Food Finds - Modern Day Masala

Kitchen confession: I’m a hopeless failure when it comes to making Indian food at home. Really. I’ve tried hundreds of recipes, but the results are lackluster and sometimes inedible. Like any good cook in the throes of lazy denial, I blame my blunders on my lack of fundamental knowledge of Indian flavor profiles. I need all the help I can get.

Praise the stars for Kristin and Ravi Sharma, the Marietta-based couple behind Modern Day Masala (masala means spice in Hindi). The Sharmas started the company after Kristin, who is not of Indian descent, took a trip to visit her in-laws in India after marrying Ravi. She fell in love with the cuisine her mother-in-law lovingly prepared for her and yearned to cook the same dishes for her new family. After learning the ins and outs from her mother-in-law on many visits to India and acquiring a set of recipes from her father-in-law, she started teaching classes for home cooks. In an effort to assist her students in the process, she brought along spices she’d prepared at home, as well as recipe cards. The mixes were a success and Modern Day Masala was born.

Modern Day Masala makes a wide range of products using USDA Organic Certified ingredients. Each packet comes with a recipe – including a list of additional ingredients – that’s incredibly easy to follow. The Signature Spice is a great yogurt-based marinade for your meat of choice, perfect for the upcoming grill season. Another favorite, the Spicy Okra, makes for a lovely vegetarian meal served over rice. Look for a new location in East Cobb, where Modern Day Masala will blend the spice mixtures and host tastings on occasion.

Modern Day Masala spice packets ($6), which serve six to eight people depending on your appetite, are sold all over the country, but you can find them at many local retailers – such as Cook’s Warehouse – or online. More information at www.moderndaymasala.com.






Restaurants
International
Food Events