Essay On Garam Masala

“The changing direction of wind incorporates newer flavor in your life,” said Shivani, referring to the gush of rather moist wind that was blowing across our faces. I befriended her on the banks of Devikulam Lake. She was accompanying her mother who came to take a dip in the sacred pool of water which is considered to be having curative properties. It is a local saying that she reiterated. Shivani seemed to be at her late teens, an age more prone to discovering newer flavors of life almost every day. But no, that was not the reason which prompted her to utter such words. In any case, young though she was, her innocence would have prevented her to make any kind of silly remarks.
We were seated at a place which is enclosed by verdant landscape
The elephants were slowly being led away from the lake by their mahout, it is their favorite haunting place during dusk and daybreak. For me too it was time to retrace my steps to Munnar, my home away from home for a few days, but not without my bounty of garam masala (hot spices). I considerably enriched my collection of spices during my visits to the wholesale markets, spice farms and local bazaars of Munnar, Dekulam, Marayur and Thekkady. Besides taking this collection back home, I wanted to cook something special for an old friend of mine who invited me for a dinner with his family the next
Grind them to fine powder.
Boil the potatoes and keep it aside for the time being.
Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Add bay leaves and onion. Sauté till onion starts to caramelize.
Add ginger paste followed by the ground masala.
Sauté for another minute before adding the tomato pulp.
Once the juice starts to separate from the tomato pulp add the potatoes. Cover potatoes with a nice coating of spices. Keep the low and stir occasionally.
Pour in the milk and let the contents simmer till almost dry. Stir from to time so that the heat distributes evenly.
Garnish with raisins and chopped almonds.
Serve your spicy tangy potato dish with roti or naan to everyone in the family.
The medicinal values of nutmeg and mace are as substantial as its culinary usage. But advices of skilled practitioners should be heeded before exploiting their curative properties. Also, nutmeg and mace spices have hallucinogenic properties so more than the suggested amount should never be used in food, beauty treatment or