Perfect as a curry base for chicken, mutton, beef, or vegetable Xacuti recipes

Quantity for 2 - 2.5kg meat (Chicken, Lamb, Beef)
Dry Ingredients

30 red chillies (mix of Kashmiri Chillies for colour, Sankeshwari or Byadagi (Bedgi) for spice

3 tbsp coriander seeds

1 level tbsp fenugreek seeds (methi)

1 level tbsp sesame seeds

1 level tbsp dried mace

2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

12 green cardamons

5-6 black cardamons

10 whole cloves

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

10-20 black peppercorns

2 inches cinnamon stick

1 tbsp star anise

1tbsp tefla (tirpal / Sichuan pepper) (or substitute with grated lemon rind)

1 tsp black cumin seeds (shahi jeera)

2 tsp black mustard seeds

Wet Ingredients

1 small onion, sliced

1-2 inches fresh ginger

1 whole bulb garlic, peeled

50gm fresh coconut (or 2-3 tbsp desiccated coconut)

1 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tsp concentrated tamarind paste (or 2 walnut sized pieces of dried tamarind, soaked in hot water and strained for pulp.
Cooking Steps

Step 1 - Toast the Dry Spices

  • Heat a dry pan over a medium heat.
  • Roast each dry spice separately for under a minute until fragrant
    Watch closely:  Toast chillies until just smoking (do not burn) and flash fry sensitive spices like mustard and black cumin for just a few seconds.
  • Transfer toasted spices to a plate and let them cool competely.

Step 2 - Roast the Coconut & Onions

  • In the same dry pan, lightly toast the sliced onion until soft and translucent.  Set aside.
  • Toast the coconut along with the 1 tsp turmeric over low heat until medium golden brown and aromatic. 
    Remove immediately to prevent scorching.

Step 3 - Grind the Dry Spices

  • Add all cooled dry spices to a spice grinder and pulse into a fine powder.
  • Blend the paste:  In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the ground dry spices, roasted onion, toasted coconut-turmeric mix, ginger, garlic, and tamarind pulp.
  • Add a small splash of water (just enough to help the blades move) and blend into a th

Step 4 - Storage

Transfer to a clean, airtight glass jar.  Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze in portions for longer shelf life.