Re: Shan masala and others
I use shaan masalas as a quick fix. As a family we prefer to do things the old fashioned way.
When I was learning to cook I learnt with masala boxes. My reasoning behind this was if I wanted to have the confidence to be able to cook without the 'stablisers'. Once I started cooking I played around with the boxes. I do sometimes look on the boxes for an idea of the ingriedents so I can experiment at home with them.
On a side note, I know of two girls who cook wonderfully but only with boxes. One was visiting a family member and was asked to cook some daal and she did, but with no masala box. She cooked the daal with too much haldi and chilli, she had no idea how much was too much.
Shaan masalas are available all over the UK-Man/Lon/Brum/Leics and if you cannot find them in a shop you can purchase them online.
There's a brand called Regal in the UK too-I swear I saw it all over the place and now it's disappeared!