spice mix – Batter Up With Sujata

Pulao Or Biryani Masala/Microwave Cooking

Pulao Or biryani masala. An aromatic spice blend for biryani or pulao. Not only biryani or pulao but you can also use this fragrant spice powder in Kabab or in curries to give a royal touch and make the dish aromatic. A perfect shahi or royal spice mixture to make any dish special. Sharing both the microwave and stove top recipes.

You may like three more different flavoured homemade spice powder on this blog.

1. Bengali garam masala

2. Panch phoran bhaja or dry roasted Bengali five spice powder

3. Roasted mixed spice powder or bhaja moshla

Ingredients used to make this aromatic spice mixture.

Green cardamom or chhoti ilaichi – Green cardamom used for it’s aroma. Green cardamom often used to make curries, pulao, biryani, khichdi or many sweet dishes to make the dish aromatic.

Black cardamom or badi elaichi – Black cardamom used to make savoury dishes like pulao, biryani, non veg dishes, curries and in garam masala. It will also give a lovely flavour.

Cinnamon or darchini – Cinnamon has numerous health benefits and also a very aromatic spice. Its often used in tea with cardamom, in garam masala and even we use it in cakes and cookies for it’s aroma and health benefits.

Cloves or laung – Nutritious cloves are used for flavour and it also provide many health benefits.

Mace or javitri – Mace is also used for flavour. It has delicate aroma and some medicinal properties with many health benefits.

Kababchini or cubeb – Kababchini looks like tailed pepper. This ancient spice is used not just in Indian cuisine but also in Asian and Spanish dishes. It is mostly used for flavouring curries owing to its fragrance.Kabab chini is popularly known as Allspice in English because it smells like a combination of spices including cloves, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Source

Nutmeg or jaiphal – Nutmeg is used for it’s flavour in many sweet, savoury and baked dishes. It has a warm, slightly nutty flavor and is often used in desserts and curries, as well as drinks like mulled wine and chai tea. Although it’s more commonly used for its flavor than its health benefits, nutmeg contains an impressive array of powerful compounds that may help prevent disease and promote your overall health. Source

Star anise or chakr phool – In traditional Chinese and folk medicine practices, star anise is steeped in water to make a tea used to treat respiratory infections, nausea, constipation and other digestive issues. Star anise also makes a great addition to sweet dishes and desserts, such as baked fruit, pies, quick bread and muffins. Its powerful bioactive compounds may help treat several fungal, bacterial and viral infections. Source

Bay leaf or tej patta – Bay leaf is very common herb used in cooking. Usually its used for tempering and also in Herbal tea. Bay leaf is often used in recipes to provide a savory boost of flavor in soups and stews. It has also been used throughout history for its potential health benefits. Source

Caraway seeds or shah/shahi jeera – Caraway is a unique spice long used in cooking and herbal medicine. Its slightly bitter, earthy flavor is reminiscent of licorice, coriander, anise, and fennel. It can be used whole or ground in both sweet and savory dishes, such as breads, pastries, curries, and stews. Caraway is a multifaceted spice with numerous culinary and medicinal applications. Although widely considered a seed, it comes from the fruit of the caraway plant and boasts several minerals and plant compounds. In fact, it may aid weight loss, relieve inflammation, and promote digestive health. Source

You can make this spice powder and store in airtight container for later use. Keep the container in cool dry space. You have to dry roast the spices. Dry roast till the spices becomes fragrant. Don’t make the spices brown. Dry roasting will make your spices crisp for easy grinding. I have microwave the spices for two minutes. You can also roast the spices on stove top. Roast the spices in a pan on medium heat till spices becomes fragrant. You will get a nice aroma. Transfer the spices immediately on a plate. Let it cool down before grinding.

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Recipe video for this aromatic spice mixture

Recipe

Green cardamom or chhoti ilaichi – 7

Black cardamom or badi elaichi – 2

Cinnamon or darchini – 1 stick

Cloves or laung – 6

Mace or javitri – 1

Kababchini or cubeb – 1/2 teaspoon

Nutmeg or jaiphal – 1 small

Star anise or chakr phool – 1

Bay leaf or tej patta – 2

Caraway seeds or shah jeera – 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Place all the spices in a microwavable glass bowl. Break the cinnamon and bay leaves in 2-3 pieces.

2. Microwave on high power for two minutes. After one minute open the microwave door and stir the spices once.

3. Close the door again let it cook for one minute again. After two minutes remove the bowl from microwave and let it cool down. Spices will become fragrant and crisp.

For stove top

4. Heat a pan and add all the whole spices. Dry roast on medium heat. Keep stirring. Dry roast till spices becomes fragrant. You will get a nice aroma. Don’t make the spices brown. We need to make the spices crisp only. Transfer the spices on a plate immediately.

5. Grind the spices into fine powder when cool.

6. Store the ground spices in an airtight container. You can store this spice powder in refrigerator for longer time. Use it in biryani, pulao, curries or other dishes.

Blogger group

This post is going to be featured on Facebook gourmet group Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge. In this group every month one of the members decide the theme. And members paired to give two secret ingredients each other. Best part is we paired every month with different bloggers so that we can interact each other. And after preparing the dish members share a picture of the dish and other members have to guess the ingredients.

This month theme Homemade Spice Mixture is suggested by Jayashree Trao who blog at Evergreendishes. Jayashree recently shared lipsmackingly delicious Aam ki launji. Its mango season so bookmarked the recipe to try.

This month my partner is one of my very good friend Preethi Prasad. We know each other from the initial days of blogging. I have to try her Mix veg crispy party snacks. Preethi gave me star anise and cardamom as secret ingredients and I made this fragrant spice blend with these ingredients. I gave turmeric and fenugreek to Preethi. Preethi made this flavorful spice mixture with these ingredients.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hashtag, #batterupwithsujata I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.

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Panch Phoran Bhaja Or Roasted Five Spice Powder

Panch phoran bhaja or dry roasted Bengali five spice powder. A very aromatic spice mixture to use in chutney, sukto and many other dishes to enhance the flavour. Panch phoran or mixture of whole five spices generally used for tempering or tadka. And this roasted panch phoran powder will make your dishes aromatic. Just add a teaspoon of this powder at the end of cooking to enhance the taste and aroma of your dish.

Panch phoran originating from the region of Eastern South Asia and used especially in the cuisine of Bangladesh and Eastern India, Northeastern India region especially in the cuisine of Odisha, West Bengal, Mithila region of India and Nepal. Wikipedia

To make panch phoran or five spice mix 1 tablespoon of each nigella seed or kalonji, cumin seeds or jeera, mustard seeds or sarso, fennel seeds or sounf and 1/2 tablespoon fenugreek seeds or methi.

Generally radhuni or wild celery seeds are used in panch phoran. Radhuni looks like ajwain or carom seeds but flavour is different. But radhuni is not available outside Bengal so we use mustard seeds instead of radhuni.

Here are some recipes with panch phoran bhaja powder. Click on the link below for recipe.

1. Panch phoran dal

2. Olive chutney

3. Gur aam or instant sweet mango pickle

4. Sukto

And some recipes which panch phoran tadka or tempering.

1. Panch phoran tarkari

2. Bati chochchori

3. Drumstick and potato curry

4. Pumpkin stir fry

5. Assamese massor dal borar tenga

6. Lentil patties in mustard sauce

7. Spicy potato curry

To make this aromatic dry ground spices mix all the seeds and dry roast till fragrant. Let it cool down before grinding. After grinding store panch phoran bhaja or five spice powder in airtight container and use as require. Radhuni is not available here. I bought a packet from Kolkata and stored in refrigerator to use in Sukto or some other dishes. I make panch phoran with the mixture of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds. You can get ready to use mixture in your local grocery store.

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Recipe

Cumin seeds or jeera – 1 tablespoon

Nigella seeds or Kalonji – 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds or sarso – 1 tablespoon

Wild celery or radhuni – 1 tablespoon

Fennel seeds or sounf – 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds or methi – 1/2 tablespoon

Method

1..Combine all the seeds. I have used cumin or jeera, mustard or sarso, fennel or sounf, nigella or kalonji and fenugreek or methi seeds. I didn’t use radhuni. You can use if you have or you like the flavour. I like mustard seeds in my panch phoran. Methi seeds taste bitter so I always use less methi in panch phoran. You can use equal quantity if you like.

2. Dry roast on a pan till the seeds become fragrant. Seeds shouldn’t be burnt.

3. Let the dry roasted seeds cool down completely.

4. Grind the mixture into powder. Store in airtight container for later use. You can store the powder in refrigerator.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hashtag, #batterupwithsujata I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.

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Bengali Garam Masala

Bengali garam masala. An aromatic spice mixture. Add a pinch of this garam masala with a teaspoon of ghee or clarified butter in your curries at the end to enhance the flavour and taste. This spice mixture is commonly used in every Bengali home. In curries, ghonto,dalna etc.

My mother and mother in law both were use it freshly ground in stone grinder or sil batta. And they never dry roast the spices. But I have dry roasted lightly for easy grinding. I remember it’s a regular duty of our domestic helper to grind a small bowl full of this garam masala with the help of little water daily. I didn’t use my stone grinder or sil batta since a long time. Discarded the old one because of small modular kitchen. But I had browse for the picture last night. And loved the picture below. Just like I had in my earlier kitchen.

In my parental home stone grinder or sil batta was made of black stone. In Bengali it’s called sil nora. I will ask my sister in law to send me a picture. Earlier shared one more aromatic Bengali spice mix Bhaja moshla to enhance the flavour of your cutlets, dum aloo, sandwich stuffing or any savoury dish.

Sending this recipe to 278 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Spice Mix Secrets suggested by Aruna SarasChandra who blog at Vasusvegkitchen. Aruna is a very talented blogger. Her space is full of different types of wonderful recipes. And she has also some delicious and flavorful spice mix or podi recipes. I have bookmarked her Peanut powder or palli podi and Idli dosa podi. Do visit her space for many more delicious snacks, starter, bread, curries, baked and tiffin recipes.

As I mentioned above that earlier people used this masala freshly ground. But I always store some for easy use. You have to add very little of this spice mixture. And never add it with other spices when sautéing or frying. Always add at the end or before removing the curry from stove for best result. It will make your dish more aromatic.

Recipe

Cardamom- 20

Cloves- 16

Cinnamon- 3 stick

Method

1. Dry roast the spices on a skillet for one minute only. You can also grind without dry roasting. But lightly dry roasted spices will grind easily.

2. Grind when cool. Store in an airtight container for later use. Add a pinch in your curries with ghee or clarified butter at the end to enhance the taste and flavour.

Notes

1. You can also grind this spice mixture without dry roasting if you have a powerful grinder.

2. You can add bay leaf and little javitri with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon if you want to make your spices more aromatic. But in Bengali garam masala we use only green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hashtag, #batterupwithsujata I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.

Please visit my facebook page and hit the like button to get the latest update

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