Malvani masala
Vegetarian
मालवणी मसाला · mālvaṇī masālā
The chilli-red masala of Maharashtra's Konkan coast: a large proportion of dried bedgi chillies roasted with coriander and a long list of whole spices — pepper, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, black cardamom, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, poppy seeds, nutmeg and mace — then ground with turmeric and asafoetida.
Malvani masala is an Indian condiment, ready in about 40 minutes and made with dried whole chillies and coriander seeds. It serves 43 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 43
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 10
Method
Step 1
Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium-low heat and fry the chillies in two batches, pressing and turning, for 2–3 minutes until crisp and a shade darker. Tip out.
- 5 min
- medium-low heat
- Cast-iron skillet (opens in a new tab)
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.
Step 2
Roast the coriander for 3–4 minutes until darker; tip out. Roast the cumin, peppercorns (opens in a new tab), fennel and mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) for 1–2 minutes until the mustard pops.
- 5 min
- medium-low heat
Step 3
Lower the heat. Roast the cinnamon, cloves (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab), black cardamom (opens in a new tab) and bay leaf (opens in a new tab) for 1 minute, then the fenugreek (opens in a new tab) and poppy seeds (opens in a new tab) for 30–40 seconds and the mace (opens in a new tab) for the final 20 seconds.
- 2 min
- low heat
Step 4
Spread on a tray and cool completely, 15 minutes.
- 15 min
Step 5
Grind in batches with the nutmeg (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) to a fine powder; sift and regrind the chilli flakes left behind.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels 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
- Malvan and Sindhudurg, Konkan coast, Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributedMalvani families grind it yearly in bulk, sometimes with fifteen or more spices including dagad phool and nagkesar; this is a representative home batch.More food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Toasted
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, earthy
- Diet
- Vegan · 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 · 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 · Batch cooking
- Cook more with
- Dried whole chillies · Coriander seeds · Cumin seeds · Black peppercorns · Cinnamon stick · Fennel seeds
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)
Allergens
- May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
- May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
- Contains: Mustardfrom mustard 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
10 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 3 g · recipe makes 43
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 13%
- Carbohydrate 51%
- Fat 36%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 10 kcal | 342 kcal |
| Protein | 0.4 g | 12.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.6 g | 54 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 0.8 g | 26.2 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.8 g | 27.8 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g | 16.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g | 1.8 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 49 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 54 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 6 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 14 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.
- Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
- 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 tbsp in a Malvani fish or chicken curry, ground with roasted coconut and onion into the wet masala.
Common mistakes
- Using only hot chillies; bedgi chillies give the colour and most of the bulk without overwhelming heat.
Serve with
- Malvani fish curry, kombdi vade (chicken curry with puris) and prawn sukka.
- Rava-fried fish: mix with salt and rub on before coating in semolina.
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 4 months; refrigerated for up to 8.
Variations
- Sunday masala (East Indian bottle masala): A related Bombay East Indian blend with even more spices, roasted and sun-dried before grinding.
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 4 months
- Store
- Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
- Recipe
- Traditional
Malvan and Sindhudurg, Konkan coast. Makes Malvani masala, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas
Regional variations: Kolhapuri kanda-lasun 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.
- Malvani fish curryMade fresh in the recipe (toasted with the coconut and onion and ground wet in step 2) · 19 g for 4 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
- Dried whole chillies, fry in oil until crisp (bedgi/byadgi with a few hot Sankeshwari, stems removed)60 g
- Coriander seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker30 g
- Cumin seeds, dry-roast6 g
- Black peppercorns, dry-roast6 g
- Cinnamon stick, lightly roast4 g
- Fennel seeds, lightly roast4 g
- Poppy seeds, lightly roast4 g
- Cloves, lightly roast3 g
- Star anise / anise, lightly roast2 g
- Black cardamom, lightly roast2 g
- Mustard seeds, dry-roast until they pop2 g
- Fenugreek, dry-roast on low heat until reddish1 g
- Bay leaves, lightly roast1 g
- Nutmeg, raw, grated1 g
- Mace, lightly roast for 20 seconds1 g
- Turmeric, raw, ground4 g
- Asafoetida, raw0.5 g
Reviews & corrections
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