Sweet Masala

Any masala with reference to food means a mix of spices. A spice is a dried seed , fruit, root , bark or vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring , coloring or preserving food. No doubt , spices are more flavorful when freshly ground. But it is not feasible to grind them on daily basis . Generally a typical Indian kitchen pantry will be stocked with various masala powders . One such masala which I always stock in my fridge is the sweet masala.

This spice mix is called sweet masala as it is usually added in sweet dishes and desserts to enhance the aroma and flavor of the dish. The spices used in this masala are Nutmeg and Green Cardamom.
This is my Moms recipe and best part is that it utilizes even the peel of green Cardamom which we usually discard.

This masala can be made easily and refrigerated in a air tight container . Does not involve individual peeling of the green Cardamom and hence saves lot of time and energy.

Ingredients:

• 50 grams Green Cardamom
• 1 big Nutmeg
• 2 tbsp Sugar 

 

Method:

1.    Dry roast the green Cardamoms on a skillet on low to medium heat until fragrant and golden brown. Keep stirring and take care not to burn the Cardamom.  

 

    2.  Cut the Nutmeg into small pieces.

 

     3. Grind the Nutmeg pieces, roasted Green cardamom with 2 tbsp sugar into a fine powder using a grinder. Sugar is added to ease the grinding process. 

  4. Sieve the powder and store in an air tight container. Stays good for about a month or two on refrigeration. You may be left with some peels and coarse powder after sieving, you may use it while making tea.

   5.   Use 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of this powder to add flavor and aroma to your sweet dishes like Coconut Ladoos , Apple rabadi ,  Dry Fruits ladoo , Aam ka Murabba( Raw Mango Preserve) , Shahi Lapsi Kheer, Suji halwa ,Semolina Kheer  Sweet Coconut rice,  Shrikhand , In addition to the above sweet dishes, small quantity of this sweet masala can be taken with warm milk for sound sleep or added to tea as a remedy for cold, cough and congestion.

  If you are looking out for more about Indian spices or Masala powders , do check out my Glossary of Indian Spices , Tea Masala Powder.