Staple Corner: How to Make Your Own Goda Masala


Visit the Indian Food Glossary for information on the ingredients in this recipe
homemade goda masala

As I have noted before, fresh homemade spice blends are always superior to store-bought blends. For example, I whipped up a batch of goda masala for a tangy red lentil curry and was struck by the heavenly fragrance. The goda masala spice blend is a specialty of Maharashtrian cooking, adding a hot, earthy and dry seasoning to foods of the region, like dals, rice dishes, vegetable curries and khichadis. A pinch of goda masala would be an excellent choice for homemade flatbreads. The recipe for the blend comes from Sukham Ayu: Cooking at Home With Ayurvedic Insights by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain, who included it as a tribute to the hills of Maharashtra. A big thanks again to these ladies for sending me a copy of their book.

I should repeat that this elegant book will tantalize your taste buds and introduce you to vegetarian Ayurvedic cooking principles. So many easy to prepare appetizer sweets, soups, vegetables, pulses, breads, rice, snacks and chutney, salads and beverages. Keep the goda masala blend in a well-sealed glass container for three to six months and spice up your dishes. A ready well-stocked and tidy kitchen makes for an excellent cook. Concentrate on your food and put positive energy into what you are making for nourishment.

Homemade Goda MasalaHomemade Goda Masala
Recipe by
Adapted from Sukham Ayu: Cooking at Home With Ayurvedic Insights
Cuisine: Indian
Published on October 28, 2011

A pungent and hot spice blend from Maharashtra that adds a unique earthy and dry seasoning to curries — try substituting for garam masala as a finish occasionally

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Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut
  • 1 tablespoon ghee or sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 4 1-inch pieces of cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • generous handful of dried curry leaves
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • pinch of kalonji (nigella) seeds (optional)
  • 2 cups coriander seeds
  • 20 to 30 dried whole red chilies
  • 1 tablespoon asafetida
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Instructions:
  • Dry roast the sesame seeds and coconut over low heat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, stirring often. When slightly browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

  • In the same pan, heat the ghee or oil over medium heat and add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, curry leaves, cumin seeds, kalonji seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Stir and fry for a few minutes and then add the coriander seeds and dried chilies. Continue to stir and fry until the coriander seeds darken a few shades. Toss in the asafetida powder and turmeric and roast for another few minutes, taking care to stir often.

  • Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and grind into a fine powder.

Makes 1 1/2 cups
Other Spice Powders from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you may enjoy:
Garam Masala
Chat Masala
Sambar Masala
Chana Masala Powder

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6 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Flavourful masala powder..

trump said...

I'm just passing by and thought id say hello. We will be receiving some snow this weekend in Pennsylvania, and the leaves are just about at their peek colors. I hope everyone has a very nice weekend. Richard from Amish Stories.

Bev said...

Hi Lisa..I just wanted to verify that 2 1/2 Tbsp curry seeds (in ingredients) were the cumin seeds referred to in the instructions...not a new spice to search for! ( I always look forward to your new posts..always something new and interesting)

Lisa Turner said...

Hi Bev;

Yes, I made a typo in the instructions. I have corrected the post. Thanks for pointing our my error and thanks for visiting by blog.

Anonymous said...

This recipe yields 1.5 cups, including the 2 cups of coriander seeds? I'm guessing you can't make this in a blender, then.

Lisa Turner said...

You could make it in a blender, even if you had to do it in batches. A coffee grinder would work well, though again, you would have to do it in batches. I find my "magic bullet" works well for spice blends too - it is essentially a small blender. Another option is to cut the recipe down to make less at a time.