Indian cuisine is all about finding the perfect amalgamation of ingredients that varies with our rich culture, tradition, region to serve the taste of belonging. Growing up, we remember coming back to the delectable delicacies that our mothers would have prepared, and it brings back memories of recognizing the dishes with their aroma!
However, the land of spices has a plethora of food lovers who are vegetarian and non-vegetarian. While for some, it’s just a matter of personal choice, the types come in degrees for a large number of people. And so, the country is divided into vegetarians, eggitarians, vegan, pure vegetarian, and the list goes on, as per their convenience.
But this breaks the biggest myth of India being a vegetarian country; it’s indeed a diverse nation of preferences bounded by the love for food and spices. And people who consider food as the bliss of their life deserve transparency and freedom from all stereotypes.
Let’s start with one today; let’s debunk one of the biggest myths of the century that non-vegetarian masalas have meat in them. For the pure vegetarians reading the blog, for those who can’t even stand the sight of the red square with a red dot inside, and for those who can’t walk by the lanes selling meats, most of you must be living under multiple delusions. And one of which is about non-vegetarian masalas.
We visit the grocery store once every month and are amazed by the variety of spices displayed on the shelves. We pick whatever is new and exciting to accentuate the love of our life – food and bring them home thinking to intensify the taste and flavour of the dishes. We often overlook the packages that are signed as non-veg masalas, thinking that they might contain meat. Well, to most of our surprise, the answer is NO.
The masala powders generally have ground spices, do not involve meat or eggs, and are vegetarian.
In a non-veg preparation, about 15 to 20 ingredients are vegetarian, like spices, vegetables, oils, garnishing onions, garlic, nuts, etc. The only non-vegetarian item is meat. No wonder that meat by itself is tasteless, and all the other ingredients make it worth eating.
Given this, the same spices, etc., can also be added to vegetarian dishes like paneer, soya, tofu, vegetables, etc., to make them delicious too.
When we talk about Indian spicy recipes, we often think of no-vegetarians. They are heavily spiced with multiple ingredients, and a lot of effort goes into preparing such dishes. For the same reasons, people have this perception that spices for these dishes are also non-vegetarian to accentuate its taste further. When it comes to cooking Indian food, non-veg masalas are usually the most important since they transform the dish into something delicious. However, the spices/masala have to be strong to disguise this and compensate for long cooking time (evaporation losses of the aromatics). That requires the use of more garlic and spices like fennel seeds (saunf), nutmeg, and mace in the spice mix. Also, more ginger is usually used since ginger acts as a meat tenderizer. And this proves that the formulation of a pre-mix that can be sold to intensify flavour in a non-vegetarian dish can also be used to prepare vegetarian dishes.
Masala is loosely translated as “spice,” Although there are many varieties and preferences, masala is typically made up of 5 spices. Cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and cumin are mixed to create an aromatic flavour profile. A generic meat masala can be prepared at home without incorporating any no-=veg element or ingredient in it.
But we understand that myths like these can be easily formed in a nation of such diverse profiles. And since the package reads like a Disclaimer, it can often be terrifying to pick one for your vegetarian home. In such cases, one should always check the green mark for satisfaction, and a better option is to prepare the mix from the whole spices at home, so you remain at peace with whatever you are going to eat.
LIVING BEYOND brings you ready pouches of handpicked whole spices in the perfect ratios for each of your favourite dishes. All you need to do is dry roast the contents of the pouch in a pan & grind the whole spices to a fine powder. This could be stored in bottles for use in your everyday cooking. And you can label it by yourself without exciting it as being vegetarian or otherwise. Make your dish extraordinary with our range of whole spices and enjoy the aura of divine taste and flavours without worrying about its authenticity.
