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Indian

Goda masala

Vegetarian

गोडा मसाला · goḍā masālā

Maharashtra's 'sweet' masala: coriander, dry coconut and sesame roasted in a little oil with cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, pepper, bay leaf and a few dried chillies, then ground to a dark, nutty, mildly smoky powder for amti, masale bhaat and bharli vangi.

Goda masala is an Indian condiment, ready in about 38 minutes and made with coriander seeds, desiccated coconut and sesame seeds. It serves 43 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
18 min
Rest
15 min
Total
38 min
Serves
43
Level
Intermediate
Calories
14

Ingredients

43 teaspoons (about 3 g each)

Method

  1. Step 1

    Dry-roast the coconut over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 4–5 minutes until evenly deep golden-brown. Tip out. Roast the sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes until golden and popping; tip out.

    Coconut goes from golden to burnt quickly at the end; keep it moving.

  2. Step 2

    Heat half the oil and roast the coriander seeds (opens in a new tab) for 4 minutes until a shade darker and fragrant. Tip out.

    • 4 min
    • medium-low heat
  3. Step 3

    Heat the remaining oil and fry the cumin, cinnamon, peppercorns (opens in a new tab), chillies, cloves (opens in a new tab), cardamoms (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) for 2–3 minutes, adding the mace (opens in a new tab) for the last 20 seconds, until the chillies are crisp and everything is several shades darker. Goda masala is roasted darker than most blends.

    • 3 min
    • medium-low heat
  4. Step 4

    Spread everything on a tray and cool completely, 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
  5. Step 5

    Grind the whole spices first to a powder, then add the coconut and sesame (opens in a new tab) and pulse in short bursts to a fine, slightly moist-looking powder. Stop before the coconut and sesame release oil and form a paste.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
  6. Step 6

    Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar or spice tin, label with the date and keep away from the stove, light and steam. Always use a dry spoon.

About this dish

Origin
Maharashtra (Pune and Brahmin home kitchens), Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributed'Goda' means sweet-mild rather than sugary. Traditional blends also contain dagad phool (stone flower), nagkesar and shahi jeera, omitted here because they are hard to find — a home adaptation.More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted, Pan-fried
Taste
nutty, aromatic / warmly spiced, smoky, sweet
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration

Allergens

  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

14 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 3 g · recipe makes 43

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 35%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy14 kcal453 kcal
Protein0.3 g11.5 g
Carbohydrate1.4 g45.9 g
Net carbohydrate0.5 g17.6 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.9 g28.3 g
Fat1 g34.5 g
Saturated fat0.5 g15.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium1 mg47 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
32 mg
Calcium
17 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
2 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
1 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): asafoetida.
  • Black cardamom: Green cardamom (FDC 170919) used as a stand-in; black cardamom is smoky and used whole in small amounts.
  • Mace: Nutmeg (FDC 171326) used as a stand-in; mace is the aril of the same seed.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use 1–2 tsp in a Maharashtrian amti (tamarind-jaggery toor dal) or masale bhaat.

Common mistakes

  • Grinding the coconut and sesame for too long — they turn to butter and the masala goes rancid fast.

Serve with

  • Bharli vangi, masale bhaat, katachi amti and tomato saar.
  • Usal and misal made from sprouted beans.

Storage

  • Because of the coconut and sesame, store airtight in the fridge for up to 3 months (1 month in a cool cupboard).

Variations

  • Kala masala: A darker, hotter cousin roasted almost black, with more chilli; used in East Indian and Khandeshi cooking.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Dry spice blend
Texture
Fine powder
One batch makes
about 130 g
Keeps
about 3 months
Store
Covered, in the fridge
Recipe
Traditional

Maharashtra. Makes Goda masala, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

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