A Quick Look Over My Personal Spice Box
Masala Dabba or Indian Spice box is a must-have item in practically every Indian household's kitchen. If you prepare Indian food regularly, you should have it. But, what should be included in this masala box of yours?? In this article, I'll share with you guys which Indian masala spices are included in my kitchen spice box and why, so read on.
For those who are unfamiliar with an Indian spice box, it is stainless steel or wooden, flat container known as a Dabba with a tight-fitting cover of around 6-7 inches in diameter (sometimes 10-12 inch diameter). The box masala dabba contains seven little spherical containers into which you store spices. It also comes with one (or more) small spoons roughly the size of a teaspoon. I've seen my mom, my grandmother all use these spice storage masala box to keep the spices handy while cooking, and I've also used masala dabba since the beginning of my cooking journey.
What Should You Put In Your Masala Dabba?
You should use the Indian spices that you regularly use in your cuisine on a regular basis. For example, if you generally make South Indian food, you should avoid using garam masala and amchur in your dabba. Instead, utilise the most generally used tempering lentils, urad dal and chana dal.
Keeping a traditional Indian spice box in the kitchen makes you more effective. It is far more handy than having to open each spice jar. Yes, putting spices in adorable looking little spice containers is stylish and visually appealing, but it is totally ineffective. Cooking Indian will be a snap now that you can get all of the spices you need in one spot.
What I Put In My Masala Dabba?
I'm Gujarati & so I mostly cook Gujarati food, and on the rare occasion North Indian food. And so, I put the spices that I need regularly in my spice box. Here are those spices:
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Fenugreek Seeds
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Coriander-cumin powder
Garam Masala
I also keep a small container of strong Asafoetida on the side as I use that regularly as well. But when storing Asafoetida, make sure you are storing it in an airtight container because it has a very strong, overpowering smell.
I believe that the Indian spice box is the key to mastering Indian-style cookery. Cooking Indian food is complicated, and time is everything, so having all of the required spices in one package makes it seem less frightening. The whole point of having a spice box is to have it next to your pot, so you don't have to scramble about hunting for different spice containers while tempering the food.
Most Indian cuisines start with heating oil, then adding tiny amounts of spices in rapid succession, so the mustard seeds burst, cumin seeds sizzle, and turmeric and red chilli powders lose their sharp edge without burning. And, in order for it to happen, the temperature of the oil must be correct, thus having a spice box on hand is the most effective and practical means of obtaining the necessary spices- Open one of the boxes, and everything you might need is right there.
You can buy spice box online from Amazon or Flipkart or even at a utensil shop. I bought one from Amazon and my spices from Vasant Masala.
Source : [Medium]