Kadai masala
Vegetarian
कड़ाही मसाला · kaṛāhī masālā
A coarse, freshly crushed blend of roasted coriander seeds, dried red chillies and cumin, with a little pepper and fennel. Its crunch and citrusy coriander are what make kadai paneer and karahi chicken taste distinct from a regular curry.
Kadai masala is a Punjabi condiment from India, ready in about 19 minutes and made with coriander seeds and dried whole chillies. It serves 26 and is rated beginner to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 3 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 19 min
- Serves
- 26
- Level
- Beginner
- Calories
- 6
Method
Step 1
Roast the dried chillies in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes, pressing them flat, until crisp and a shade darker but not black. Tip out.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 2
Roast the coriander seeds (opens in a new tab) for 3 minutes until fragrant, adding the cumin, peppercorns (opens in a new tab) and fennel for the last 1½ minutes.
- 3 min
- medium-low heat
Step 3
Tip everything onto a wide plate in a single layer and cool completely, about 10 minutes. Warm spices release oil and steam in the grinder and turn pasty and clumpy.
- 10 min
Step 4
Crush coarsely in a mortar, or pulse 3–4 times in a spice grinder: you want cracked coriander husks and flakes of chilli, not a powder.
Food safety: Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels Step 5
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
- Punjab and the North-West Frontier, India · Commonly attributedNamed for the kadai (karahi) wok; crushed coriander and chilli are the constants, the extras vary by cook.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Toasted
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), citrusy, earthy
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- Coriander seeds · Dried whole chillies · Cumin seeds · Black peppercorns · Fennel seeds
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Dry grinding
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
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
6 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 2 g · recipe makes 26
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 53%
- Fat 33%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 6 kcal | 318 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g | 13.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.1 g | 55.1 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 0.4 g | 21.4 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g | 33.7 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g | 16.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 1.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 61 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 33 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 6 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 4 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- —
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” 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
- Add half with the tomatoes and half at the end with the peppers so some of the crunch survives.
- Crushed coarse it fades faster than a fine powder; make small batches.
Common mistakes
- Grinding it to a fine powder, which loses the texture that defines kadai dishes.
Serve with
- Kadai paneer, kadai chicken and Peshawari chicken karahi.
- Kadai mushrooms or mixed vegetables.
Food safety
- Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.
Storage
- Airtight, cool and dark, for 2 months.
Variations
- Peshawari karahi spice: Just coriander, cumin and black pepper, crushed — no chilli in the blend.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
About this masala
- Type
- Dry spice blend
- Texture
- Coarse powder
- One batch makes
- about 52 g
- Keeps
- about 2 months
- Store
- Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
- Recipe
- Traditional
Punjab and the North-West Frontier. Makes Kadai 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.
- Chicken karahiMade fresh in the recipe (toasted and coarsely crushed, added in step 4) · 8.3 g for 4 servingsMake enough
- Kadai paneerMade fresh in the recipe (dry-toasted and crushed coarsely in a mortar (step 1)) · 17 g for 3 servingsMake enough
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.
The spice and seasoning backbone
Spices, masalas & pastes
- Coriander seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker30 g
- Dried whole chillies, dry-roast until crisp and darker (Kashmiri, stems removed)10 g
- Cumin seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker8 g
- Black peppercorns, dry-roast3 g
- Fennel seeds, lightly roast3 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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