Ingredients
15-20 dried red Kashmiri chillies
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
1" stick cinnamon
4 cloves
1/4 tsp of black cumin (shahi jeera)
400g fresh coconut (or fine desicated coconut)
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp turmeric
1-inch piece ginger
5-6 garlic cloves
1 medium onion - sliced
1 lime-sized piece of tamarind
1 tsp raw rice
Cooking Steps
Step 1: Dry roast whole spices & Rice:
Heat a dry pan on medium heat.
Roast the dried chillies, corianer seeds, peppercorns, cumin, black cumin, cloves, cinnamon, poppy seeds, and raw rice for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant.
Step 2 - Roast the Onion and Coconut
In the same pan, add a tablespoon of oil. Saute the sliced onion, garlic, ginger for 3 minutes until softened.
Add the grated coconut and roast on low-medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the coconut turns a goldn brown.
Stir in the turmeric powder, mix well for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and let everything cool completely.
Step 3 - Grind
Transfer the roasted mixure into mixer grinder and a splash of water.
Add the tamarind flesh and a little water, and blitz until a thick paste forms.
To Freeze
Spoon the paste into clean plastic ice cube trays and freeze for 3 to 4 hours until the cubes are completely solid. Then pop the masala cubes into a heavy duty zip top freezer bag.
Each cube is roughly 1-2 tablespoons of paste.