Tawa Masala

Sometimes I jot down a recipe in any form and place and use it aplenty later. It becomes a staple because someone loved it a lot. And that’s how I roll when I look for favorites- I ask my family or friends for a recipe and they share it or I write it down. This tawa masala recipe survived my two iPhone notes-app and lived through a toilet bowl flush- almost. Then I salvaged it into an email folder that still survives- technology!

Dhania 2 tbs
Saunf 2 tbs
Zeera 2 tsp
Methi 2 tsp
Black pepper 2 tsp
Amchur 2 tsp
Red chilies 3-4
Hing
Cloves 12-15
Cinnamon 2-3
Elaichi 6-7

Roast and grind to a powder and use over simple sauteed vegetables. Some liberal use of oil brings stunning results over okra and eggplant while potatoes, carrots, beans can also be the usual suspects for this recipe albeit with less oil and similar stunning results.

Published by Hema Malini

I am a trained sociologist and an archival researcher. I am the principal investigator for an archival research project on the Brahma Kshatriyas of Hyderabad and also founder of choosingwellness.org. I also go by my other name Malini. I am a translator of notes that remain in the margins to bring the user of technologies into sharper focus. I use the term community researcher, immersive researcher to talk about the work I do. In the past, as a Director and user experience lead at Code for Princeton I worked with non-profits, community groups, users, and subject matter experts to identify areas of need. I translated this into conversations with brigade members, developers, potential users, and other stakeholders. The applied ethnography and social research skills got me to meet with a diverse set of people across the broad middle class spectrum in Urban India. Living and working in New Jersey for the past several years has given me a breadth and width of understanding and engaging with people adding critical diversity to my bracket of "users" and experience all rolled in one.