They form the backbone of any Indian dish. Without Masalas (powder and paste spice mixes) - pronounced muh-saa-laaz - what would Indian food be? Bland, boring, tasteless.... Since Masalas are an integral part of Indian cooking, learning to make a few will greatly enhance your skills at turning out a tasty Indian meal.

While they always taste best when made fresh at the time of cooking, most Masalas can even be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container, your fridge or freezer. I usually prepare the paste masalas and freeze them in ice-cube trays for days when I am just too busy or tired to bother with making things from scratch. When they're set, remove them from the trays and store in labelled freezer bags. When you need them, just pop a couple of cubes as required, into your dish and follow the recipe! Convenient huh?!

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