Ingredients: |
Ingredients:
1/4 cup raw peanuts (without skin)
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
8 to 10 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, to taste, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg shavings
2 to 3 blades mace
1/4 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut.
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Directions: |
Directions:
1. Preheat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add all the ingredients except the coconut, and toast, shaking the skillet every few seconds, until the peanuts and sesame seeds turn honey-brown, the coriander and cumin seeds turn reddish brown, and the chiles blacken slightly and smell pungent, 3 to 4 minutes; the chiles' aroma will be masked by the sweet smelling nutmeg and mace.
2. Immediately transfer the nutty-smelling spices to a plate to cool. (The longer they sit in the hot skillet, the more likely it is that they will burn, making them bitter and unpalatable.) Return the skillet to the heat and toast the coconut for aobut 15 seconds; it will immediately start to turn almond-brown. Add the coconut to the pile of toasted peanuts and spices.
3. Once it is cool to the touch, place half the mixture in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, and grind until the texture resembles that of a finely ground black pepper. Transfer this to a small bowl. Repeat with the remaining batch. Thoroughly combine the two ground batches. The aroma of the light reddish-brown ground blend will be sweet and complex, very different from that of the pre-toasted and post-toasted spices. Store in tightly sealed container, away from excess light, heat and humidity, for up to 2 months.
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This recipe for Maharashtrian Garam Masala is from