Indian Spice Blends (Masala Powders)
Every region in India has its masala. Every household within that region has its version of that masala. The spice blends in this collection are the ones that appear most often in the recipes on this site. The Kundapur masala that goes into almost every Mangalorean dish, the garam masala that finishes a dal makhani, the sambar powder that is the powerhouse behind a good idli and sambar combo. Make these once, and they keep for months.
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About this collection
My grandmother made Kundapur masala from scratch before every meal. The spices were roasted individually in a dry pan, cooled completely on a plate, and then ground together into a fine powder with the stone grinder that sat in the corner of her kitchen. It was not a weekend project. It was just what you did before you cooked.
By my mother's generation, that had changed. Busy working women found a way to make the masala ahead of time - a large batch at the beginning of the month, stored in the masala dabba (the spice tin that sits on every Indian kitchen counter) and pulled out as needed. The same masala. The same flavour. But made once, not every day.
During my initial years of marriage, my mother-in-law and my mother would give me a good year's supply of homemade Kundapur masala every time I visited India. It travelled back in my suitcase, carefully packed. For years, it was the thing I looked forward to most. After a few years, I started making my own when I had finally grown confident enough in my cooking to know what I was trying to replicate. That is what this collection is about.
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Explore Indian spice blends
Mangalorean Masala
Kundapur masala powder. The foundation of the Bunt community cooking from coastal Karnataka. Goes into kori gassi, meen gassi, and most Mangalorean curries and ajadina dishes. Kundapur masala is the spice behind almost every recipe in the Mangalorean Food collection.
South Indian Blends
Sambar masala powder and rasam powder are worth making from scratch; the commercial versions are a pale comparison.
North Indian Blends
Homemade garam masala. The aromatic blend of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and bay leaf that finishes North Indian curries and dals. Every household has a slightly different version. This one is quick to make and keeps for months.
Single spice powders
The individual spice powders that appear in almost every recipe on this site. Making them fresh from whole spices takes five minutes and produces a noticeably different result from the store-bought versions.
Street food & other
Chaat masala, chai masala powder. Chaat masala is the tangy, complex blend that goes on street food, sliced fruit, and anything that needs a sharp lift - it belongs on everything in Starters & Street Food. Chai masala is cardamom-forward, ginger-warm, made once and used every morning in masala chai.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about Indian spice blends
Freshness. Whole spices release their aromatic compounds when ground. Pre-ground blends have usually been sitting in a warehouse and then on a shelf for months before they reach you. The flavour difference between freshly ground garam masala and a commercial version is significant. Most of the blends in this collection take under 10 minutes to make and keep for months in an airtight jar.
Garam masala is a finishing spice blend used in North Indian cooking, added at the end of cooking to add fragrance and warmth. Curry powder was invented by the British to approximate the flavour of Indian food. It does not exist in Indian home cooking.
Most ground spice blends keep for 3 to 6 months in an airtight jar away from heat and light. Kundapur masala keeps for up to a year in the freezer. Single spice powders like ground coriander and ground cumin are best used within 3 months; after that, they lose their potency. Always use a dry spoon to avoid introducing moisture.
Not really. Each blend is built for a specific dish or cuisine. Sambar powder does not substitute for garam masala. Kundapur masala does not substitute for store-bought curry powder. The blends in this collection are each built for specific purposes, and the recipes they appear in are designed around them.
Kundapur masala is a spice blend from coastal Karnataka, specifically from the Bunt community of Mangalore. It is made from byadgi chillies, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and fenugreek, along with a few optional spices, which are dry-roasted and ground together. It is the masala that goes into kori gassi, meen gassi, and most Mangalorean curries and dry dishes. It is not widely available outside India and cannot be adequately substituted. The recipe on this site is the one that has been in my family for generations.
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Related Collections
The masalas in this collection form the foundation of dishes throughout the site. Kundapur masala is the heart of Mangalorean cuisine. Garam masala finishes dishes across Curries, Dal and Legumes. Chaat masala belongs on almost everything in recipes from Starters & Street Food. And to read about the technique of using these spices properly (how to bloom spices, when to add a spice blend, how to build layers of flavour), the Essential spices in Indian cooking post is where to start.
