Homemade Chole Masala powder or chana chole masala powder is an aromatic blend of spices that can be easily made at home. This masala goes well in a lot of curry or rice recipes and especially is best for making Punjabi Chole or my version of chole or No onion No garlic chickpea curry.
There is joy in making a fresh batch of masala. First, you know exactly what is added to the masala. We can control the portions or add or remove spices we do not like. Next is the aroma and fragrance of fresh masala. Nothing can really beat it. And lastly the end result. The recipe in which we use our homemade masala tastes way better.
In the past, I used to buy all the masala but now slowly I am making a lot of masala at home. A few reasons are the same as explained above and the next is at times I do not get my favorite brands. I used to bulk them during my India visit, but now I do not find it practical either.
And I do make them because I love to make them. I make small batches. This way the masala is fresh and I am free to modify the recipe if required. For example, the store-bought masalas at times might have more red chilly, which I might need to reduce.
Masala Powder Recipes
I love to make this garam masala, sambar masala, roasted cumin powder, coriander spice mix, Bise bile baath masala powder, Horse gram podi, and more.
Recently my stock of chole masala got over and then I was in no mood to buy it from the shop. I decided to make it on my own. I used a mixture of a couple of recipes online and made it as per what I liked. The end result was a flavourful spice blend that did go well with the curry.
Yes, when I made the chole curry and asked for feedback from the family, they loved it. To be honest they could not distinguish much but in all the masala worked. I had a few guests that day and to my surprise, the girl who does not eat Indian food ate it all. So the curry was good and the masala worked.
Recipe process of Chole Masala Powder
This is an oil-free masala. We just dry roast the ingredients until it releases a nice aroma and slightly change color. Once the dry roasting is done, we let it cool down completely, grind it, and store it in an air-tight container. Use it as required.
This masala can be used in different curries and not just in chole. One can add it to biryanis, pulao, or even as a spice mix to your masalas.
Shelf life of Chole Masala
If you dry roast it properly and maintain proper hygiene and sterile conditions the masala stays good for at least 6 months or more.
Homemade Chole Masala
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Pan
Ingredients
- 2-4 Black Cardamom
- 10-12 Black Peppercorns
- 2-3 Green Cardamom
- 2 Mace
- 1- inch Cinnamon stick
- ½ Nutmeg
- 1 Star Anise
- 2-4 Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- 8-10 dry Red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Carom seeds
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
- A pinch of Asafoetida
- ½ tsp Deggi Red chili powder
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pan add all the ingredients except asafoetida and red chili powder.2-4 Black Cardamom, 10-12 Black Peppercorns, 2-3 Green Cardamom, 2 Mace, 1- inch Cinnamon stick, ½ Nutmeg, 1 Star Anise, 2-4 Cloves, 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds, 1 tbsp Coriander seeds, ½ tsp Cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon Carom seeds, 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds, 8-10 dry Red chilies
- Slowly roast the ingredients until they are fragrant or start changing color.
- Once done, let it cool down completely.
- In a blender jar add all the roasted ingredients along with asafoetida and red chili powder.A pinch of Asafoetida, ½ tsp Deggi Red chili powder
- Grind this to a fine powder and store it in an air-tight container.
Notes
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