My Guji roots don’t allow me to function properly without green and red masala in my fridge.

I am very sentimental person and when my childhood home was sold, I insisted on taking the containers that my mum used to store her masala. I still have them and it’s where I store my homemade hot stash.

My mother only ever used wet masala when she cooked. And I can’t even remember if she owned chillie powder, but knowing her, she probably did.

This recipe is an adaption from my Foi (father’s sister). When I moved to Joburg in 2015 I ran out of masala and wanted to learn how to make my own. I spread it in sandwiches as well and make spicy French toast with it as well.

Ingredients

1 kg green chillies

1 kg red chillies

1/2 kg garlic

1/2 kg ginger

2 tbsp salt

1/4 cup of oil divided into two

Top tip: Use surgical gloves to make this masala.

Method

1. Peel ginger and garlic and divide it into two portions each.

2. In a big blender/mincer grind green chillies and red chillies. Put them into two separate bowls.

3. Add 1/8 of a cup of oil into each bowl.

4. Add 1 tbsp of salt in each dish

5. Blend/mince garlic and ginger really, really fine.

6. Add equal weight of ginger and garlic to the bowls of green and red chillies.

7. Mix each bowl really well.

8. Store in a container and add 1 tsp of oil to the top of the masala. (The mixture freezes really well)