring otherwise it will burn.

STEP 7 - Allow them to cool down to room temperature.

STEP 8 - After cooling, add all the dry roasted spices in a blender jar and blend well to make a fine powder. 

STEP 9 - Now, add in all the things listed under " Powder Spices"  to it and blend for just 1 minute to combine the spices together. No need to blend for longer time.

STEP 10 - Your Homemade Chole Masala Powder is ready...!! Transfer the masala powder to a bowl and let it cool.

STEP 11 - Now transfer the masala powder to a clean airtight container. 

Store it in the cool place and use as required.

NOTES : * The original recipe suggests dry-roasting the ingredients in batches depending upon the size, but you can do it all together as there was so little of everything anyway.

* Make sure you use a heavy-bottomed pan for the dry-roasting and that the ingredients do not burn while doing so.

* Do not overly roast the ingredients – just 1-2 minutes of roasting is good enough to bring out the fragrance of the ingredients.

* This spice mix contains salt and is tangy enough. Hence, be careful when you are adding salt and lemon or amchoor while using this powder to prepare a dish.

* You may increase or decrease the number of dry red chillies according to your spice level.

* This Masala Powder  contains only kashmiri dry red chillies which are very mild in taste. So add extra regular red chilli powder when you use this powder in a dish.

* Once you are done grinding it store it right away in air tight containers. This is so important for preserving the fragrance of the homemade Chana masala powder recipe. 

* Always use a clean, dry, air-tight bottle to store the Chole Masala Powder. Use as needed with a clean, dry spoon only. 

* You must store the Masala jar in a dry & dark place. I find the kitchen cupboards the best place to store my homemade masalas or spices.

* At room temperature, it stays well for months.

* Also as usual, feel free to adjust the other ingredients as per your preference.