This is a dried lichen (yep!) used in Indian cooking. (Latin: parmelia perlata.)Certainly the only example of a lichen the CC knows off that's used as a spice.
It has a characteristic unmistakable woodsy musky earthy smell (not quite truffle-esque, and not quite morel-esque but unmistakably earthy.)
Anyone who claims to make the very Maharastrian goda masala or the Andhra vaangi baath podi without this is pretty much clueless about food.
It seems to have a reputation as an aphrodisiac (unverified by the CC but that's another "hello truffles!")
13 comments:
hi
i havent been able to figure how much of it to use - and what flavour it adds. say...for half a kg of mutton. i bunged some into the white masala, but i couldnt make out any specific flavour that it added. and im quite good at tones and microtones in flavour...quite the canine nose i have.
Hello,
I was trying to make Goda masala (am a keralite) and I have no clue what dagad phool is. I tried google, but couldnt find the local name. DO you have any idea what is dagad phool called in malayalam or tamil?
Here are the names for it that I am aware of:
dagad phool
pathar phool (= stone flower)
kalpasi (Tamil)
kallupaachi (Telugu)
kalahu (Kannada)
shaileya (Sanskrit)
rihamkarmani (Urdu)
parmelia perlata (Botanical name)
I do not know any others.
To answer Gouri, it has an extraordinarily strong smell which seeps through. The best description I have is musky or woodsy or earthy.
Goda masala is a classic (and I'll try and post recipes soon.)
thanks a lot, ShockingSchadenfreude!And could you tell me how different is kala masala from goda masala. I hear both are different, goda masala being "more brahmin" from pune and kala masala used in areas near kolhapur. Could you kindly mail me the recipe for kala masala, if you wouldnt mind! my email is mail.recipes@gmail.com
thanks a lot,
shilpa
The difference between the two lies in the proportion of spices, and the degree of roasting.
They are similar but not the same, and demonstrably different in taste.
Any recipe I post for either is gonna get skewered ("my family does it differently") but that is par for the course.
Every cuisine has innumerable variants. "Authenticity" is a dubious beast.
And most of the recipes are for "industrial-strength sizes" which is a bit boring. So before anything you need to read this post about the non-linearity of scaling.
I agree with the post :), because I do wonder how many times I may actually get to use the masala unless I plan to use your suggestions!
I wanted to make masale bhaat and some other maharashtraian dishes too and most of them calls for either goda masala or kala masala.
We don't get either of these masalas here in the markets like we get the sambhar masala or the garam masala.
I did Google for goda masala & kala masala and found too many "My family way" recipes also. Just confused which one to follow. And there weren't any clear indications about how much to roast and any other specifications other than the measurement of ingredients. If you could take the pains for jotting it down for me, I will be grateful, CC.
Thanks,
Shilpa
I have a super mutton recipe for it which my mom makes...and have been trying to get an english name for it since she is compiling her own recipe book....Please help!
Hi there!
I live in Sunnyvale, California and am not sure whether we get this at the Indian Grocery stores.
Is there anyone here from USA who could tell me where to find this spice? Thanks a lot !
Harshi :)
hi,
im an Indian housewife in the US and I have seen this spice being used in my household back in India since when i was little. we call it Chhabila in UP(dont know if its Hindi or Urdu tho). It imparts a wonderful smoky flavor, a bit similar to mesquite mayb. to the one who couldn't make out a difference, try making shammi kebabs with and without it. it just wont taste t same. as for availability, I get mine from India coz i havent seen it in stores here. I buy a large packet coz it keeps well. and as for t amount, i just eyeball it and always try n keep it a bit on the higher side coz i love it and i havent as yet had it overpower the other spices. i just love it and cant think of making kebabs without it.hope this helps some1 :)
Harshi, *India Cash and Carry* in Sunnyvale (Henderson/El Camino) carries dagad phool (and the other spices listed on this blog for vangi bhat. Look on the shelves in the dry spice section. I've also seen the spice sold at Patel Bros. in Santa Clara (Scott/El Camino). In my experience Patel Bros stock and quality are not very consistent; refresh rate at Cash and Carry is much higher.
Dagad Phool or Stone Flower is a lichen. It has no taste, no smell and is light like paper. You cannot crush it or powder it - it has to be torn apart like say, cellophane tape. It is used extensively in Chettinad cooking, especially chicken curries etc., and in the maharashtrian 'Goda' masala.
Apparently, it gets its flavor when roasted in oil. I have bought this spice from an 'Andhra' telugu Indian store in Cleveland, Ohio. The cost was ~$ 5.00 for a 50 gram packet. I have given it to 5 of our friends, and my remaining supply is estimated to last another 5 years ....
To be scrupulously honest, I am not sure whether it has improved my cooking - I used it atleast 12 times in various dishes at random. Although I must admit my wife has occassionally asked for seconds in a few curries. However this may not be a causal relationship. Now, I have to locate Nagakesar, Marathi moggu and Kebab chini in an indian store.
Kebab chini / cubebs (pepper) / kankol (konkani) / shimpi mirain is not marathi moggu. the former is a form of pepper while the latter is athe dried bud of a kapok tree - and looks like a dried out ladyfinger/okra.
Cheers.
Vidwan827,
You can get Kebab Chini in any store in the US like Walmart, Target etc that has a spices section. Kabab Chini is called Allspice in English.
Sandeep
This is available in Indian grocery stores. Sometimes it says lichen on the packet or just says dagadphool.
Post a Comment