Homemade Masala Milk Powder

Fresh Homemade Milk Masala Powder .....

Masala Milk or Masala Doodh needs no Introduction to any Indian. Almost everybody has had a taste of this milk which is very common in every household. Due to time constraint many a time we buy this Masala from Stores which is very costly. Also one is never sure of the quality and the ingredients added in Branded Products. This is a powder that can be easily prepared with most of the ingredients that are readily available in the Kitchen. 

Masala Doodh / Masala Milk can be prepared instantly with this powder and offered to guest who give surprise visits. The powder if prepared and kept in the fridge has a long shelf life and is very helpful indeed. Young, Old and Children all enjoy this drink very much. This drink is very enegizing too. A good and healthy drink to be had also before you retire to Bed to induce a good sleep.

Many people add some stronger spices like pepper to this masala powder, but I have not added it as we prefer it this way. It is upto individual choice. You can add in a 1 teaspoon of pepper while grinding the masala to powder if you wish. Also some do add sugar while grinding the masala powder. I have refrained from adding sugar at initial stage as nowadays the addition of sugar does not go well with many of my friends, who are asked to refrain from sugar for health issues. Sugar can always be added when serving as per individual requirement. Many a friends / relatives enjoy this drink without sugar too and there are some who go in for artificial sweeteners too which I would always advice against using. However if you wish to add sugar while grinding the powder you can do so as per your taste.

To Prepare the Masala Milk Powder : 2 Cups of Almonds, 1 cup Shelled Pista (Unsalted), 1 cup of Cashew Nuts (You can used pieces too), 2 tblsp of freshly ground cardamom powder, 1 tsp of nutmeg powder, 1-2 tsp of saffron. 

All the above ingredients should be at room temperature. Put in the Almonds, pista, cashew nuts in a microwave glass dish and heat it for a 2-3 minutes. you can also fry them a bit in kadai (5-7 minutes) or keep it in hot sunlight (30 minutes). Remove and put it in a blender and grind in pulse mode till you get a rough mixture. Do not add any time grind in full speed continuously. Continuously grinding at high speed will make them leave out oil and you will not then get a dry powder. Now remove half cup out of the mixture in blender and keep it aside. This is to be added later so that you get some small pieces when you drink the masala doodh. If not required you can leave out this step.

Now add in the saffron, nutmeg powder and cardamom powder and grind again till you get a fine powder (not very fine). Remove and put it in a flat tray. Add in the reserved half cup of crushed powder and mix well. Spread evenly on the tray taking care to see that there are no lumps formed. Allow to cool completely before you store it in air-tight container and put it in the fridge for longer shelf life. Remains good for 6 months.

To Prepare the Masalat Milk : Put one glass of milk in a vessel and keep it on medium heat, add in 1 tsp of the masala milk powder and 1 tsp of sugar or as per individual taste to the milk when it starts getting hot. Mix well and bring to a boil, lower heat and let simmer for two minutes. Mix well, Your Masala doodh / Masala Milk is ready to be served. Serve hot with some snacks. You can have this drink just before you retire to bed to get a good sleep.

For Winter Season : You can just add 1/4 tsp haldi powder when you bring the milk to boil and then add the masala milk powder. You can also add a dash of pepper powder while boiling if you catch that inevitable cold.

My Tip : Grinding to a fine texture depends largely on the mixer grinder gadget used. If your family has no problem on the sugar front, you can add some sugar while grinding the mixture. Or the best way is to pulse it in between giving cooling time and then sieved through a fine sieve and the sieved ingredients can be again added into the mixture and ground to a fine powder. Repeat till you get desired consistency. Little bit of powder always remain at the bottom of the milk, how much ever effort you put, That is why it is served with stirrer or spoons. This is so even with branded masala milk powder. Always use the small grinder attachment of the mixer, I think it has the correct blade attached to it.