CREATING MASALA
The process of building masala owes to practice, of course, but just knowing the basics of how “flavour” is created via chemical reaction and construction can help enormously as well. This video is an introduction to that idea of blending in this style.
The channel itself is based on the premise of offering tid bits of knowledge that accumulate to create a kind of a spice information database that you can use to build your own approach to spice usage and spice relationship. Follow the links in the description to this video in order to find out more pieces on information on various spices and their forms, functions and uses.
Read on below for some basic tips on how to create masala.
CREATING MASALA:
Using spices across multiple categories - salt. heat. warm spices. acidic spices. earth spices. bitter - is one of the simplest ways to build flavour. If you’re unsure of which spices belong to which categories, then be in touch via email to receive a little bit of free literature on the subject.
Don’t strive for “balance” when going through the process of building flavour. Instead work to create reactions. Have a little look at this video on how to make raita to see further what I mean. Creating spice reactions will ensure more explosive, dynamic and textured flavour.
Always always always use a salt. Salts helps other flavours to communicate and see results in a more coherent masala: as more spice enters the fray, it becomes more important that the taste messages are communicated effectively in order to avoid confusing flavour results.
Use good Indian recipes to get an understanding of the ways in which spice combinations are traditionally used, and then play with making alterations - just small ones to start - so that you can begin to learn the influence of your own hand on a dish.
Lastly if you are really unsure, seek out a class in order to learn a little bit more about the basics. But really also to build your own confidence for experimentation.