A wry smile escapes my lips, as I see Chef Floyd throwing in some “garam masala” (strictly pronounced as ga-ram (ram rhyming with bam) mus-saa-la. It almost seems like garam masala is the secret ingredient to lip smacking Indian “curries”. So is it or isn’t it? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
It is at this moment that I would like to proudly present to you my ‘masala dabba’ or ‘spice box’ if you wish a literal English translation. This indispensable utensil to any Indian, who dares to venture into a kitchen, was carefully and firmly slipped into my trousseau amongst bridal finery, linen et al. I echo my mother’s words when I say, the masala dabba is crucial (yes crucial) to everyday casual Gujarati cuisine. The steel circular dabba opens to seven different masalas. Almost every gujju shaak (vegetable dish) and gujju dal (lentils) owes its taste and aroma to these intriguing powders. The right measure of each of these masalas is half the work done in presenting a lip smacking meal to your near and dear. Tiny black mustard seeds (rai) sit next to the thin long fragrant cumin seeds (jeeru). Turmeric (haldi) is used in small measure to render just the right colour to any dish. Cumin and Coriander powder (dhaana jeeru) is used generously like a base and gives taste a fair volume. Red chili powder (lal marcha) which is used slightly more than turmeric powder and slightly less than cumin-coriander powder in quantity, contributes to the spice factor. And of course the deeply fragrant generic spice powder (garam masala) completes the dish. Not quite. Salt for some reason does not feature in the masala dabba but is nevertheless the most important ingredient that can cause the dish to be labeled as insipid or palatable. So does this complete the dish? Not quite.
If you’ve noticed I have covered six masalas but there is one more container in the dabba that appears empty. And that container is in the centre. This extra special ingredient that appears invisible is but in reality a healthy sprinkling of love. And when this feeling/emotion is mixed in with all the spices it seals the dish. To all the cynics out there – I personally have scoffed at the idea when this secret tip was passed onto me by my mother, as I was beginning to cook my first meal. But over time I have realized that cooking with love and filling that central compartment in my masala dabba with it, has enhanced my dishes with an intangible and rich flavor.
