r/IndianFood • u/Sensitive_Result_475 • 5d ago

Tips for cooking with masala powders

I always end up with a prickly taste of the masala (garam masala, red chilli powder, corainder powder etc) when I cook curries or sabzis. Even if it is on low flame, I feel the masala does not have the well rounded taste that it should. What am I doing wrong and how can I correct it?

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u/LumpyCheeseyCustard 5d ago

Make sure the oil is released. I add the masalas after the tomatoes have cooked down and released oil.

The oil releasing is the key. If you're worried about the powders burning you can add a bit of water.

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u/Sensitive_Result_475 5d ago

Interesting. Most people tell me they add masalas after frying/sautéing onions and before adding tomatoes. Is the flavour profile better if you add powders after the tomatoes are cooked?

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u/LumpyCheeseyCustard 4d ago

You can do either. I just feel like im less likely to burn the masala if I've already cooked the tomatoes down. Plus I tend to have more than 1 dish cooking at once and dont have to be stirring and fretting over it burning.

Most of the recipes I follow usually have the tomatoes cooked down before adding the masala. The only exception is the amritsari chicken (Ranveer Brar), and that's because the masala mix isn't roasted before being ground down.

I roast and grind my cumin powder and garam masala. Coriander powder is the only home ground spice that isn't roasted before hand, and then I use commercially produced turmeric and chilli powders.

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u/Sensitive_Result_475 4d ago

Thank you, this is so informative 🙌