Garam Masala

There are thousands of Garam Masala recipes since a lot of families have their own recipe. "Graram means "hot" and "masala" meams "spices" so the spices in this mixture are made in the Ayuredic system of medicine. It is a spice blend used throughout India and the rest of the Indian Subcontinent. When migrants left India they tended to make new recipes according to memory and part on what was available where they migrated to. A true garam masala will be very strong and is used in small quanities. If you make your own you might want to experiment when cooking because your own with be different than most premade since they tend to use fillers such as cheaper coriander to substitute for the most expensive spices. I have a coffee grinder I purchased just to grind spices for all the recipes I make.


This recipes makes about 5 tablespoons

1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 teaspoons whole cloves
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
1/2 of a nutmeg
1 medium stick cinnamon (about 2 to 3 inches) broken up

Put all the spice in a clean coffee or spice grinder and grind as finely as possible. Store in a tightly lidded jar, away from heat and sunlight.