Garam masala is a blend of ground spices widely used in Indian Cuisine mostly in Northern Part of India. Garam Masala is an aromatic spice blend used to enhance the flavor and aroma of the dish. It does have other medicinal/ayurvedic benefits as well.

In Hindi, ‘Garam’ means hot and, ‘Masala’ is ground spice powder. However, garam masala is not a spicy powder and, it will not increase the spice level of a dish.

Here is the information I collected from My husband. Many years ago, he read this in a random book. Garam Masala is a term made by British people when they ruled India. British people could not remember the spices used in Indian dishes. So, to make it easy they asked the spice vendors to give a spice blend that can commonly be used for all dishes.

Though dry spices have a long shelf life, they lose their potency in a few months. Freshly ground spices will give more flavor to the dishes. So here I have given a recipe that makes a small batch of garam masala.

In my opinion, a dish that involves numerous spices is very difficult to replicate. Hence, there are no written rules for garam masala everybody does in their own way. My version of garam masala, will not be overpowering, it has the right proportions of spices which makes it a versatile masala.

How to use:

Garam masala gives a nice flavor and aroma to a dish but, it shouldn’t be used generously. It has a really strong flavor if used in heavy hand that may even spoil a dish. I use garam Masala mostly for north Indian dishes, Hyderabad style biryani, to make chat Masala, Maggi masala, Chole Masala and to make other masala powders or dishes that call for garam Masala. For Tamil Nadu Style biryani, I would suggest 1/2 tsp of this garam masala for 1/2 kg rice. For Hyderabad style biryani, 1 tsp to 1.5 tsp depends on your taste.

If you want to make garam Masala only for biryani then, you can skip Marathi moggu and, stone flower but I like to keep those.

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Procedure 1:

Dry roast the cinnamon stick until just warm and transfer to a plate. Similarly dry roast bay leaves. Now, dry rest of the ingredients all together and transfer to a separate plate. Let the spices cool completely. Break the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves into small pieces and together grind them into a fine powder. Add in the rest of the spices into cinnamon and bay leaves powder and again blend until it becomes a fine powder. Store it in an airtight container up to 6 months to a year.

Procedure 2:

If you get enough sunlight in your area then, let the spices dry in the sunlight for 2 to three hours and following blend everything into a fine powder.

Note:

1. If the powder is coarse then, sift the powder and again blend the left out course blend until smooth. Repeat the process till the powder reaches the desired consistency.
2. Recipes using Garam Masala: Tawa Chicken, kadai Paneer, Weeknight Chicken Curry, Homemade chole Masala Powder.

3. Biryani Made with Garam Masala are Thakkali Biryani and Mushroom Biryani.

Are you Trying Garam Masala for the first time?

Indian Cuisine provides several options for Vegans and vegetarians. Indian cuisine is the largest vegetarian cuisine and, Large Indian population is practicing vegetarianism for ages. Nowadays, vegan and vegetarian food is becoming popular all around the world and, people are learning to cook Indian food at home.

If you are attempting to make garam masala for the first time then, you may have to try the below recipe. This recipe will give a very small portion of garam masala. You can get the spices from amazon but, if will get the spices from your nearby Asian/Indian Grocery Stores for a lower price.

For meat marination, use 1/4 tsp per pound and for 3-quart pot gravies/curries, add 1/2 tsp.

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Summary

Recipe Name

garam Masala recipe

Author

Swaana

Date

2019-03-11

Prep Time

10M

Cook Time

10M

Total Time

20M

Average rating

3.5 Based on 3 Review(s)