Indian Masala to Carry by Parents Visiting USA

Masalas from India spice up your food plate. Be it any dish you make in USA a little bit of masala will imbue a generic Indian flavor to the dish under preparation. Masala or curry powders generally mean a mixture of spices that bring a soothing taste to the curry. However each Indian spice will serve a specific purpose and will be related to both health and taste. Masalas can also be added at the end of cooking or even sprinkled on a dish when serving. It just makes your cooking flavor filled Indian dishes.

What are the most common masalas that parents visiting USA would prefer to carry?

• Garam Masalsa - It is the most popular spice mix in India which involves grinding cloves, cumin seeds, black cardamom, cinnamon, coriander/cilantro seeds, bay leaves into a fine powder and is used in many curries.
• Chole Masala - Also called as Chana masala is a blend, a simple and flavorful recipe that will definitely give a special touch to your kitchen pantry.
• Biryani Masala - It makes the best tasting biryani and your kitchen will have its beautiful aroma as biryani is cooking
• Chaat Masala - As the name suggests this masala is used with the Indian street food called chaat.
• Tandoori Masala - It is a mixture of spices specifically for use with a tandoor, or clay oven, in traditional north Indian and Pakistani cooking.

Where do I get these masalas?

Masalas can be home made by reaching out to recipes from grand-moms or even those found on the internet. Although you can buy this masala powder from stores, but the homemade masalas are always are the best and fresh. Making these masalas at home are very easy. Just gather the spices, clean and check if any bad ones or worms in it. Then simply dry roast for couple of minutes and grind into powder. The spices in each are designed to not overpower, but compliment the ingredients that are being cooked with. Masala spice is in powdered form and so can be varied in exact proportions and this is necessary for the Indian curry.

Parents visiting USA, how to pack curry masala?

Foremost thing to pack your masalas is to first check if the spices are allowed to be carried to USA. The plastic zip lock bags are perfect. Just be extra sure that the contents are not leaking from the pack by securing it with a tape. Use the brown one which is used to seal cartons. However, don’t fully cover the pack with the tape so that no one can see the contents. There are also pre-packaged branded masala mixes that can be carried.

Check if the brand of masala is locally available in the US?

Nowadays, these masala powders are extensively available at many local India grocers or food stores/markets, and if you have a close-by store carrying your favorite brand, the whole point of bring this along is moot. But if you prefer your home made versions, this would be worth carry with you.

Relatives visiting USA, masala packed and all set to go!

I realized not only do I love to cook, but I love to cook for the people I love and care for. Feeding the appetites of your friends and family is a way of saying “I love you”, “Thank you”, “I’m sorry”, “Get Well Soon” and “Happy Birthday”. One of the most rewarding ways to cultivate a relationship and nurture someone is to cook for them. Now that you are ready with required masalas to make yummy Indian dishes for your children and grandchildren just pack your bags and get onto the flight.

Buy Visitors Insurance for parents visiting USA

With bags packed, tickets and passports/visa ready, and before you embark on your journey to the U.S, don’t forget to take a proper visitors insurance to protect you for sickness or injury during your stay in the host country. Now if you become sick or injured, with coverage for visitors, you can visit a doctor or hospital to take care of this if this is an eligible covered expense by the plan.