Masaala Cubes

These are life-savers!

The next time you're making masaala, make a big batch. Let the extra masaala cool to room temperature, then freeze it. I freeze them in ice-trays for easy measurement later on, but you can also store them in ziplocks or tupperware.

By the time you soak the daal (lentils) or heat the oil in the pan, the masala cube has defrosted enough to be used.

1/2 cup lentils = 1 cube of masaala

This ratio works for any lentils or beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, etc.)

Cooking time is typically cut by nearly 1/2 when using masaala cubes.

Tip: Ever want rajma (kidney beans) or chole (chickpeas) but haven't soaked it overnight? You could reach for the canned version, but it never tastes as good to me. Instead, I wash and soak the beans while I prepare the masaala. Then I add it to the masaala along with 1-2 cubes of ice and let it sit in the pressure cooker for about 5 whistles. This still takes less time than soaking it overnight, and you can satisfy your craving on the same day! :)