Make this authentic Bohra Kaari masala , used in the Bohra Kaari Chawal recipe. This masala blends cashews, almonds, peanuts, and a few spices, creating a truly aromatic and luxurious experience.
- Why make this recipe?
- Ingredients
- How to make this recipe?
- How to to use it?
- Expert Tips
- FAQS
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
If you’re ditching store-bought masalas, you might be interested in my blog posts on Nihari Masala and Haleem Masala !
Why make this recipe?
Control : I love making Kaari Masala at home for several reasons. First, I can use high-quality nuts and spices, ensuring freshness and avoiding stale nuts and unpleasant flavored ingredients.
Taste : This masala is so flavorful, you just don’t have to add anything else except hara masala.
Availability : Kaari masala is not available easily if you live away from The Bohra community, so making your own is the only option.
Ingredients
The main ingredients of this masala are cashews, peanuts, bhuna chana, and whole spices. Here I’m using many ingredients but a few are optional like pumpkin seeds and almonds.
- Cashews: This is the star ingredient of this masala. Use best quality cashews for the creamy and luxurious texture.
- Almonds : I have used almonds for this masala. If you prefer a creamier texture, you can substitute cashews instead.
- Peanuts: While raw peanuts are preferred here, roasted or even salted peanuts can also work.
- Bhuna Chana: Bhuna chana, also known as black chickpea or black gram, are crispy chickpeas with a dark, crunchy coating. They’re a popular desi snack enjoyed at home. If you can’t find bhuna chana, you can substitute it with gram flour (also called besan).
- Melon Seeds: Melon seeds, also known as hulled pumpkin seeds or chaar magaz, should be used in this recipe. Avoid using green seeds, as they can alter the flavor of the color and flavor.
- Sesame Seeds: I have used white sesame seeds here, some people use poppy seeds (AKA khas khas ) instead of sesame seeds.
- Whole spices: Whole spices here in this masala include, coriander seeds, whole black pepper, cumin, black cumin, cinnamon stick, cloves, button red chilies, and star anise.
- Ground Spices: Simple spices such as dried ginger powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder are used.
How to make this recipe?
Making this Bohra Kaari Masala is super easy! Just follow the instructions below.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add all the nuts, seeds and bhuna chana. Then, roast on low heat with constant stirring.
- After 3-4 minutes, when you smell the toasty aroma, add all the whole spices to the pan.
- Add the ground spices and mix it thoroughly you can see the color change as well.
- Grind the nuts and spices in a blender or grinder. (Nuts release oils upon grinding, like the peanut butter process. So, don’t over-grind.)
How to to use it?
Kaari masala is specifically used to make kaari chawal . Apart from that, I like to use it in making khousay as well which is a similar coconut and gram-based curry. Apart from this, you can always add this nutty masala to thicken coconut-based chicken curries.
Expert Tips
Storage: Kaari masala can be stored in an air-tight jar in the cold pantry for 10 days. The grounded nuts can get rancid in hot climates so store it in the fridge if stored for more than 15 days. It tastes great up to 6-8 months in the fridge.
For the best taste use only cashews and no almonds, but commercially people use almonds and lots of peanuts to cut on the amount of cashews used in masala.
Poppy seeds: Kaari masala is made with poppy seeds. Add ¼ cup poppy seeds. It is optional because of unavailability in certain countries. I’ve made this masala without it but you can add it if you like. Consuming poppy seeds in moderation is ok.
I have added all spices like red chili, coriander, and turmeric in the masala so you just need to fry the masala and pour coconut milk. Tweak the recipe in whole spices to increase the spice level as per your taste.
Kaari Masala is a unique blend of spices and roasted nuts used in Bohra cuisine, particularly in the dish Kaari Chawal.
Yes, Kaari Masala can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge or freezer for longer storage.
While some recipes recommend roasting the nuts before adding them to the masala, you can also roast them directly in the pan with the spices.
Try other bohra recipes as well!
- Bohra Kharak Recipe (Kharik)
- Ketchup Chicken Recipe, Bohra Style
- Egg Halwa
- Yakhni Pulao
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ▢ 75 g or ¾ cup roasted black gram , (bhuna channa)
Nuts
- ▢ 75 g or ¾ cup cashew nuts
- ▢ 75 g or ½ cup almonds , see notes
- ▢ 100 g or ¾ cup peanuts
Seeds
- ▢ 25 g or ¼ cup sesame seeds , (til) substitute
- â–¢ 25 g or ¼ cup poppy seeds , optional, I didn’t use it.
- ▢ 25 g or ¼ cup pumpkin seeds , (char magaz), optional
Whole Spices
- ▢ 1½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- â–¢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- â–¢ 1 teaspoon fennel seeds , (sauf)
- â–¢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
- â–¢ 5 cloves
- â–¢ 5 button red chili , (gol lal mirch)
- â–¢ 2 star anise , (badyaan phool)
- â–¢ 2 teaspoon salt
Spice powder
- â–¢ 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- â–¢ 2 teaspoon ginger powder , (soont)
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Instructions
- Roast cashew, almond (if using), peanuts, roasted black gram, and the ingredients in seeds list on medium heat for 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add all ingredients mentioned in the whole spices list and roast for another 2-3 minutes on medium flame until fragrant.
- Now, add ground spice and remove from the flame. Keep stirring for another 1 minutes. Then grind it into fine powder.
- Masala is ready, store it in an airtight jar in the fridge. Use within 6-8 months.
Notes
- You can substitute roasted grams with split grams (channa dal). Roast split gram with nuts. You can also use besan flour instead but add it toward the end along with powdered spices and roast carefully until the color slightly darkens and it doesn’t look raw.
- You can substitute 75 grams of almonds with 75 grams of cashew. So you use 150 grams of cashew.
- Pumpkin seeds can be substituted with sesame seeds. So you will need 50 grams of sesame seeds.
Nutrition Information
Bohra Kaari Masala
Ingredients
- 75 g or ¾ cup roasted black gram (bhuna channa)
Nuts
- 75 g or ¾ cup cashew nuts
- 75 g or ½ cup almonds see notes
- 100 g or ¾ cup peanuts
Seeds
- 25 g or ¼ cup sesame seeds (til) substitute
- 25 g or ¼ cup poppy seeds optional, I didn’t use it.
- 25 g or ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (char magaz), optional
Whole Spices
- 1½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (sauf)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 cloves
- 5 button red chili (gol lal mirch)
- 2 star anise (badyaan phool)
- 2 teaspoon salt
Spice powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon ginger powder (soont)
- 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Instructions
- Roast cashew, almond (if using), peanuts, roasted black gram, and the ingredients in seeds list on medium heat for 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add all ingredients mentioned in the whole spices list and roast for another 2-3 minutes on medium flame until fragrant.
- Now, add ground spice and remove from the flame. Keep stirring for another 1 minutes. Then grind it into fine powder.
- Masala is ready, store it in an airtight jar in the fridge. Use within 6-8 months.
Video
Notes
- You can substitute roasted grams with split grams (channa dal). Roast split gram with nuts. You can also use besan flour instead but add it toward the end along with powdered spices and roast carefully until the color slightly darkens and it doesn’t look raw.
- You can substitute 75 grams of almonds with 75 grams of cashew. So you use 150 grams of cashew.
- Pumpkin seeds can be substituted with sesame seeds. So you will need 50 grams of sesame seeds.
