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Punjabi · Indian

Tandoori masala

Vegetarian

तंदूरी मसाला · tandūrī masālā

A brick-red marinade blend for tandoori chicken, tikka and paneer: roasted coriander, cumin and a few warm spices ground with Kashmiri chilli for colour, kasuri methi, dry ginger, garlic powder and a touch of amchur.

Tandoori masala is a Punjabi condiment from India, ready in about 22 minutes and made with coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dried fenugreek leaves. It serves 31 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
7 min
Rest
10 min
Total
22 min
Serves
31
Level
Easy
Calories
—

Ingredients

31 teaspoons (about 3 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the coriander seeds (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3 minutes until fragrant and a shade darker; tip out. Roast the cumin for 2 minutes the same way.

  2. Step 2

    Roast the peppercorns (opens in a new tab), cinnamon, cardamom (opens in a new tab) and cloves (opens in a new tab) for 1–2 minutes, adding the mace (opens in a new tab) for the final 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and toss the kasuri methi (opens in a new tab) in the warm pan for 30 seconds until crisp.

    • 2 min
    • low heat

  3. 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

  4. Step 4

    Grind the roasted spices and methi to a fine powder. Add the Kashmiri chilli, garlic powder (opens in a new tab), dry ginger, amchur (opens in a new tab) and turmeric (opens in a new tab) and pulse to combine evenly.

    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.

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

  5. 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 Delhi, Punjab, India · Commonly attributedPopularised by Punjabi tandoor restaurants after 1947 (Moti Mahal, Delhi, is often credited); this is a home-style dry blend, without the artificial colour of many commercial versions.Also popular in Pakistan, United KingdomMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted
Taste
smoky, spicy (chilli heat), earthy, tangy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · 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
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Coriander seeds · Cumin seeds · Dried fenugreek leaves · Kashmiri chilli powder · Black peppercorns · Cinnamon stick
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

Nutrition not available for this recipe

Not enough data to calculate: Amchur (dried mango powder). We show nothing rather than a made-up number.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use about 1 tbsp per 500 g meat, mixed into thick yoghurt with lemon, ginger-garlic paste, salt and a spoonful of mustard oil.
  • For a deeper red without food colouring, add 1 tsp beetroot powder.

Common mistakes

  • Using hot chilli powder in place of Kashmiri chilli — the marinade turns fiery before it turns red.

Serve with

  • Tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, chicken tikka and fish tikka.
  • Rub on cauliflower or potatoes before roasting.

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 3 months.

Variations

  • Lahori chargha masala: More black pepper, ajwain and lemon (added in the marinade) for steamed-then-fried whole chicken.

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 92 g
Keeps
about 3 months
Store
Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe
Traditional

Punjab and Delhi. Makes Tandoori 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.

  • Tandoori chickenMade fresh in the recipe (chilli, garam masala, ground cumin and coriander, turmeric and kasuri methi mixed into the two marinades (steps 1–2)) · 12 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

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

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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