Indian cooking

Goda Masala

VegetarianOrigin Maharashtra

Goda masala is a dark, nutty Indian spice blend. It has a warm roasted aroma, mild heat and a slightly sweet coconut-sesame depth.

Goda masala

85 gDry-fried first, then the rest fried in oil (steps 1–2)
03
6 g1 tablespoon
spice
04
2.6 g5 cm
spice
05
2 g2 chillies
spice
06
18 g2 tablespoons
nut/seed
07
0.4 g6 cloves
spice
08
2 g4 leaves
spice
09
1.1 g½ teaspoon
spice
10
1.4 g½ teaspoon
spice
11
1.5 g½ teaspoon
spice
Cool, then grind to a fine powder and keep airtight.

Everything else

01
14 g1 tablespoon
oil/fat

Method

  1. Heat a dry frying pan over low heat.
  2. Add 20 g desiccated coconut and stir often for 3–4 minutes, until light brown.
  3. Tip the coconut into a bowl.
  4. Add 13.5 g vegetable oil to the pan.
  5. Add the remaining goda masala ingredients: 30 g coriander seeds, 6.3 g cumin seed, 4 g cassia bark, 2 g dried red chilli, 18 g sesame seed, 0.4 g clove, 2 g bay leaf, 1.1 g caraway seeds, 1.4 g asafoetida and 1.5 g ground turmeric.
  6. Fry over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the spices darken and smell roasted.
  7. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.
  8. Grind the cooled masala to a fine powder.
  9. Store in an airtight container.

Don't have something?

Desiccated coconut
  • Grated desiccated coconut

    Use equal weight directly; it is the identical ingredient under a different label.

  • Fresh coconut

    Grate finely and use 130% to 140% of the weight to compensate for higher moisture; toast gently in a dry pan over low heat if a dry texture is needed.

  • Dried coconut

    Grate finely using a microplane and use equal weight. Offers a slightly oilier, toastier coconut profile.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Cassia bark
  • Ceylon cinnamon

    True cinnamon: thinner, papery quills, milder and sweeter. Use about 1.5 times the weight, and taste.

  • Ground cinnamon (cassia)

    Use about a third of the weight (0.5 g ground for a 2.5 cm piece), stirred in with the ground spices rather than fried whole, since the powder burns quickly.

  • Cassia buds

    Use 60-70% of the weight; stronger and more peppery, so taste before adding more.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Sesame seed
  • White sesame seed

    Use the same weight. Toast lightly before use; white seeds are milder and give a cleaner look.

  • Black sesame seed

    Use the same weight. They are stronger and more bitter; toast briefly and use slightly less if the dish is delicate.

  • Peanut

    Use the same weight, crushed or chopped. It gives crunch but not the same nutty sesame aroma.

Clove
  • Ground cloves

    Use 1 g ground for 4 g whole (or 1 small pinch per 2 to 3 whole cloves). Add with spice powders; disperses intense warmth quickly, so use with restraint.

  • Allspice berries

    Use 100% of the weight whole in tempering. Imparts a warm, clove-like aromatic profile combined with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.

  • Black cardamom pod

    Use 1 pod for 3 to 4 cloves in whole tempering. Shares a camphor-like warmth and medicinal depth, though it introduces a distinct smoky undertone.

Bay leaf
  • Cinnamon stick

    Use a 2 cm piece (about 1 g) for every 1 to 2 bay leaves. Fry in whole-spice temperings; provides the cassia-like warmth typical of Indian tejpatta.

  • Ground cinnamon (cassia)

    Use 0.5 g per leaf. Stir into the sauce during simmering; gives the same warm woodiness but darkens the colour slightly.

Caraway seeds
  • Fennel seed

    Same weight, lightly crushed; sweeter and milder but the closest match for the anise note.

  • Cumin seed

    Use two-thirds the weight; earthier and warmer, losing most of the aniseed character — good in breads and root vegetables.

  • Carom seeds

    Use half the weight; much more pungent and thyme-like, so add early in hot oil to soften it.

Asafoetida
  • Garlic powder

    Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Similar spice mixtures

Malwani Masala
It tastes hotter and more aromatic from fennel, cassia and black cardamom, without this dish’s coconut-sesame depth.
  • Same: Malwani Masala shares coriander, cumin, cassia, clove, caraway, dried red chilli and turmeric with this dish in a warm, aromatic spice blend.
  • Different: It is dry-roasted and lacks this dish’s coconut, sesame, asafoetida, bay leaf and oil, while adding black pepper, star anise, black mustard, black cardamom, fennel and nutmeg and using much more dried red chilli.
Kotu Podi
Kootu Powder
Kotu Podi tastes nutty and peppery with roasted coconut and lentil depth, while this dish tastes warm and roasted with mild heat and a slightly sweet coconut-sesame note.
  • Same: Kotu Podi shares desiccated coconut, vegetable oil, coriander seeds, cumin seed, dried red chilli and asafoetida with this dish, and both are ground roasted spice blends.
  • Different: Kotu Podi adds chana dal, urad dal and black peppercorn and lacks this dish's sesame seed, cassia bark, clove, bay leaf, caraway seeds and turmeric, so it is a lentil-based thickener rather than a coconut-sesame masala.
Valsadi Masala
Traditional Valsad Masala (Dry)
Valsadi Masala tastes pungent and sharply hot from ginger, garlic and dried chilli with warming cinnamon-clove-pepper notes, while this dish tastes dark, nutty and mildly hot with a sweet coconut-sesame depth.
  • Same: Valsadi Masala shares coriander seeds, cumin seed, dried red chilli, turmeric and clove with this dish.
  • Different: Valsadi Masala adds fresh ginger, garlic, salt, poppy seed, white cardamom and black peppercorn, and it lacks this dish's coconut, sesame, asafoetida, caraway, bay leaf, cassia and vegetable oil.
Karepaku Karam
Spicy Ground Flavouring
Karepaku Karam tastes fragrant, pungent, savoury and earthy-hot, while this dish tastes warm-roasted, mildly hot and slightly sweet from coconut and sesame.
  • Same: Karepaku Karam shares with this dish coriander seeds, cumin seed, dried red chilli, asafoetida and vegetable oil, and both are Indian spice powders.
  • Different: Karepaku Karam uses curry leaves and urad dal as main ingredients and adds garlic powder, black pepper and salt, while this dish uses coconut, sesame, cassia, clove, bay leaf, caraway and turmeric and has much less oil.