In the final steps, the bottle is sealed with a cap, tightly wrapped in cloth and tied with a string. East Indian families recall a time not so long ago when they collected empty beer bottles to be repurposed for storing masala. Over time, glass bottles have been phased out and replaced with airtight containers, which can store larger quantities and are easy to stack. Bottles are still used, although sparingly.
In addition to their signature bottle masala, Veera and Natasha Almeida make fish masala, puri masala, and indyal (vindaloo) masala. Though various factory-made spice blends exist in the market, bottle masala remains uniquely East Indian and holds a special place in the East Indian community as a symbol of their culinary tradition and heritage.
Jevayla Ye translates to ‘come eat’ in the East Indian dialect, which is the basic idea behind Veera Almeida’s cooking venture. The spice blends are packed in airtight pouches with illustrated branding, representing the East Indian community and their association with spices.
Veera Almeida runs her business from home, making and sharing her recipes online through social media. The ingredients and preparation style are passed down through generations in the family, from mother to daughter to granddaughter. The skill of mixing spices is learned through years of apprenticeship in the kitchen rather than by relying on a cookbook.
Along with her daughter, Natasha, she runs the popular Instagram page @Jevayla_Ye (89k followers) and ‘The House of Jevayla Ye’ page on Facebook, where the mother-daughter duo shares the preparation processes of dishes from East Indian cuisine. In their own words, ‘The House of Jevayla Ye venture aims to introduce you to our humble authentic East Indian masalas. Sukhala!’ [1]
Bottle masala gets its quirky name because it was traditionally stored in empty beer bottles. The airtight bottles preserved the original aroma and flavour of the masala and kept out moisture.
Wheat is the only ingredient that is not a spice. It helps thicken the curry that the masala is used to cook. Some households might choose to use chana dal instead of wheat. Similar to the preparation of the spices, the dal is also dried and roasted.
Each family uses different types of chillies to make the base. Kashmiri chillies are a staple in many dishes because of their deep red hue and ability to temper the heat without overpowering the dish. Other pungent chillies, including Resham Patti, Bedki, Bird’s Eye, and Sankeshwari, can also be used to make the base.
Spices are laid out for drying in the courtyard of Marthahil, a heritage home at Vasai that has been the residence of an East Indian family for more than 150 years. The masala-making season usually lasts from March until May. Earlier, drying spices in the open was a common sight in East Indian neighbourhoods, though the practice is declining as people nowadays opt to buy masala from the market.
Spices purchased at wholesale markets are sun-dried for two to three days to remove moisture. This usually happens once a year in the summer. After the rainy season ends in October, some households may decide to make another batch of masala.