Garam Masala

GARAM MASALA

Garam Masala is an Indian term that literally means Hot Spices.

It is a mixture of ground spices that adds the final zest to your dish.  You  can add it to almost any Indian (and non Indian) dish.

The best way to make it, is to dry the spices and then pounding it to a fine powder. The fry roasting is a very important step,  so do not skip it as it intensifies the flavours. As for pounding the dry roasted spices, it takes time  to pound it to powder form, so my suggestion is to pound for 3-5 minutes to release all the essential oils and aroma and then put it is a blender/food processor to get it to the powder stage.

Every region, every town, every family in India,  has their own recipe mix. I don’t like to buy the ready made variety, prefering to make my own,  the way my mother and my grandmother and her ancestry lineage did.

Here is my recipe

Cookery Magic’s  Garam Masala

Ingredients

20g cinnamon (use cinnamon and not cassia)

2 cinnamon leave (you can use bay leaves if you do not have cinnamon leaves)

40g cumin seeds

25g coriander seeds

20g black peppercorn

20g cardamon, use only the seeds

15g cloves

15g mace

Method

1. In a wok, over medium low heat, dry roast all the spices until you get the aroma and the spices go a shade darker, about 5 mins.
2. Turn off heat, put it mortar and pestle and pound it for about 3-5 mins to release all the aroma and flavour.
3. Then put it in a blender/food processor to get to to powder form. Store it in a clean bottle. It will keep aromatic for a month.