Koro Sambhar | Pickle Masala | Methia no Masalo

Koro Smabhar in a jar with pickling spices around it in small jars.

5 from 1 vote

Koro Sambhar | Pickle Masala | Methia no Masalo

A Gujarati classic recipe; Koro Sambhar or Methia no Masalo is an essential spice mix to make pickles.

It is a mix of seeds and spices with oil and finds applications in everyday recipes as well. Make this and enjoy throughout the year!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3

Total Time13

Course: Spice Mix

Cuisine: Gujarati, Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: cups

Calories: 518kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

4 cups rai na kuria
1 cup methi na kuria
1 cup turmeric powder
4 cups red chili powder
¾ cup sesame oil
1 cup salt
2 teaspoon asafetida

Instructions

In a spice blender add methi na kuria.
1 cup methi na kuria
Crush till it is medium coarse. Remove in a bowl.
Next add in rai na kuria to the spice blender.
4 cups rai na kuria
Blend to medium coarse and set aside. Work in batches and process all the kuria.
In a large glass bowl add blended methi na kuria.
Add all the rai na kuria around it.
Make a well in the middle of the methi na kuria and add the asafetida.
2 teaspoon asafetida
Heat the sesame oil till it smokes. Transfer this hot oil into the prepared bowl.
¾ cup sesame oil
The oil and masalas will bubble for a bit and settle.
Then cover the bowl and set aside to cool.
Open the cover and add the remaining ingredients.
1 cup turmeric powder, 4 cups red chili powder, 1 cup salt
Mix well till everything combines.
Transfer to a clean glass jar and use as desired.

Video

Notes

Keep water away: Water is the biggest enemy of pickles. So keep the containers, blender, spoons and hands free from moisture. If water gets into any stage of the koro masala procedure, it tends to cause fungus to form in it.

Use the right rai: Rai or mustard seeds comes in two forms; yellow and black. Yellow rai has a milder taste and is better to use in the recipe. Kuria is easily available in Indian stores. If you cannot find it, use yellow mustard seeds instead.

Which sesame oil to use: Again sesame oil tends to be of different kinds. Use the one from the Indian store over the one from Asian markets. The Asian ones tend to be made from toasted sesame and is generally darker in color.

Use a glass container: Make the spice mix in a glass container. The spices tend to react with metal and plastic is not the preferred material to use with pickles.

Heating the oil: Heat the sesame oil till it smokes. This way we rid the oil of its pungency. Then add it into the crushed kuria and asafetida. As chili tends to burn in this hot oil, we add it after the mix is cool.

Mix of chili: As this is a multi purpose masala used to make pickles and with khichu, thepla etc it has to be balanced in taste and spice. I use 25:75 mix of hot chili and Kashmiri. This gives the masala spice and a great color. However, feel free to modify the ratio based on preferences.

Storing the masala: Store the masala in a glass container. Also, add it to the container and use a spoon to pack it tight. Leaving air between the particles tend to oxidize the spices.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator. The values here are for each cup of the prepared masala.

Nutrition