Chef Ajay shares a recipe for restaurant-style mixed vegetables made at home

People often prepare tikka masala for weekend parties using cheese (paneer) and chicken, but despite all efforts, it is difficult to achieve a taste comparable to store-bought. Because of this, they have to buy ready-made tikka masala powder in stores, but if this mixture is prepared at home, the taste and aroma of the dish are significantly improved.

It is important to note that most of the spices needed to prepare this mixture can be easily found in any Indian kitchen. This powder can be stored in an airtight container and used as needed to prepare paneer tikka, chicken tikka, soy tikka, and tandoori vegetables. A simple recipe for making tikka masala powder is presented below.

Recipe for Homemade Tikka Masala Powder:

The following ingredients are used to prepare tikka masala:

How to make Tikka Masala Powder?

When using it in paneer and chicken, approximately one and a half to two tablespoons of tikka masala are required for 250 grams of paneer, while two to three tablespoons of spices are sufficient for 500 grams of chicken. To prepare the marinade, you need to mix the spices with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and a small amount of oil. Then, the paneer, chicken, soy, or vegetables are thoroughly mixed with this marinade and left for some time. After that, you can prepare delicious tikka by baking it in a tandoor, oven, air fryer, or on a frying pan.

If daily consumption of pohi, upma, or chila causes boredom, you might want something more spicy and flavorful. In such a case, hot and fluffy onion khachori is a very appetizing option. Many believe that only products made from the highest grade flour can be as crispy and layered as those in stores, or that homemade khachori quickly becomes soft. However, by using wheat flour without adding semolina, you can prepare incredibly delicious, crispy, and fluffy khachori.

Ingredients

For the dough: 2 cups of wheat flour, 2 tablespoons of a secret ingredient—suji (for a crispy texture), 1/2 teaspoon of udjvain, salt to taste, 3-4 tablespoons of oil/ghee for brushing (moyan), cold water as needed.

For the filling: 3 large chopped onions, 2 tablespoons of besan (to absorb moisture and bind), 1 tablespoon of ground cumin, 1 tablespoon of crushed coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of nigella seeds (zira), 1/4 teaspoon of hing, 2 hot peppers (finely chopped), 1 inch of grated ginger, 1 teaspoon of amchur powder, 1/2-1/2 teaspoon of garam masala and Kashmiri red chili, black and white salt to taste, finely chopped green peas.

Cooking method

In a bowl, mix the wheat flour, suji, udjvain, salt, and add moyan. Knead the dough well by hand for two minutes; it should hold its shape when squeezed in a fist. Then, knead a slightly stiff dough with cold water and cover it to rest for 15 minutes.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan. Fry the hing, zira, crushed coriander, and cumin. Add the hot pepper and ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Then pour in the chopped onion and fry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until light pink (do not overcook). After this, add 2 tablespoons of besan and fry for 2 minutes to remove excess moisture from the onion.

Add turmeric, red chili, amchur, garam masala, and salt. Mix and turn off the heat after 1 minute. Add the chopped green peas and let the filling cool completely.

Divide the kneaded dough into small balls. Roll them into a cup shape, thinly spreading the edges, place 1-2 teaspoons of the cooled onion filling in the center, and carefully seal the edges. Then gently press with your palm or a light rolling pin.

Heat oil in a pot over medium or low heat. Place the khachoris and fry on low heat. When the khachoris float and rise on their own, increase the heat to medium and fry on both sides until golden and crispy.

When you feel like making potato tikki, dahi bhalla, bhel, or fruit salad at home, you often use all the ingredients correctly, but the dish doesn't achieve the same rich flavor as street food stalls. Adding a small amount of chat masala radically changes the flavor profile of the entire dish, making it spicy, sour, and pungent. This is why chat masala is used not only for chaat but also for sprinkling on vegetable salads made from cucumbers and tomatoes, sandwiches, french fries, and fruits.

Although many prefer ready-made chat masala from the store, preparing it at home turns out to be very simple. It does not require expensive or exotic spices; components such as cumin (jeera), coriander, fennel (ajwain), black pepper, amchur, and black salt are easily found in most Indian kitchens. These spices just need to be lightly roasted and then ground in the required proportion to obtain an aromatic chat masala that is appetizing in itself.

How to Make Homemade Spicy Chat Masala

The first step is to roast the whole spices: heat cumin, coriander, fennel, and black pepper in a thick-bottomed pan over low heat, stirring constantly for two to three minutes. It is important not to roast the spices over high heat, otherwise, they may burn and become bitter. As soon as an aroma appears and the color of the cumin slightly changes, turn off the heat.

After roasting, the spices must be completely cooled by transferring them to a plate, as grinding hot spices negatively affects their aroma and taste. Then, the cooled spices are placed in a dry blender jar along with amchur, black salt, white salt, hing, and mint powder. If a tangier flavor is desired, lime zest can be added. Instead of continuously running the blender, use the pulse function two or three times.

The finished powder must be sifted through a fine sieve and stored in a clean, dry, airtight glass jar. Always use a dry spoon when taking it out to avoid moisture contamination.

Don't Overdo It With Chat Masala

Chat masala is intended to enhance flavor, so it should be used moderately. It is best to start with a pinch or half a teaspoon, taste, and then add more as needed. Since black salt and amchur have an intense flavor, too much can spoil the taste of the entire dish. This homemade chat masala can be used in potato tikki, dahi bhalla, papdi chaat, bhel, fruit salads, sandwiches, and vegetable salads.