Some of the spice blends Iyer gives recipes for in 660 Curries are very simple -- like the two-ingredients dhania-jeera masala. It doesn't get much more straight-forward than that! Most of them are a bit more involved. But this East Indian bottle masala is by far the most complex of the various blends and pastes in the book. It incorporates an astounding 20 ingredients! And, according to Iyer, this is one of the simpler bottle masalas out there. He explains that the recipes tend to be family secrets and that a given recipe may contain anywhere from 20 to 75 different components! It reminds me a bit of some of the descriptions I've read of Moroccan ras el hanout: each shop or family tends to have their own recipe, they're all closely-guarded secrets, and the ingredient lists range from long to very long.

Since this makes a very large batch (due to the sheer number of ingredients), Iyer recommends sharing with friends and/or using it as a general-purpose seasoning. He advises adding it to soups, salads, or pastas to give them a unique flavour boost. I haven't been remembering to do this, but possibly I should try it out the next time I'm casting about for spices. I bet it'd be great in scrambled eggs!

East Indian Bottle Masala

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried red Thai, arbol, or cayenne chilies
• 2 Tbsp. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 2 Tbsp. soft wheat berries (kanak)
• 1 Tbsp. uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1/2 c. coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp. white poppy seeds
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds from green pods
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg shavings (or 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg)
• 3 whole star anise
• 3 cinnamon sticks, broken into smaller pieces
• 3 blades mace (or 1/4 tsp. ground mace)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric

Directions

1. Combine everything except the ground spices in a bowl.
2. Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mixture and toast, shaking frequently, until the chilies begin to blacken and the rice and split peas begin to brown (4-6 minutes).
4. Transfer the spices to a plate to cool.
5. Once the mixture is completely cool, transfer (in batches, if necessary) to a spice grinder and finely grind.
6. Stir in the ground spices: nutmeg (if you didn't use nutmeg shavings), mace (if you didn't use whole blades of mace), ground Kashmiri chilies, and turmeric.
7. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 6 months².

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¹ If you don't have Kashmiri chilies, you can substitute a 1:3 mixture of ground cayenne and sweet paprika. That said, as I write this up, I've found myself contemplating the ingredient list and I think I'd seriously consider swapping the Kashmiri and cayenne chilies next time. Instead of 1 c. of dried cayenne/Thai/arbol and 2 Tbsp. of ground Kashmiri, I think I'd be inclined to use 1 c. of dried Kashmiri chilies (whole, stems removed) and 6 or 7 dried cayenne/Thai/arbol chilies. I think that using more Kashmiri chilies and roasting both kinds would produce a blend with less heat, but a more fruity and complex flavour. (Not that a mix this complicated necessarily needs more complexity, but I do really enjoy the flavour of Kashmiri chilies...) ^Back
2 Iyer only recommends storing this mix for up to 2 months. That said, we've had ours for several years now and it's still very flavourful and potent, so I figured 6 months was probably a reasonable middle ground. ^Back