moji masala makes authentic Indian cooking easy with its spice packets

moji masala® is the culinary brainchild of husband-and-wife team, JD Walsh and Shireen Qadri. While both loved and craved authentic Indian cuisine, neither had time to prepare a traditional home-cooked Kashmiri meal at the end of a busy workday. But they were determined to recreate their favorite Indian dishes at home and share their love for Kashmiri cuisine and culture with their 5-year-old daughter, Nora.

Their aha! moment came one evening after visiting with Shireen’s parents. Her mother or “moji” had sent her home with a few bags of pre-measured, freshly ground spice blends aka “masalas.” During the car ride back to New York City, they were reminiscing about the evening’s meal when they realized the key to making fabulous and easy Indian dishes was all about these magical masalas. They knew if they could have fresh, pre-measured spice blends on hand, they could prepare authentic Kashmiri food any night of the week, even busy evenings. They also realized that if they could take the guesswork out of Indian cooking by sharing simple authentic recipes alongside pre-measured spices, they could make it easy and approachable for anyone to prepare traditional Indian meals at home. 

The idea for moji masala was born.

Using Moji’s masala recipes, they started by identifying what spices were needed to recreate the classic Kashmiri dishes that Shireen grew up eating. Shireen and JD quickly got to work sourcing, grinding and blending an assortment of traditional Indian spices including clove, cumin, coriander and fennel seed, green and black cardamom, ginger, red chili and turmeric powder. The spices were nonirradiated to preserve the quality and nutritional value. The spices they purchased were from the most recent crop for the freshest, most flavorful experience. Shireen spent two years recipe testing with Moji and her aunties to get the dishes just right. Not an easy task when her mother doesn’t even own a measuring spoon! Today, each and every spice is responsibly sourced, freshly ground in small batches, and quickly packaged and shipped to ensure the highest quality and fullest flavor. 

The premise behind moji masala®: to make it easy for anyone to cook homemade Indian food as if they were taught by their own moji. Moji Masala spice blends are pre-measured, hand packed and sold in single-use packaging made in the USA. This not only makes it convenient but also ensures the spices stay fresh and flavorful since they aren’t exposed to heat, light and air — all of which cause spices to lose their potency. Each masala packet corresponds to a simple recipe found on the site; the back has a shopping list and a QR code linking to a short instructional cooking video showing how home cooks can prepare traditional Indian dishes with minimal prep work.

moji masala spice blends provide the foundation for authentic, nourishing meals without the hassle of spice shopping and in less time than it takes to order and receive restaurant delivery. Many of the recipes are ready in 30 minutes, while a few of the braised meat dishes take about 60 minutes to cook. Each packet ranges from $4 to $10 and contains enough spices to make a dish that feeds two to five people. There are currently 14 varieties of Moji Masala spice blends available that will satisfy meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans.

Today, Shireen and JD are able to recreate their favorite Indian meals any day of the week. moji masala spice blends are so easy to use, their daughter has become a moji masala-obsessed chef and is able cook alongside them.

For more info, please visit: www.mojimasala.com

JD Walsh

Shireen Qadri 

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