RCP: The Great Goda Masala Challenge

The recipe challenges have been a big hit lately (with a few of us, at least). Jo Ann is ready for the next one and so am I! So here we go with, you got it, Goda Masala.

Most of you are probably familiar with Garam Masala, the famed Indian spice mixture. Goda Masala is similar but just a touch, a tiny touch, sweeter. It is very easy to make and all of the ingredients should be readily available to most, if not all of you. Whip up a batch.

8 tsp. Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. Caraway seeds
4 Whole Cloves
1/2 Cinnamon stick
1 Bay leaf
2 tsp. Dried coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 tsp. Sesame seeds

1. Place the first 6 items in a skillet over medium heat and roast, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
2. Once the spice mixture is aromatic from the roasting add the coconut and sesame seeds, stir a couple of times, and remove the pan from the heat.
3. Let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes.
4. When the mixture is completely cool, grind it all up in a spice grinder until you have a fine powder. Store in an airtight container until ready for use.

Not much of a challenge, huh? Well then, let's see what you can MAKE with Goda Masala. I've got my recipe ready and will be making it this weekend. Be sure that when you join the challenge you share your recipe and post pictures of the finished product (and the process if you wish). Think outside the box on this one. See you all in the laboratory.

rwj

Hi Robert

Don't know if I will jump in here and cook with goda masala, but I did Google it. Lots of fond memories of Maharashtra, which seems to be the epicenter of goda masala, i.e. recipes and articles by people from there. One intriguing website I found addresses both this thread and the Dal thread (by the way that exercise with Devanagari has converted me from Dhal to Dal).

http://tinyurl.com/3at8cd

This is a Moong Dal recipe, served as a soup (no rice, but of course you can almost always choose whether to eat Dal straight or as a kind of sauce over rice) with an intriguing purple Lassi-type drink on the side. Goda masala is the principle flavoring in the Dal.

Frank

[Jenise]

I'm in! But what to make, what to make. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Like I said, think outside the box. It doesn't have to be Indian. Or a main course for that matter.

rwj

I'm in. I think I've got it! See you in pictures.

We're forming a regular triumvirate here, ladies.

rwj

[Jenise]

We're forming a regular triumvirate here, ladies.

rwj

I prefer to think of it as a melange de trois.

I prefer to think of it as a Ménage a trois!

I prefer to think of it as a Ménage a trois!

Any way you slice it, we have been kicking some serious butt.

rwj

[Jenise]

I prefer to think of it as a Ménage a trois!

Any way you slice it, we have been kicking some serious butt.

rwj

You kick, we tap. It's a girl thing. Oh, and it's a fanny.

That sounds so dainty. My recipe hits the kitchen tomorrow.

rwj

I am excited to see what you all make! Sorry I can't participate...I am embarassed to say that I don't own a spice/coffee grinder . I did put one on my wishlist, so maybe in the near future. Anyway...GL everyone!

Thx, Maria
I've got all my ingredients and I'm ready to go! You'll get pictures after dinner tomorrow.

[Jenise]

That sounds so dainty. My recipe hits the kitchen tomorrow.

rwj

This is what happens when we get a majority. Get used to it.

That's o.k. by me, Jenise. It seems that I tapped some serious fanny today. Here is my recipe for Goda Masala Angel Food Cake with Mango Creme Chantilly and Kaffir Lime Leaf Chiffonade.

1 1/2 cups egg whites (11 to 12 large eggs)
1 1/2 cups (150 g) sifted confectioners sugar (sift before measuring)
1 cup (100 g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
2 Tbsp. Goda Masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Special equipment: a 10-inch tube pan (about 4 inches deep) with a removable bottom


Preparation
Let egg whites stand in bowl of a standing electric mixer (see cooks' note) at room temperature about 1 hour before making cake. (They should be about 60°F, slightly below room temperature.)
Set oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together confectioners sugar, flour, and salt onto a sheet of wax paper using a triple sifter or fine sieve.
Beat whites in mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until they form soft peaks. Add granulated sugar gradually, beating, and continue beating just until whites are thickened and form soft, droopy peaks. Beat in vanilla.
Sprinkle one fourth of sifted dry ingredients over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining dry ingredients, one third at a time.
Gently pour batter evenly into ungreased tube pan and bake until top is light golden, cake retracts a bit from pan and springs back when touched lightly, and a tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Invert pan onto neck of an empty wine bottle or a large metal funnel and cool cake completely.
To remove cake from pan, run tip of a long, narrow knife between outer edge of cake and pan. Tilt cake pan on its side and gently tap bottom edge against counter. Rotate pan, tapping and turning a few more times, until cake appears free. Cover pan with a metal rack or cardboard round and invert, tapping pan firmly to loosen cake. Lift pan from cake.

For the Mango Creme Chantilly:

1 Large ripe Mango
1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
pinch Salt
1-2 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Cut and peel the mango and cut the flesh in to chunks. Put the mango into a blender with the cream and puree until the mango is smooth. Add the salt, sugar, and vanilla and continue to blend until the mixture begins to thicken a bit. Don't over-mix, it should still be a little creamy.

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Yum!
rwj

One more:

2241139238_95cf32fd64.jpg

Hmm...How did this get in here?

2240346957_5cdf2ccc6b.jpg

rwj

Aloo Gobhi Redux

1 small Kabocha squash
1 small cauliflower, broken into florettes
1 16 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 C frozen peas
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsps fresh ginger, chopped
2 Tbsp Goda Masala spice
3 Tbsps ghee
1/4 C water
salt and pepper to taste

Heat ghee in large skillet and add 1 Tbsp goda masala, stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Add chopped onion and kabocha squash and caramalize for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and saute an additional 5 minutes to slightly brown. Add garlic, ginger, additional goda masala and water. Cover and simmer for about 5 more minutes. Add garbanzo beans and peas and cook until all liquid is evaporated and the beans and peas are warmed through. Squash should be tender and cauliflower should be tender crisp. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Goda Masala Challenge 001.jpg

Ingredients

Goda Masala Challenge 009.jpg

Caramelizing onions and squash

The final product. If I would change anything, I think the spice mix crys for some fenugreek and chile peppers. I would probably heighten the coconut a bit. I used the squash to replace the traditioinal potatoes in this dish. It was an element I considered after seeing the cinnamon and coconut. The fresh ginger was a background note that married well to the other spices. I added the first tablespoon of spice to the caramelizing ingredients to give it a bit more smokiness, then added the other tablespoon as a topnote just before steaming for a few minutes. It would have been perfect had I finished it with chopped cilantro -- but I don't like cilantro!

Goda Masala Challenge 011.jpg

Very nice, Jo Ann! I would eat that in a heartbeat. I love the caramelized squash and onions. I can see that playing really well with the spice mix.

I also considered using fresh ginger in my cake. I decided at the last minute to nix that idea because I really wanted to taste the spice mix as is in a dessert form. Next time I will add ginger, though. Also, at the final tasting it was decided that a little more citrus was needed to bring all the flavors together (we squeezed a little lime juice on the cream and found this to be true). Next time I will use a mango creme anglaise (or just fresh mango slices) and a little dollop of lime sorbet.

rwj

Okay, Robert. So, I didn't exactly think outside the box! You beat me in that category. Very creative and beautiful presentation (personally, I believe that presentation is eveything -- it means you thought about it). I'm waiting to see what Jenise came up with. Hope it's a piece of meat -- then we have a full meal! But, I love the excitement of creating a recipe along side my fellow foodies.

Incidentally, why do my pictures have to be downloaded in order to see them. that isn't fun.

Don't sweat it, Jo Ann. I think what you made looks killer and as I have been eating LOTS of veggies lately I am going to try this as soon as I empty my pot of lentils. I am having the best time with this, too!

I wasn't sure how the spice mixture would work in a dessert but something was tugging me in that direction. When I thought about it I put the flavors together in my head and the sugar seemed to be a good match with the spices. The cake could have easily been called Chai Angel Food Cake as it tastes slightly of Chai tea. I also used a more sugar in the cake batter to better surround the spices with sweetness.

It also crossed my mind to make a savory spice cake but I really wanted to do the dessert. I'll have to try that another time. Anyway, great job Jo Ann. Your dish looks beautiful!

Two goals for the foodies.

rwj

[Jenise]

I'm impressed with both your dishes. They'd work well on the same menu, wouldn't they? Robert, your angel food cake was quite inspirational, VERY outside the box. I would never have gone there. Sorry I've not gotten 'round to my dish yet, I'd planned to go to the seafood market on Monday but before I could get away, a Sheriff knocked on my door to ask me to keep an eye out for a body that might wash up on our beach. Sadly, the body would be that of a neighbor whose empty boat was found drifting not far from here, and after that I had no desire to cook. But I haven't forgotten, and I'll get to this soon.

Good God, Jenise! Don't worry about it. That's the nice thing about this forum: it never goes away. This thread will be here when you are ready. I do look forward to seeing what you make, though.

I went to the farmer's market this morning and was hoping to get some cauliflower but someone had beat me to it. I was going to take a stab at Jo Ann's recipe but it will have to wait until the weekend or next week.

Thanks for the kind words to both of us. I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor. That must be very shocking. My thoughts are with you.

rwj

[Jenise]

I went to the farmer's market this morning and was hoping to get some cauliflower

Strangely, I was planning to use cauliflower in my dish, too, cauliflower and halibut (or some kind of mild white fish, it's probably a little early for halibut). Cauliflower adapts so spectacularly to Indian seasonings.

I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor.

Well, things happen, and mind you, though our neighborhood is one big extended family, he wasn't a close close friend and there's a widow who needs people's sympathy, not me. I don't mean to oversell this. But his boat was on the slip next to ours, and we chatted about things we'd do this summer at a party just a few weeks ago. It's just crazy to think he's gone.

Anyway, back to happier topics, I love these challenges and look forward to producing my dish soon.