Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Milk Masala Powder (Masala Dudh Powder) is a gluten-free, vegan Indian spice blend made with simple everyday ingredients in about 10 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 · 1 medium jar
  • Category: Spice Blend
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup almonds (- unsalted)
  • ½ cup cashews (- unsalted)
  • ½ cup pistachios (- shells removed and unsalted)
  • 20 green cardamoms (- only seeds and the husks removed)
  • 3.5 teaspoons nutmeg powder ((jaiphal powder) or half of a nutmeg - grated or powdered)
  • ½ to 1 tablespoon dry rose petals (- optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper (- if you prefer you can increase the amount to ½ teaspoon)
  • ½ teaspoon saffron strands (- check notes if you plan to skip saffron)
  • 5 tablespoons raw sugar (or regular white granulated sugar. you can also add as required)
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (- optional)
  • ½ cup pumpkin seeds (or melon seeds (magaz) - check notes if not adding pumpkin seeds - optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Method

  1. Heat a heavy frying pan or skillet and add these ingredients - almonds, pistachios, cashews, pumpkin seeds/melon seeds.
  2. Dry roast for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat stirring often until lightly toasted.
  3. Remove and keep aside in a plate or tray. Use fresh nuts and not the ones whose shelf life has expired.
  4. In the same pan, add the saffron strands.
  5. Keeping heat to a low, stir and roast for more than half a minute, till the color of the saffron changes to a darker shade. Remove and keep aside.
  6. Grate the nutmeg and keep aside.
  7. Once the nuts cool down, then add everything in a dry grinder jar, including rose petals, fennel, black pepper, turmeric powder, cardamom seeds and sugar.
  8. If you have a small dry grinder jar, then you will have to grind in batches. Grind to a fine powder. Grind in short spurts and not at a stretch.
  9. Remove the Milk Masala Powder and keep in an airtight container or jar. Store in the fridge or freezer, as the nuts may get rancid.
  10. The recipe yields a medium jar of milk powder.
  11. To serve, dissolve 2 to 3 teaspoons of the Milk Masala Powder in a glass of hot milk or chilled milk. Add sugar as required. Stir and serve the flavored milk.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.