Fresh spice blends, pastes and sauces are an essential element in many Indian dishes. The longer I immerse myself into the art of Indian cooking, the more I find myself making my own preparations. A complexity is imparted to the food that simply cannot be recreated by using ready made versions produced outside of the kitchen of the cook looking to add a unique touch. And for the most part, the effort involved is minimal. This recipe does come with a warning. The spicier the better is my motto, but even I was gulping water and spooning some cooling yogurt into my mouth to ease the heat after tasting a scant 1/2 teaspoon of this pungent, fiery paste on its own. When incorporated into curries and their accompaniments however, the heat is a necessary and sufficient condition.
I made a small batch in preparation for Scalloped Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Chilies and also added a spoonful to Scrambled Chickpea Flour. All three recipes are inspired by Raghavan Iyer's gloriously indispensable 660 Curries. Honestly, I can't recommend this collection highly enough.
Red Chili and Vinegar Paste (Balchao Masala)More essentials:
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of tamarind
1 cup of dried hot red chilies (remove stems)
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon of whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
10 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut into chunks
1 6 inch long piece of cinnamon stick, broken into bits
Begin by pouring the vinegar into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until you have a thick paste. Scrap down the sides of the blender jar as necessary. Store in a sterilized jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or you can freeze the paste.
Chana Masala Powder
Garam Masala
Tamarind Chutney
Hot Green Chili Sauce
13 comments:
Wow! I've never heard of it. This is on the must try list!
Oh, it's one of the hottest and spiciest pastes I have made. Just loved it. Comes highly recommended. I'm looking forward to adding what remains to various curry dishes.
i agree about the 660 Curries recommendation. if i had to have only one cookbook, it would be this one. i have fond memories of balchao masala eaten in goa spanning several years and meals.
I imagine that would singe the mouth on its own! But there really is nothing quite as good as homemade, is there?
it is a rare moment to hear you say you were gulping water because it was so hot - this must burn - sounds too hot for me but interesting flavours!
I would like to try this one...real hot and spicy..
I can imagine this pairs well with just about anything! Lovely recipe, thanks.
This stuff is awesome. I suggest you make up a batch of it and keep it handy for most everything, if you like your food spicy on these cold Canadian mornings.
Truly, one of the the top ten items here on Lisa's Kitchen
Oh wow..a very spicy curry paste.
Hi Lisa,
LOL....on ur tasting the masala paste ;) and I am totally with u on ur moto...lol :) as am planning to shift my sweet tooth to spice kingdom :)
Great one to use in curries n stuff...BTW can I replace the red wine vinegar with the regular vinegar or something heeeeeeeeeeeeeelp ....lemme know coz am sure to try this one :)
Enjoy!
Hi Suparna;
You could use cider vinegar, and I suppose regular vinegar would work too. Hope you like it. I'm so glad I made it.
I am loving this Lisa! I keep homemade harissa at home, & it's really handy even to add to anything i want. This actually sounds even better..
nice blog..nice dishes..lovely..i wud love to visit again your lovely dishes!!
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