Red Freezer Masala

The secret to preparing Indian dishes that delight the palate, without a lot of fuss, lies in the masala, or masalas, you use. Any dish may use one, or two, or even three masalas.

The term, masala, is often thought to only refer to combinations of powdered spices, but this is far from the truth.

The science of making a good masala is not exact, but is governed by a few rules:

·         Ensure your spices are clean, free of sticks, leaves and dirt.

·         Never use pre-ground spices; fresh ingredients like garlic and ginger should be super-fresh, smooth and firm with crisp but tender flesh.

·         Test your masala soon after making it. Every batch of masala will be slightly different from the last, depending on your ingredients. The first dish you make will tell you if your masala is strong and hot or weak and too bland.

Prized for its bright colour and vivid aroma, Red Freezer Masala provides important ingredients and flavour required to make an excellent curry in a teaspoon or less. It is the “Master Masala” sometimes used in combination with other masalas. The secret to this masala lies in the quality of the chillies used to make it. I use the ubiquitous mature, red bird’s eye chilli, which provides ample heat and flavour, plus red chillies that have been dried from last season’s crop of red chillies.

When buying fresh chillies, select chillies that are as bright in colour as possible. To test for freshness, break the skin of the chilli lightly with your thumbnail, touch the fluid that seeps out with a finger and lick your finger. This should tell you the firmness and crispness of the chilli and if it has a punch of flavour required to make a good masala. A chilli that packs a good punch should also ‘smell’ hot.

Dried chillies, however, as very potent, provided, of course, they have been made from select, hot chillies. Select dried chillies that are whole, full of seeds and still hold a good colour.

Red Freezer Masala, a homemade masala, is one of the moist pastes that are frequently used. Homemade masalas are always superior to any found in a bottle in the store as you are able to choose your own quality ingredients. A little of this masala goes a long way. Although we now have wonderful machines like food processors and blenders that make producing masalas simple, these masalas have been made for donkey's years. In the past, before electronic technology, housewives made them the hard way using an ancient implement, the pestle and mortar.

Red Freezer Masala should be an even glistening, slightly dark red paste with a strong chilli aroma. This masala can be stored in an airtight container in the deep freeze for up to a year. Because of the masala’s salt and oil content, it never freezes completely solid and may be scooped straight from its container.

Ingredients:

30g garlic

60g root ginger

Water for soaking

50g dried red chillies

25g fresh red chillies

40g fresh green chillies

7.5ml lemon juice

30ml salt

30-45ml sunflower oil

Method:

Soak the garlic and ginger in water for 10 minutes to make the peeling easier. Take the stalks off the dried red chillies and place the chillies into a medium sized bowl filled with lukewarm water, immersing about three quarters of the chillies. Stir to wet them all. Soak for 15 minutes until soft. Remove the stalks from the fresh red and green chillies and soak in a separate bowl for 10 minutes.

Drain the garlic and ginger. Peel the garlic and scrape the ginger clean with a teaspoon. Rinse the ginger and remove any dark spots.

Drain the soaked dried chillies through a colander resting in a bowl to collect any spilled seeds. Return the seeds to the chillies. Drain the fresh chillies and slice into quarters. Mince all the chillies in a food processor to a coarse paste, first pulsing, then on high speed. Add the ginger and garlic and mice to a smooth paste, stirring once or twice to ensure everything gets minced.

Transfer the paste into a mixing bowl, pour in the lemon juice and stir well. Mix in the salt until dissolved and then add the oil, mixing well.

Store the paste in an airtight container in the freezer.