Kerala Recipes

Chicken, Meat, Mutton Masala Powders are readily available in the market. It is a combination of many different spices and can be used for convenience. If you are in a hurry, you can grab one of these packets and make a quick dish without having to bother about roasting and grinding spices. Most of the manufacturers claim that you don’t need to use any additional spices, if you are using these ready made packets. However, I often use additional spices even if I am using these ready made spice masala powders.

The ingredients of these Masala Powders vary from region to region. For example, the chicken masala powders manufactured in Kerala often have fennel seeds and curry leaf as an ingredient. The North Indian Masala Powders have a different taste from the South Indian Masala Powders. I have tried some good Kerala brands of masala powders like Eastern, Melam and Saras. You can try a few brands before finalizing on the brand you like.

If you don’t want to use store bought packets of Chicken/Meat/Mutton Masala powders, you can always make it at home. It is nothing but a combination of Garam Masala and curry powders like Turmeric, Red Chilly, Coriander, Black Pepper etc. I use the following ingredients for making my Masala Powder for Non Vegetarian dishes:

1. Coriander Powder (Malli) – 1 tbsp
2. Turmeric Powder (Manjal) – 1/2 tsp
3. Chilly Powder (Mulaku) – 2 tsp
4. Black Pepper Powder (Kurumulaku) – 1 tsp
5. Fenugreek (Uluva) – 1/4 tsp (optional)
6. Cumin (Jeerakam) – 1 tsp
7. Fennel Seeds (PerumJeerakam) – 1 tbsp
8. Cloves (Grambu) – 8 to 10
9. Cardamom (Elakka) – 2
10. Cinnamon (Patta) – 2″ long piece
11. Star Anise (Thakkolam) – 1
12. Nutmeg Powdered (Jathikka) – 1/4 tsp (optional)
13. Mace (Jathipoo) – 1 (optional)

• First, dry roast the powders lightly, followed by the whole spices. Dry roasting increases the shelf life of the masala powder.
• Allow it to cool and grind all the above ingredients to make a powder.
• You will get around 5 tbsp of spice powder with the above measurements. Increase the proportions accordingly.
• You can store this masala powder for a few days in an airtight container.

Use this powder for preparing Chicken, Beef or Mutton.

For more details on spices and to see the pictures, here is an English Malayalam Spice Glossary.

Some additional ingredients which are often found in Store Bought Chicken and Meat Masala Powders are:

• Cashew
• Poppy Seeds
• Aniseed
• Caraway
• Curry Leaves
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Onion
• Gram Dal
• Mustard
• Salt

Related posts:

1. Home Made Garam Masala Powder
2. Home Made Biriyani Masala Ingredients
3. Home Made Grape Wine
4. Minced Meat (Kheema) Masala
5. Chicken Sausage (Hot Dog) Masala