The Indian Spice box: A Commentary on the Masala Dabba

I have yet to walk into an Indian house which is amiss of the "Masala Dabba" (Indian Spice box), and its accompanying infamous waft when one walks into the pantry. The shiny little steel box is our true blue companion and the odd man out sitting on a pantry shelf filled with Post cereal boxes and Bertolli pasta packages. Veggies, meats and legumes come and go but the trusted spice box stays on forever. It is the sole and distinct link to a heritage Indian families abroad have left behind and it is the sole and unwavering promise to jazz up the variety of foods in one's kitchen.

The masala dabba is a round stainless steel box which contains seven stainless steel spice cups which are normally filled with:

1. Cumin seeds
2. Turmeric powder
3. Mustard seeds
4. Garam masala (blend of pepper,cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg,anise,cardamom)
5. Coriander powder
6. Fennel seeds
7. Red chili powder.

Handed to families generation after generation one cannot help but be amazed by this simple box's lofty past. Recall the great spice trades of the 1400s which began with the marketing of black pepper in Europe. The spice trade was possibly the first extensive global trade spanning from Europe, Africa, Middle East to Asia and in the process made numerous countries wealthy while diversifying its culinary palette. I once believed that spices were used as preservatives in the ancient world but soon discovered that salt, an abundant world wide commodity, was used for preservation possibly making the need for other spice preservation techniques negligible or on a smaller scale. The ancient world probably consumed foods faster and in a more fresh manner to avoid spoilage and therefore may not have needed preservation methods as regularly as we do today.

Apart from the culinary merits, spices hold an important link to modern medicine. The crude usage of spices are recorded in many ancient Indian Samhitas (Hindu sacred writings) such as the Atharva Veda written around 1200 B.C.E, the Charaka Samhita written around 400-200 B.C.E. and the Sushruta Samhita written around 100 C.E. All compendiums are authoritative writings on either sacred rituals or Ayurveda and directly refer to the use of herbs and spices as medical remedies. Here then lies the roots of modern day pharmacology which would and lay an important pathway and eventually peak world wide interest.

I pondered on my little spice box again and took in a deep breath upon opening my pantry door. The scents were powerful but almost screamed at me to shun my attachment to the current and commercial ideas of smell. No!  This was certainly not Channel No. 5 nor a bouquet of hyacinths, it was something much more, something solid, unrelenting and permanent. Without the spice box, would my home or pantry even retain that small link to a grand piece of history? The spices in my Masala dabba,  thereby became my seven silent guardians of health per the ayurvedic path. Cumin for its carmative and digestive properties, Turmeric and mustard seeds the anti-inflammatory herbs, fennel seeds and coriander powder my digestive aids, and the stinging red chilli powder, the loyal warrior which aids in fighting infections.

Sambhar and the GI Index

Sambhar a flavorful Indian stew for vegetarians, diabetics and people who desire weight loss

I recently found a new interest in Sambhar after witnessing my sister's sudden ten pound weight loss. My sister is a vegetarian and in an effort to lose weight started eating sambhar as a main meal. If you don't mind the hot spices, it can be a wonderful meal full of proteins and vitamins due to the toovar daal and vegetables. Yum!

Before getting into the recipes lets get a few interesting facts out of the way. Sambhar is a vegetable stew which has its origins in South India. There are so many variations that one can truly never get bored of this meal which by the way is normally served up for breakfast! You can mix sambhar with veggies, rice, idli (a puffed and steamed cake made from black gram), dhokla (steamed gram flour) and continue the variations. For a twist Westernize the dish by throwing in croutons instead, add non-traditional veggies such as broccoli and tone down the spices.

Sambhar and rice (Unpolished Basmati) has an overall low Glycemic index (GI) and also lowers the lipemic response. The lipemic response affects cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your body. According to glycemicindex.com, "The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.”  Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. With the majority of charts, a number lower than 55 means that the ranking is considered low, if the ranking is between 55 and 70 it is middle range, and above 70 is considered a high ranking. There may be some foods which cause a ranking above 100; this would normally interpret as a food that causes a higher spike in blood sugar levels. Along with the GI index, many researchers are also leaning towards the Glycemic load (GL) of foods to resolve inconsistencies with the GI index. A main problem with the GI index is that it is reliant on results from a measure of 50 grams of food which some nutritionists see as too small of a portion. Although Glycemic Loads are good to consider, the Glycemic Index as a standalone tool does provide you with a basic picture: The lower the number, the slower the food digests in your system, this in turn means that it will slowly alter your blood sugar which is much healthier for your body.

I found a very interesting study to back this claim - (http://www.rssdi.org/1997_july-sept/article2.pdf).

This study was performed with various controlled conditions and found that South Indian food overall had low GIs. In particular, Sambhar with Pongal (rice dish, you can substitute with plain basmati rice) shows a GI of 53.6%. This is quite a bit lower than other regional foods and even the traditional idli and chutney meal which rendered a GI of 102%!

Food Items and Glycemic Indice (%) ( Mean ± SD )

1. Pongal with Sambhar 53.6 ± 2.4
2. Bisibelle Bhat 58.0 ± 5.5
3. Uthapam with Chutney 63.0 ± 3.0
4. South Indian Meal 63.3 ± 4.3
5. Curd Rice with Curry leaves Chutney 65.4 ± 5.1
6. Punjabi Meal 68.0 ± 19.2
7. Adai with chutney 69.6 ± 8.1
8. Bengali Meal 69.9 ± 16.5
9. Rasam rice with Papad 77.5 ± 6.5
10. Gujarati Meal 83.0 ± 11.4
11. Sambhar Rice 83.1 ± 5.2
12. Dosai with with Podi 91.3 ± 2.5
13. Idli with Chutney 101.5 ± 7.5

Food Item Lipemic Response (% rise / fall in Triglyceride) Mean
1 Pongal with Sambhar - 6.3
2 Bisibelle Bhat + 2.2
3 Uthapam with Chutney + 6.4
4 South Indian Meal + 7.1
5 Curd Rice with Curry leaves Chutney + 8.5
6 Punjabi Meal + 8.6
7 Adai with chutney + 9.5
8 Bengali Meal + 10.2
9 Rasam rice with Papad + 10.7
10 Gujarati Meal + 12.5
11 Sambhar Rice + 15.4
12 Dosai with with Podi + 16.2
13 Idli with Chutney + 18.0

Now on to the delicious part, okay as much as I like to make things from scratch I also appreciate short cuts to save time. Hence the Sambhar daal packages available at the local Indian grocery store. I like the Gits Sambhar Mix. Add water and boil. Throw in your favorite vegetables such as tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant and you have a wonderful stew.

On a final note, if you don't understand some of the terms - Google It:))

If you want to make sambhar from scratch, here is a good Tarla Dalal recipe I liked:

Cooking Time : 15 min. Preparation Time : 20 min. Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients For the sambhar
1 cup toovar daal (arhar)
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 brinjals, cubed
1 drumstick, cut into 4 pieces
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp (amlaa)
salt to taste

For the sambhar masala
6 to 8 red chillies
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
1 tablespoon toovar daal (arhar)
1 tablespoon split Bengal gram (channa daal)
1 tablespoon split black gram (urad daal)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 teaspoon oil

For the tempering
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
6 curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
2 tablespoons oil

Method
1. For the sambhar masala
2. Heat the oil and roast all the ingredients for the sambhar masala in it.
3. Grind to a fine paste in a blender using a little water. Keep aside.

How to proceed
1. Wash and pressure cook the daal, tomato, onion, eggplant, drumstick
and potato with 2 cups of water.
2. Then add the tamarind pulp, sambhar masala, salt and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
3. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and frying the mustard seeds,
curry leaves and asafoetida until the mustard seeds crackle.
Add this to the sambhar and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Serve hot.