🌶️ Bowl'd Masala Ingredient Tips

(From years of cooking in India & the U.S. - now simplified for your kitchen.)

🥢 Ginger-Garlic Paste

• Homemade Wins: Blend ½ cup ginger + ½ cup garlic + ½ tsp salt. Store in a jar, topped with 1 tsp oil. Keeps 2-3 weeks in the fridge, longer in the freezer.

• Quick Measure: 3 garlic cloves + 1" ginger = 2 tbsp paste.

• Shortcut: Store-bought works, but fresh always tastes brighter.

🧅 Onions

• Red onions bring natural sweetness (the Indian favorite). Yellow onions work too.

• Chop quick with a food processor, unless recipe calls for fine slices.

• Conversion:

  • 1 small onion = ½ cup chopped

  • 1 medium = ¾ cup

  • 1 large = 1 cup

🍅 Tomatoes

• For curries, whole peeled canned tomatoes beat crushed/puréed every time.

• Break them by hand or chop as needed.

• Fresh in season? Use plum tomatoes, peeled first. (Tip: Boil, score with “X,” peel easily.)

• Conversion: 1 medium tomato = ⅓ cup chopped.

🧂 Salt

• Indian salt hits stronger than U.S. salt—adjust carefully!

• Stick with table salt for cooking. Save fancy salts for finishing touches.

• My hack: taste often and finish with sea salt from a grinder.

🧈 Ghee & Oils

• Heat oil until shimmering before adding spices—it unlocks flavor.

• In India, everything once fried in ghee. Now, it's mostly vegetable oils.

• Best balance: Grapeseed oil for cooking + ghee for dal tempering.

• South India loves coconut oil—delicious, but use lightly for health.

🌶️ Chilies

• Rule of thumb: smaller = hotter.

• Heat ranking (🔥 to mild):
  

  Thai green → Indian green → Serrano → Jalapeño → Indian long → Anaheim.

• De-seed to reduce spice. And yes—wash your hands!

🌿 Cilantro

• Essential for the finishing touch. Wash, spin dry, chop.

• Not a fan? Just skip it. But please—never swap parsley. The God of Spicy Things will not approve.

👉 At Bowl'd Masala, these are the everyday hacks behind the bowls, rolls, and curries you love. Use them at home to bring the same magic to your kitchen.