All About Kala Masala: Maharashtrian Cuisine's Signature Spice Blend

As the grains of rai danced in the kadhai, one of them jumped out to hit my cheek. The blazing February afternoon in Nashik that was about treating the palate with native Maharashtrian dishes soon became all about cooking it. I was stirring the kala masala tadka, an essential component of Maharashtrian cuisine, including the iconic misal.

A rare moment on the final my three-day retreat to the Maharashtra Eco Glamping Festival found me behind the stove in a makeshift kitchen under a tree at a biodynamic farm in Nashik. Alongside me, three women worked to fill up the bare table top with quintessential Maharashtrian dishes.

Katachi amti, puran poli, aam ras, misal pav, and other accompaniments, including namkeen, papad, poha, and a host of vegetables, soon landed on the table. Finally, it resembled an artist’s palette who’d been long at work. Here, the artist was Madhuri Kishor Ugaokar, who helmed the makeshift kitchen.

Maharashtra's Star Ingredient: Kala Masala

While every ingredient in a dish stands out in one way or another, there is always a star ingredient that contributes the most to making the dish what it is. In traditional Marathi culinary delights, kala masala shines the brightest. It is a dark-roasted, aromatic spice blend known for its versatility in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. 

It is a combination of anywhere between 25-30 spices that include coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, kadhi patta (curry leaves), cumin seeds, cloves, chilli powder, dried coconut powder, fried onions among others. “While the ingredients of the powder are the same throughout the state, the chilli levels vary from one city to the other,” explained Ugaokar. 

Other masalas, including goda masala and kanda lasoon masala, are also quite prevalent in the state.

Colours Of Maharashtra Rolled Up In A Thali

The queen of the thali was the katachi amti, a spicy, soup-like curry that is usually served with rice or bhakri. It is a complex mixture of various spices and ingredients that undergo a thorough cooking process to finally taste as effortless as it does. Its making includes boiling and grinding a cupful of chana daal and retaining its water, which is then kept aside to be mixed in later.

This is followed by the preparation of a spice mix consisting of fried onion, fried dried coconut, ginger, green chilli, and garlic. This mix is then shallow-fried in oil, after which the unique kala masala is added. Then, the mix of boiled chana dal and water is blended in. Ugaokar recommends adding salt and water later to preferred consistency. While presenting, she pairs it with a portion of Indrayani rice, a variant native to the region.

Balancing katachi amti's heat is the silky aam ras and the crispy puran poli. Ugaonkar shares the secret to making it right, and more importantly, eating it right.

Stuffed with a paste of ground chana daal and jaggery, puran poli is best eaten right off the stove without compromising on the ghee that glistens on the top. It is usually paired with aam ras, which acquires a silky texture after grinding mango pulp with milk and sugar. While it can be served cold as a drink, dipping the puran poli in it elevates its flavours even more.

The thali is incomplete without kurdya papad and kanda bhajiya (onion rings). Ugaokar tells me that the making of the kurdya papad starts with soaking wheat in water for three days and ends with drying the coiled papads in the sun. It is usually made in huge batches that last at least two or three years. 

Kala Masala Recipe

Ingredients:

• Black Pepper - 20 gm

• Fennel seeds - 50 gm

• Cumin seeds- 50 gm

• Cloves - 10 gm

• Cinnamon - 6 gm

• Shahjira - 10 gm

• Star anise - 20 gm

• Green Cardamom/Veldoda - 10 gm

• Rampatri - 10 gm

• Javitri - 10 gm

• Halkund/ Turmeric seeds - 60 gm

• Heeng - 70 gm

• Dry ginger - 40 gm

• Nutmeg - 10 gm

• Stone Flower - 10 gm

• Bay leaf - 50 gm

• Spicy Chilli- 250 gm

• Kashmiri Chilli - 250 gm

• Coriander seeds - 250 gm

• Dry coconut- 250 gm

• Black cardamom - 10 gm

• Dried onion- 500 gm

Method

After gathering the extensive list of ingredients, shallow-fry it in oil until it becomes aromatic. Once fried, they are ground together to produce the rich, deep black-hued and fragrant kala masala.