Topic: what is bassar curry masalla ?

[Derek Dansak]

Hi all

Phil (if you read this post) , i liked your madras post recently, the chicken stock is a fresh approach which fits with my understanding of how the chef at my local prepares his curries.  Seems like the way to go forward.

Could you explain the basaar curry masalla ?  is it off the shelf or made by hand?

cheers DD

[George]

Could you explain the basaar curry masalla ?  is it off the shelf or made by hand?

To save Phil from needing to explain, here's the one I use, off the shelf:

[Kashmiri Bob]

Thats the one Ive got as well.  The ingredients are: chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, mustard oil, fenugreek leaves, cumin powder, bay leaves, mustard seeds, cardamon powder, black pepper powder, cloves, fenugreek powder, and nutmeg powder.

[Peripatetic Phil]

And it is also the one I used.  Thanks for posting the picture, George.  Whilst it will seem like heresy to some, I find that just replacing generic chilli powder with Bassar curry masala can make a real improvement to the flavour with some recipes.  Of course, Bassar curry masala is far more than just chilli powder, but it packs enough of a punch to replace the chillies and add more besides in terms of flavour.

** Phil.

[George]

Whilst it will seem like heresy to some, I find that just replacing generic chilli powder with Bassar curry masala can make a real improvement to the flavour with some recipes. 

That's exactly what I do - using the Basaar masala in place of chilli powder, after I tried using Basaar like any other curry powder or mix powder, and it nearly blew my head off, it was so hot. I figured it must be 80 or 90% chilli powder, and the 'trace elements' of other spices probably add something to whatever I'm making.

[fried]

I'm a bit confused by this. Doesn't it just have similiar ingredients to a 'Mix' powder plus a garam masala. If this is being used after the G+G pastes how does the taste differ? I don't use nutmeg in my GM or any mustard oil but I think all the other ingredients are there.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I'm a bit confused by this. Doesn't it just have similiar ingredients to a 'Mix' powder plus a garam masala. If this is being used after the G+G pastes how does the taste differ?

Yes, it does have similar ingredients but (at the risk of sounding patronising, which is not my aim), everything we do involves using "similar ingredients" to what many might put in a 'Mix' powder [1], yet the results yield everything from a bhuna and a korma to a phal.  In other words, it is not the similarities that matter but the differences.  I have never seen a mix powder that in any way resembles Bassar curry masala, and adding a garam masala to most mix powders would still not make the latter look anything like Bassar curry masala at all.  The latter is a unique blend of spices and yields a unique flavour, clearly enjoyed by Pakistanis, from where the blend originates; we could set out to replicate it, but to what end ?  It is (reasonably) easily available, can be used with minimal additional ingredients to make a great curry in its own right, and can be used (as George and I have written) to replace a generic chilli powder in a recipe to produce a different, and in some cases better, dish than could be achieved by using chillies alone.

** Phil.
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[1] I willingly admit I have made only three in my life, and use none in my own recipes at all.

[fried]

No offense taken at all.  It might've sounded as if I was being critical (what with all the talk of premade mixes/pastes and the like), but I was more interested in whether the taste difference came from the spices used, the quantities of spices used or the quality of spices used in the masala.

I've heard a fair bit recently about bassar powders but never tasted it or seen the powder on the shelves.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I'd be very happy to put some in the post to you if you cannot source it locally.  It may also be worth noting that the mix includes mustard oil, which most (?all?) mix powders on this forum do not include, and which will definitely affect the flavour of the final dish.

** Phil.

[fried]

Thanks for the offer but I have a couple of spare hours tomorrow, so I'm planning on paying a visit to my local Indian area. if I can't find any I'll let you know.

I do have a bottle of mustard oil that I bought for some reason maybe I'll just chuck that in some mix powder.