Elevate your favorite dishes with our authentic Tandoori Masala – a perfect blend of aromatic spices for rich, smoky flavor made at home!
In this Post:
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Spices in Tandoori Masala
- How to make Tandoori Masala?
- Tips for Recipe
- How to use Tandoori Masala?
Tandoori Masala is a basic yet flavorful spice blend that can elevate your homemade chicken and grill dishes.
This tandoori masala is the perfect blend for a simple tandoori chicken or creamy butter chicken curry.
Homemade tandoori masala
Tandoori masala is widely available at many grocery stores. But making it from scratch gives you so much control! You can add as much or as little salt and as much or as little chili as you like.
One thing to note is that your homemade spice blend may not be as bright red as commercial tandoori masala, but it will be just as flavorful. You can always add food coloring to your final dish, if you prefer.
Recipes you’ll love
Cooking from scratch can be rewarding, but it can also be time-consuming. We like to prepare spice blends and some chutneys in batches to enjoy flavorful foods even on busy days!
If you’re looking for more spice blends or chutneys that make cooking your favorite Indian and Pakistani dishes easier, here are some of our favorites:
- Garam Masala: Homemade Spice Mix
- Ginger Garlic Paste
- Chaat Masala – Homemade Spice Blend
- Pav Bhaji Masala
Spices in Tandoori Masala
- Kashmiri Chili powder – this chili powder is known for its bright red color, and is not very spicy. You can substitute this with paprika in a pinch.
- Kachri powder – a meat tenderizer that really helps make your tandoori dishes tender and soft. You can replace this with Green papaya powder as well.
- Black pepper – a popular spice with a spicy flavor, used to make ground pepper.
- Black Cardamom – this is an essential spice in this blend and has a warm and smoky flavor.
- Cumin seeds – Zeera – another common spice that is used in many recipes, adding a warm, earthy taste.
- Anise seed flower / Star Anise – This spice has a strong, distinct flavor that is warm, sweet, and spicy.
- Red Chili – Dried whole red chili works best for tandoori masala. You can adjust the amount to your own preferences.
- Cinnamon – This is a popular spice used in a variety of sweet & savory dishes.
How to make Tandoori Masala?
- Add the spices to a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Grind until the spices are evenly ground into a fine powder.
- Store the spice mixture in an airtight container or jar. This mixture will stay fresh for 2-3 months.
Tips for Tandoori Masala
- Use good quality, whole spices for the most flavorful spice mix.
- Store your homemade tandoori masala powder in an airtight container or glass jar.
- This spice blend mix stays fresh for up to 2-3 months (depending on the freshness of the spices).
How to use Tandoori Masala?
Tandoori masala spice blend is the base for a quick marinade for tandoori chicken. You’ll need about 3 tablespoons for every pound of chicken.
Here are a few other ways to use up the tandoori masala mix:
- Butter chicken curry – uses a tandoori masala as the spice blend for this popular curry!
- Tandoori Roasted Potatoes: toss potatoes with this spice mix and oil, and roast as always.
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Tandoori Masala
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Kachri powder or meat tenderizer
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3-4 Big Black Cardamom
- 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Ani Seeds
- 2 -3 petals Star Anise flower
- 2- 3 Red Chilli whole
- 4- inch Cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Add the spices to a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Grind until the spices are evenly ground into a fine powder.
- Store the spice mixture in an airtight container or jar. This mixture will stay fresh for 2-3 months.