An easy tandoori masala recipe for adding a smoky flavour to grilled food! This is a must-have Indian spice rub with a medley of whole and ground spices. Gluten-free, vegan and made of 100% natural ingredients.
Fancy some kebabs on skewers this summer? Rub some fragrant tandoori seasoning on your meat or veggies and see how your food takes on a whole new flavour and taste that you just won't be able to get enough of! That's the magic of the great Indian tandoori spice mix. It adds a wonderfully smoky and spicy dimension to foods, especially food broiled in the oven or skewered on a grill.
Here's an easy tandoori shrimp recipe using this special seasoning. It will have you salivating, I promise!
What's special about my tandoori masala?
- Ratanjot or Alkanet - red food colour can be substituted with the dried root of this herb. Alkanet is a herb grown in Kashmir, India and is prized for its natural ruby-red colour. It is used in dishes like rogan josh and tandoori chicken. To my delight, I found this exotic spice in my local Indian grocery! So alkanet powder is what I used while making my tandoori spice blend.
- Beetroot Powder - this is also found in Indian groceries and adds a wonderful pinkish-red hue to whatever it's added to.
- Kashmiri Red Chillies - available as whole dried chillies or in the form of a powder. While they will not add a very deep red colour to anything, they are certainly an option if nothing else is available as they are not too hot.
- Paprika - adds a wonderful reddish hue to anything, again, minus the heat.
If you cannot find alkanet, use any of the options given above. They work quite well in this recipe.
2. It is an authentic tandoori spice mix recipe.
I know, the word 'authentic' is overused but this really is the real McCoy! It has all the essential spices that make for a complex and fascinating blend of flavours.
What is tandoori masala made of? (Tandoori seasoning ingredients)
A medley of whole and powdered Indian spices that give it a distinct texture and taste. Here is the complete list -
Whole spices
- mace
- peppercorns
- cloves
- nutmeg
- black cardamom
- coriander
- green cardamom
- fenugreek
- cinnamon
- cumin
Dry ground ingredients
- alkanet
- ginger
- garlic
Tandoori Masala Ingredients
How do you make tandoori seasoning?
Simple. Toast the dry whole spices in a shallow pan until fragrant. Let the toasted spices cool down, then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Mix in the powdered spices and your seasoning is ready to use.
Tip - Break the nutmeg into smaller pieces before toasting it.
What is the difference between garam masala and tandoori masala?
Hmm. Tandoori spice vs. garam masala. Both are certainly not interchangeable. These are the differences between the two -
- there are fewer spices in garam masala. The specific spices vary from region to region but the four basic ones are black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. Ginger, garlic and colouring spices like alkanet or red chillies are never put in garam masala.
- garam masala is used in almost all Indian sauces, gravies and curries unlike tandoori masala which is mainly used in tandoori preparations.
- garam masala is used more sparingly. Usually, a quarter or half a teaspoon is enough.
How long does the tandoori spice mix last?
Since it's a dry powder, its shelf life is very long. If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it retains its freshness for upto six months and beyond. The fridge is not essential though. It coexists happily with your other spices in the pantry too.
Tandoori Masala
Ingredients
Whole spices
- 3-4 mace flowers
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 2 nutmeg
- 4 black cardamom
- 4 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 12 green cardamom
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
Dry ground ingredients
- 2 tablespoon alkanet
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic
Instructions
- Take the whole spices in a pan and toast them on low to medium heat until they become fragrant and change colour slightly. Remove from the heat and let them cool down completely.
- Transfer the toasted spices to a spice or coffee grinder and grind to a powder.
- Mix the ground ingredients well with the above spice powder.
- Store in a clean air-tight container, preferably glass.
Notes
- While toasting the spices, keep moving them with a wooden spoon in a to and fro motion so they don't burn.
- Break the nutmeg into smaller pieces before toasting it. Wrap it in a clean cloth and smash it with a heavy object like a mallet. It will break easily on the first try.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Danielle says
I have a big collection of spices at home and it is getting really hard to find something new. So happy I've stumbled upon your blog - this tandoori masala will be a great addition to my collection.
Saima says
That's great Danielle! Love that you've found something new to add to your collection of spices.
Amanda says
I love that this tandoori masala has no additives and is only made of natural ingredients. Plus, with all those flavorful spices, this spice mixture is seriously delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Saima says
100% natural ingredients, for sure! Thanks for commenting Amanda.
ana @ muy delish says
Such an easy recipe and I bet the house smells like haven when cooking with it! I'm a huge fan of Indian cuisine and I'll be making this for sure. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Saima says
You're welcome Ana.
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says
I love the tandoori flavor - what a great dry rub to have on hand for whenever you fancy a spice hit! Going to make a batch for sure - thanks for sharing!
Kelly Anthony says
What a great recipe for smoky flavor to your recipes! Just in time for summer BBQs and grilling! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Rebecca Blackwell says
This is genius. I am soooo making this spice blend. One question: I know a few of these spices are going to be hard for me to track down at my local markets. Do you know of a good online source for spices? Thank you!
Saima says
You'll find everything on Amazon, Rebecca, even alkanet root powder, a lesser known ingredient.
Jessica (Swanky Recipes) says
The hubs and I swear by this one Indian restaurant in New Orleans. They have the most flavorful seasoning blends I've ever tried. I just had a friend ask if I could recreate a dish and I bet this seasoning blend will do just the trick!
Saima says
Do share if it it worked or not, Jessica.
Karyl Henry says
I love making my own spice mixes! You know exactly what's in them, and can customize them to your needs. I have almost all of these ingredients in my pantry right now, so I'm defniitely going to be making this
Saima says
That's really what makes homemade spice mixes so attractive to me too. That you are not forced to eat ingredients you don't want to.
Neha says
Loving all the fragrant spices used in the recipe! I have almost all of them in my pantry right now. Need to make some fresh tandoori masala now.
Saima says
Go for it!
Shannon says
I love how much better homemade spice blends taste in comparison to the pre-made stuff at the store. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I can wait to try this blend!
Saima says
Yes, homemade is always better than store-bought, isn't it?
Jagruti Dhanecha says
Homemade is the best, I can imagine the aroma of this masala, want to make now! I never heard about ratanjot, need to check on google 🙂
Saima says
Ratanjot is a little known natural food colorant and might not be available everywhere. However, you can substitute it with beetroot powder or paprika as mentioned in the post.
Heather says
This is awesome!!! There is nothing better than spice mixes make at home and I can only imagine how insanely amazing the house must smell when putting this together!! Beautiful recipe!
Saima says
Thanks Heather! The house does smell good whenever I make this spice blend.