Phil, as you know, the naming of things in this subject / culinary area is somewhat random and confused / confusing at times. For an OCD like me it is pure hell and pokes me like a stick.
Then there is all of the "expert" knowledge churned out on the internet information highway, much of which is just plain incorrect. It takes a bit to sort the crap from the clay, as they say.
Chillies:
I found this site, among others, about Chilli variety of India. "Madras Pari" chilli is apparently a variety.
http://www.ikisan.com/ap-chilli-varieties.html.
It is also worth noting that I have read that Kashmiri Chilli Powder is not always 100% "Kashmiri Chilli".
http://www.margaretshome.com/what-is-kashmiri-chilli-powder/ Note: upon inspection of this photo, it would appear to me that the whole chillies I was sold as "Kashmiri" are in fact Byadagi.
The main variety used in Bottle Masala, sometimes singly, is Kashmiri. The other stipulated varieties used are Byadagi (some of the spelling is at best a lucky guess, eg; Bedgi) and the Madras Pari. Some descriptive dialog about secret family recipes claim to use 4 or 5 different types. Paprika is mentioned in some discussion.
As stated previously, I used some Kashmiri, some generic "chilli powder" (quite hot), some paprika and there was also Kashmiri chilli and "chilli hot" listed in the ingredients of the Basaar I used to obtain a trace amount of Stone Flower. All other ingredients in this Basaar were in the ingredient lists of the Bottle Masala so the Basaar I have is a "reduced spice number" version of Bottle Masala. 15 ingredients instead of close to 30.
Black Cumin:This spice caused me some confusion in the early stages of my spice stocking quest and still does. I immediately found reference to it being both Caraway and Kalonji (Black Seeds or Nigella). I had both Caraway seed and Kalonji and neither of these are Black Cumin. However, finding a definitive answer is difficult, well-nigh impossible. Bunium bulbocastinum, and Bunium persicum are both claimed to be Black Cumin. Black Cumin is sometimes confused with Caraway because they look similar but neither look like Kalonji. Then you have Shahi jeera and Kalijiri. The spellings, local dialects and translation to English let alone general naming confusion and mistakes has made this spice a real "anyone's guess", even Mr Pruthi.
I have 4 different seeds in my spice cupboard. Cumin, Caraway, Black Cumin (sold in a packet labelled Shahi Jeera (Black Cumin) incidentally) and Kalonji. They are all different in shape, size, colour and taste.
What the actual recipes called for is as follows;
showmerecipes:-
caraway seeds (shahi jeera) http://showmerecipes.blogspot.com/2016/08/east-indian-bottle-masala-how-to-make.htmlMaria D'souza:-
caraway seeds. This recipe appears in several different locations. Here is one.
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/429953095662751947/?lp=trueMangalorean Recipes:- not used in this one.
http://www.mangaloreanrecipes.com/recipes/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=86&Itemid=110Serveright-food:-
Black Cumin.
http://www.serveright-food.com/east-indian-bottle-masala/BottleMasala.com:-
Shah- jeera (Caraway). http://www.bottlemasala.com/Bottle_Masala_Recipe.htmlDNAIndia:-
Shahijeera (cumin seeds black) https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-an-east-indian-speaks-on-the-importance-of-that-kitchen-staple-bottle-masala-1913067Bottlezest:-
Shahjeera (black cumin seeds) http://bottlezest.blogspot.com/Cookadoodledo:-
Shahi Jeera (Black Cumin) https://cookadoodledoo.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/east-indian-bottle-masala/Goan Xacuti:-
Carraway seeds http://xantilicious.com/recipe/goan-xacuti-masala-powder/These are the recipes that I spreadsheeted, roughly adjusted to a standardised 1000g of chilli (it's usually made in big quantities of 3 kg of dried chilli), scaled down to producing approximately 150 g batches and then averaged to come up with the above LCD formula, kindly sorted by decreasing ingredient quantity by Phil.
Picture of my seeds. Clockwise from the top.
Black Cumin:- sold to me as Shahi Jeera (Black Cumin). Cumin (Jeera). Black seed (Kalonji / Nigella). Caraway seed.
The Caraway seed is longer and fatter than the Black Cumin, is slightly darker and the longitudanal lines / ridges are more distinct. As far as taste goes, in a raw taste test they are 3 distinctly different flavours with the Black Cumin being almost halfway between the other 2.
Topic: East Indian Bottle Masala (Read 25944 times)
