Masala: India's Secret Spices

You can tell a lot about a place by its food. On an early foray to New Orleans we enjoyed a cooking class where we learned about the Cajun culture and the Holy Trinity, the delicious mix that is core to most local recipes.

In India, we were introduced to masala.

We were fortunate to spend our first evening in Delhi in the home of Rashmi and Anil, a lovely local couple who opened their home- and their kitchen- to us. We began the evening with a visit to the neighborhood “shopping center”- more of a stretch of vegetable stalls, kiosks, and shops to purchase necessities for our feast. Most interesting were the milk dispensers where local staff bring their milk canisters to the market, pay their rupees, and the spigot dispenses either whole or “toned” milk. We made a quick stop at the local Hindu temple so that Rashmi could make a short visit (Tuesday is apparently an auspicious day for a temple visit AND they give you candy as you leave!)

Once back in the kitchen, Rashmi pulled out her well-worn and well-loved masala tin that is home to the spices that underpin most Indian dishes. A nearby pat of ghee (clarified butter) is always at hand. While we worked, we enjoyed a few rounds of local Kingfisher beer (perfect to wash down spicy samosas.) We made chapatti, we made naan, we made dishes I can’t even pronounce but surely enjoyed. We shared local gifts- our Ghirardelli chocolates and home-made Arkansas pepper jelly and Indian spices and teas.

By the end of the evening, my realization was that we are all more alike than different.  Indian cell phones ring with our same AT&T ringtone as businessmen go about their business.  Women grabbed last minute items at their local shops just like our frequent Publix runs. Proud grandparents share crayon drawings on their refrigerators and wedding photos line walls of their homes. They discuss cricket matches with the same fervor of an NFL play-off game.  And they open their homes to new friends to break bread, or in our case, chapatti and naan.