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Sunday, November 22, 2009

My Kitchen - Maratha/Marathi Moggu

Moggu is a spice used in some of Karnataka's cherished dishes such as bisibele bhath, saagu, (Karnataka style) kootus to name a few. It is brownish in color and looks somewhat like a bigger version of a clove. I had failed to notice that it smells somewhat like shikakayi powder until today. The smell / fragrance attached to it is not that strong that one would notice it as soon as a container of moggu is opened and I guess that's the reason I missed it. (For those shampoo lovers and who don't know what it is, shikakayi powder is used in India to wash hair). It is not eaten raw but always dry fried and ground with other spices before going into a dish. It is called moggu in Kannada and mogga in Telugu which literally means a bud. Since the Kannadigas attach the tag Maratha, I am assuming it is used in Maharasthrian cuisine as well. I always get my supply of moggu from India since I could not find this in any Indian grocery shops here. I had these questions regarding this spice and if anyone knows the answer, let me know. Which plant's flower bud is this? Do you know the name of this spice in English or any other Indian languages? Is it used to make any other dishes or for any different purpose? Comments

19 comments:

jayasree said...

Looks like a new spice for me.. Shall watch this space for more updates.

Anonymous said...

They don't LOOK like they taste good, but I'll take your word for it.

Uma said...

hmm... never saw this spice before!! looks like cloves. Not sure what these are. :)

Deepthi Shankar said...

I love this spice. N its got quite a powerful taste

chickpea said...

Marathi Moggu are used for Maharashtrian kala masala in addition to bisi bele baath. There's a recipe for the masala on the old mahanandi.com website.

I just received a package from India, and the moggu definitely has a smoky scent that's completely its own. But the package came with two varieties; one extremely large and black, the other petite and grey.

Do you have any suggestions on how to prepare it for use? Do the stems come off the buds before you roast them?

Thanks for posting one this.

Suma Gandlur said...

Chickpea,
I usually roast them lightly before using. We use the whole thing - the bud and the stem and they don't seperate during roasting. It remains intact as shown in the pic.

Harini said...

Hey, found this info..
http://shockingschadenfreude.blogspot.com/2009/01/marati-moggu.html

hope this helps..

Anonymous said...

I think it is also called kebab chinni in the hyderabad region for the kebabs etc

Shanthi said...

No, its definitely not kebab chini..

I got Marati Moggu home delivered from The Big Indian Store at http://spicesonline.info/indian-spices/marati-moggu-karer-badi-laung-shalmali-semul-p-857.html

Having stayed in Karnataka in the childhood, I just can’t forget the awesome taste of Bise billi bhat and Vanga Bhat that I used to eat at my Kanadda friend’s home.

My friend gave me the recipe which had Marati Moggu as an important ingredient. Being in the US, I found it really difficult to find these spices. But thanks to The Big Indian Store, now i don’t need to wander around looking for these spices.

You can get them home delivered worldwide from them at http://spicesonline.info/indian-spices/marati-moggu-karer-badi-laung-shalmali-semul-p-857.html

Its flavour is really lovely. My bisebille bhat turned awesome with this spice. May be you would like to try it. They provide their spices worldwide. I am realy in love with their Marati Moggu.

pelicano said...

"Caper fruit". The small, unripe flower-buds- pickled in brine- are used in Italian cuisine. These, however, are the ripe fruit of the plant- dried.

Junaidha said...

This is the dried fruit of the caper tree (Latin: capparis spinosa; Indian: marati moggu, marathi moggu, etc.)This spice is widely used in preparing curry powders, bisebelebath powder and in Chettinad cuisine. It is also called Kapok Buds or Bambox. The Hindi name for this spice is Shalmali or Semul.

VEENA said...

what is marathi maggu called in North India. i tried explaining to the masala vendors, but they were not in a position to understand.

Anonymous said...

Hi !

where do you buy these in Bangalore?
-Jo

Anonymous said...

i got the name as "KAPOK BUD" in english. from this link: http://www.spiceindiaonline.com/enspicelopedia/

Suki said...

Hi, i am from Tamilnadu. We use this spice while preparing Briyani... It gives u extraordinary smell and flavour.

Vidwan827 said...

I think there is a confusion about the word 'caper'. There are many different type of capers - the most prominent are the Capers and capper berries (or Caperbells) Wiki information . These are small buds of the caper bush or the latter are the mature seeds of the caper bush.

Marathi Moggu is the dried bud of the Kapok Tree, specifically Bombax ceiba

kabab chini, or Kankol, or cubeb (pepper) is an entirely different spice / medicine (?) used, among other things, to make a tisane ( medicinal soup) for persistent cough.

Cheers.

P V Pawar said...

If it is "silk cotton tree "
then it is Kate savar in Marathi , Shalmali in Sanskrit , and Bombax malabaricum

Unknown said...

Kapok buds

Unknown said...

from Semal Tree (Cotton Tree), type of cotton from its fruit and have a dark red beautiful flowers, it has a thorny stem and branches. it is a very big tree of upto 60-70 feet.