Kitchen King Masala is one of the most versatile and flavorful spice blends used in Indian cooking. It is aromatic, slightly warm, mildly spicy, and packed with the goodness of whole spices. This homemade masala instantly enhances the flavor of curries, sabzis, dal, pulao, and biriyani, making everyday meals taste more delicious and restaurant-style.
Kitchen King Masala is often called the "King of Masalas" because it combines a wide variety of spices commonly used in Indian cooking. The result is a balanced spice blend that delivers warmth, aroma, depth, and complexity to a wide range of dishes.
About Kitchen King Masala
Store-bought Kitchen King Masala brands often include onion and garlic powder. Since I cook meals without onion and garlic, I decided to create my own homemade version. Ever since then, I have never gone back to buying it from the store.
This homemade Kitchen King Masala is fresher, more aromatic, customizable, and perfect for anyone seeking a flavorful spice blend without onion and garlic.
Unlike Garam masala, which is usually added near the end of cooking, Kitchen King Masala can be used throughout the cooking process. It provides a richer and more rounded flavor profile, making it especially popular in North Indian curries and vegetable dishes.
One of the things I love most about this spice blend is its versatility. Besides adding it to paneer curries and vegetable sabzis, I often use it in pulao, biriyani, dal, and bean recipes, and even in some dry vegetable stir-fries. A small amount can completely transform a simple dish into something much more flavorful.
Although the ingredients list may look long, most of the spices are common pantry staples. Once you gather everything, making Kitchen King Masala is surprisingly easy. Since it stores exceptionally well, I usually prepare a large batch and freeze most of it to keep it fresh and aromatic for months.
Why I Love Kitchen King Masala
Over the years, I have found myself reaching for Kitchen King Masala more often than Garam Masala. I especially love adding it to paneer curries, mixed vegetable curry, dal preparations, and pulao. Even a simple potato curry tastes much more flavorful with a teaspoon of this masala. Whenever I feel a curry tastes flat or needs a little extra depth, Kitchen King Masala is usually my first choice.
Now, this Kitchen King Masala is one of the spice blends I always keep in my freezer. I make a large batch, store a small jar in my spice cabinet, and freeze the rest for later. The aroma of freshly roasted spices is far superior to anything I have found in a packaged version.
Here are a few reasons why this homemade Kitchen King Masala has become a staple in my kitchen:
- Completely free from onion and garlic
- Fresh, aromatic, and more flavorful than store-bought blends
- Easy to customize the spice level
- Perfect for curries, sabzis, dal, pulao, and biryani
- Pure spices without additives or anti-caking agents
- Freezes beautifully and stays fresh for months
Ingredients
We need 15 whole spices and 4 ground spices to make Kitchen King Masala. Most of the ingredients should be readily available in your pantry. But if you can not find something like Javitri (mace), it is okay to skip it.
I can find all of the ingredients in the Indian grocery store, and they are pre-packed. But if you do not want to buy the spices in large quantities, you can buy them from a Bulk Barn store. They have most of the spices available, and we can buy as much as we want.
Use the fresh and best quality spices to get the flavorful and aromatic Kitchen King Masala. Once you gather all the ingredients, it is super easy and quick to make the spice blend.
I have used Kashmiri dry red chilis to make this masala. But if you want a very spicy Kitchen King Masala, use a very hot variety of dry red chilis.
So we need the following ingredients
- Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- Caraway Seeds (Shah Jeera)
- Coriander Seeds (Sookha Dhania)
- Yellow Mustard Seeds (Yellow Rai or Sarson)
- Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Dana)
- Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
- Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
- Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
- Cloves (Laung)
- Mace (Javitri)
- Green Cardamoms (Hari Elaichi)
- Black Cardamoms (Kali Elaichi)
- Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini)
- Star Anise (Chakraphool)
- Red Dry Chilis (Sukhi Lal Mirch)
- Ground Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
- Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
- Ground Dry Ginger (Sonth)
- Black Salt (Kala Namak)
Below, I have also posted a picture of ingredients with the name. So even if you are not aware of any of the spices, you will get an idea.
Step by Step Directions
- Heat a frying pan over low to medium heat and dry roast the dried red chilis, stirring continuously.
- Roast them for about 3-4 minutes or until red chilis become darker in color.
- Remove the red chilis from the pan and take them to the bowl or plate.
- In the same pan, dry roast bengal gram (chana dal) on low heat until lightly golden.
- Remove it from the pan and place it in the bowl or plate with red chilis.
- Next, in the same pan, roast cumin seeds, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and yellow mustard seeds on low heat until they are aromatic for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove them from the pan and place them in the plate with red chilis.
- Make sure not to roast these spices on high heat, and they should not get dark brown.
- After that, roast the cinnamon sticks, cloves, black peppercorns, star anise, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, and mace on low heat until aromatic.
- Remove them from the pan and place them on the plate with other ingredients.
- Let all the spices cool completely.
- Take all the roasted ingredients into a blender jar.
- To this, add nutmeg powder, turmeric powder, dry ginger powder, and black salt.
- Grind the spices into a fine powder.
- If your blender or grinder does not make the fine powder, I would suggest sieving the masala. Then grind the remaining pieces of spices again to a fine powder.
Storing Suggestions
- Store the spice blend into an airtight container or jar and keep it at room temperature for up to a month.
- If you can not use all the masala in a month, keep some at room temperature and place the rest in the fridge. You can also store all the masala in the fridge to save it fresher for longer.
- You can make this spice blend in a big batch and freeze it for up to a year. While using in the recipe, there is no need to bring it to room temperature. We can add cold masala to the recipe.
Helpful Tips
- Spices: Use the spices of the best quality and as fresh as possible for the aromatic and flavorful Kitchen King Masala. Do not roast all the masala together; I have grouped the same kind of masala and have roasted them together. So follow the recipe.
- Dry Red Chilis: I have used Kashmiri chilis to keep the masala mildly spicy. But if you like your masala very spicy, use a hot variety of dry red chilis.
- Mace (Javitri): If you can not find the whole mace, you can instead add ½ teaspoon of mace powder.
- Grinding Masala: This masala should be of fine consistency. So if your blender gives you a coarse powder, sieve it. Then grind the remaining bits of spices and sieve again until you get everything crushed into a fine masala.
- Scaling: This recipe can easily be halved, doubled, or tripled.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Which Recipes Can I Use Kitchen King Masala?
You can use this masala for North Indian Style curries and sabzis. You can also use kitchen king masala instead of Garam masala powder in Paneer curries or vegetable curries. I also use kitchen king masala in some dal recipes like Dal Fry or Dal Makhani. It goes well in Pulao or Biriyani.
Can I Still Make This Masala If I Do Not Have Some Of The Spices?
If you are missing 2-3 spices, that is okay. You can still make this masala. But you should have essential ingredients like cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamoms, and cinnamon. And if you do not have one or two spices like Mace, Shah Jeera, Star Anise, or black salt, you can still make this masala.
How Long Can I Keep The Kitchen King Masala?
You can keep this spice blend at room temperature for up to a month. Then, in the fridge for up to 3 months and freeze the masala for up to a year. Make sure to keep the masala in an airtight container or jar.
More Homemade Spices
You May Also Like
- Paneer Lababdar No Onion No Garlic / Jain Paneer Lababdar
- Dum Aloo Without Onion Garlic
- Malai Kofta No Onion No Garlic
Kitchen King Masala Recipe (No Onion No Garlic)
Video
Ingredients
- 16 dry red chilis (Sukhi Lal Mirch)
- 2 tablespoon Bengal gram (Chana Dal)
- 2 tablespoon cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds (Shah or Shahi Jeera)
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds (Sookha Dhania)
- 1 tablespoon Yellow split or whole mustard seeds (Yellow Rai or Sarson)
- 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
- 2 tablespoon fennel seeds (Saunf)
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
- 12 cloves (Laung)
- 4 pieces of mace (Javitri)
- 15 green cardamoms (Hari Elaichi)
- 5 black cardamoms (Kali Elaichi)
- 6 cinnamon Sticks each of 1-inch (Dalchini)
- 3 star anise (Chakraphool)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (Jaiphal)
- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder (Haldi)
- 1 tablespoon ground dry ginger (Sonth)
- 1 tablespoon black salt (Kala Namak)
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over low to medium heat and dry roast the dried red chilis, stirring continuously.
- Roast them for about 3-4 minutes or until red chilis become darker in color.
- Remove the red chilis from the pan and take them to the bowl or plate.
- Dry roast the Bengal gram (chana dal) in the same pan on low heat until lightly golden.
- Remove it from the pan and place it in the bowl or plate with red chilis.
- Next, in the same pan, roast cumin seeds, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and yellow mustard seeds on low heat until they are aromatic for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove them from the pan and place them on the plate with red chilis.
- Make sure not to roast these spices on high heat, and they should not get dark brown.
- After that, roast the cinnamon sticks, cloves, black peppercorns, star anise, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, and mace on low heat until aromatic.
- Remove them from the pan and place them on the plate with other ingredients.
- Let all the spices cool entirely.
- Take all the roasted ingredients into a blender jar.
- To this, add nutmeg powder, turmeric powder, dry ginger powder, and black salt.
- Grind the spices into a fine powder.
- If your blender or grinder does not make the fine powder, I would suggest sieving the masala. Then grind the remaining pieces of spices again to a fine powder.
- Store the Kitchen King Masala in an airtight container or jar.
Storing Suggestions
- Store the spice blend into an airtight container or jar and keep it at room temperature for up to a month.
- If you can not use all the masala in a month, keep some at room temperature and place the rest in the fridge. You can also store all the masala in the fridge to save it fresher for longer.
- You can make this spice blend in a big batch and freeze it for up to a year. While using in the recipe, there is no need to bring it to room temperature. We can add cold masala to the recipe.
Notes
- Spices: Use the best quality spices and as fresh as possible for the aromatic and flavorful Kitchen King Masala. Do not roast all the masala together; I have grouped the same kind of masala and have roasted them together. So follow the recipe.
- Dry Red Chilis: I have used Kashmiri chilis to keep the masala mildly spicy. But if you like your masala very spicy, use a hot variety of dry red chilis.
- Mace (Javitri): If you can not find the whole mace, you can instead add ½ teaspoon of mace powder.
- Grinding Masala: This masala should be of fine consistency. So if your blender gives you a coarse powder, sieve it. Then grind the remaining bits of spices and sieve again until you get everything crushed into a fine masala.
- Scaling: This recipe can easily be halved, doubled, or tripled.
Chris Pitrakkos says
Wow, I am doing roasted spices for years, but this Kitchen King masala is the very best. I made it exactly to the recipe and what a winner. Will never be without this. Would like to know how to use it when making chicken or beef curry. Thank you so much for placing this recipe.
Jigna says
Hi Chris, I am glad that you like this spice blend. I hope it will bring more flavors to your dishes.
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words!😊
Annie says
I love in New Zealand, but I really enjoy cooking Indian food. However, I’m never quite sure what is meant by a 1″ pice of cinnamon. Does this mean 1″ cut off the whole roll, or pieces separated from the roll after its been cut. Whenever I cut my stick of cinnamon it always falls apart and I don’t know whether to use on later, or the whole pile of pieces. I’d really appreciate it if you could clarify this.
My local farm makes a wonderful cheese which seems to be a good substitute for paneer!
Jigna says
Hi Annie! I have the same experience; it falls apart whenever I break the cinnamon roll. A one-inch cinnamon stick means the pieces are separated from the cinnamon roll. I hope this will help.