Kolhapuri kanda-lasun masala
Vegetarian
कांदा लसूण मसाला · kāndā lasūṇ masālā
Kolhapur's fiery red 'onion-garlic' masala: onions and garlic fried in oil until deep brown, pounded with roasted dry coconut, sesame, coriander and whole spices, and a large measure of red chilli powder. The base of Kolhapuri tambda rassa, misal and chicken.
Kolhapuri kanda-lasun masala is an Indian condiment, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with onion, garlic and desiccated coconut. It serves 27 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Serves
- 27
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 55
Method
Step 1
Heat 35 g of the oil in a wide frying pan and fry the onions (opens in a new tab) over medium heat, stirring often, for 15–20 minutes until deep brown, crisp and dry — any softness left means moisture that will spoil the masala. Lift out onto a tray.
- 20 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 2
In the same oil fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) for 3–4 minutes until golden; lift out.
- 4 min
- medium-low heat
Step 3
Dry-roast the coconut for 4–5 minutes until deep brown, then the coriander for 3 minutes and the sesame (opens in a new tab) for 1–2 minutes until golden, tipping each out. Toss the poppy seeds (opens in a new tab) in the hot pan for 30 seconds.
- 9 min
- medium-low heat
Step 4
Heat the remaining oil and fry the cumin, peppercorns (opens in a new tab), cinnamon, cloves (opens in a new tab), black cardamom (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab) and mace (opens in a new tab) for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
Step 5
Cool everything completely on the tray, about 20 minutes.
- 20 min
Step 6
Grind the whole spices to a powder. Add the onions (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), coconut and seeds and pulse to a coarse, crumbly mass. Add both chilli powders and the salt and pulse (or pound in a large mortar, the traditional way) until evenly red and the oil just binds it.
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 7
Pack into a clean, dry jar or container, press down and close tightly.
About this dish
- Origin
- Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributedLabelled kanda-lasun style. Kolhapuri households make it by the kilo each summer with local lavangi and sankeshwari chilli powder; this is a scaled-down home batch with Kashmiri plus hot chilli powder as stand-ins.More food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried, Toasted
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), garlicky, smoky, nutty
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · 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 · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb - Good for
- Make-ahead · Batch cooking
- Cook more with
- Onion · Garlic · Desiccated coconut · Kashmiri chilli powder · Coriander seeds · Sesame seeds
- Techniques
- Toasting · Pan-frying · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Dry grinding
Allergens
- 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
55 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 15 g · recipe makes 27
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 8%
- Carbohydrate 33%
- Fat 59%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 55 kcal | 372 kcal |
| Protein | 1.2 g | 7.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.2 g | 35.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 2.9 g | 19.5 g |
| Sugars | 1 g | 6.4 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g | 15.7 g |
| Fat | 4.1 g | 27.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g | 9.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 220 mg | 1485 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 3.7 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 138 mg
- Calcium
- 33 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 16 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 86 µg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 5 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Black cardamom: Green cardamom (FDC 170919) used as a stand-in; black cardamom is smoky and used whole in small amounts.
- Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
- Mace: Nutmeg (FDC 171326) used as a stand-in; mace is the aril of the same seed.
- Kashmiri chilli powder: Paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: Kashmiri chilli is a mild, deep-red chilli powder used mainly for colour.
- “—” 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 tbsp per curry for four, fried briefly in hot oil after the onion-coconut paste — it burns fast.
- The more thoroughly the onions are fried, the longer the masala keeps.
Common mistakes
- Under-frying the onions, which leaves moisture and makes the masala mould.
- Frying the finished masala for long in the curry — the chilli powder scorches and turns bitter.
Serve with
- Kolhapuri tambda rassa, pandhra rassa, Kolhapuri chicken and misal pav.
- Rubbed on fish before shallow-frying.
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 in the fridge for up to 3 months; in a cool, dry pantry for about 1 month.
Variations
- Dry Kolhapuri masala: Without the fried onion and garlic: only roasted spices, coconut and chilli, which keeps for 6 months.
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 400 g
- Keeps
- about 3 months
- Store
- Covered, in the fridge
- Recipe
- Traditional
Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Makes Kolhapuri masala, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas
Regional variations: Malvani masala
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.
- Kolhapuri chicken curryMade fresh in the recipe (fried with browned onion and coconut and ground to a wet masala in step 2) · 82 g for 4 servingsMake enough
- Tambda rassa2 tbsp · 12 g for 6 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.
Reviews & corrections
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