What is Garam Masala ? First we’ll start with “Garam” and depending on your source this Indian/ Hindi word is translated as “hot”, “heating” or “warm”. “Masala” is a bit more complicated and has been translated to mean “mixture”, “spices”, “spice mixture”, “any type of spice” or “spice blend”. For Garam Masala I like the description “hot spice blend” the best.
Garam or hot speaks more to the spices intensity and not to its heat. This savory blend is not hot as you would expect with chiles but is instead aromatic and somewhat pungent. Garam Masala is most common in Indian and other South Asian cuisines. As with many regional blends there are subtle nuances from region to region, village to village and even family to family.
While the composition of garam masala differs depending on the cook, many of the spices used are more familiar to us in this country as baking spices – specifically the inclusion of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. Other spices frequently found in this blend may include green or black cardamom, cumin, black cumin, coriander, fennel seed, black peppercorns, white peppercorns, star anise, fenugreek, bay leaves, poppy seeds, saffron and occasionally chili powder.
Garam Masala
Garam Masala can be purchased commercially already ground and you will have to experiment to see if you prefer one version over another. Often these commercial blends contain more of the less expensive ingredients so be sure to study the ingredients carefully. As with any purchased ground spice these are never as robust and full of maximum flavor as you get when you grind your own blend, whole spices tend to keep their flavor longer as a whole seed contains more of the volatile oils. Once ground these oils will dissipate more quickly.
Whole spices can be easily ground with an electric coffee grinder or by using a mortar and pestle. We will occasionally see a recipe that calls for whole garam masala that is added early in the cooking process with the fat, oil or ghee but adding early is the exception rather than the rule.
It is much more common for the ground garam masala (even fresh ground) to be added at the end of the cooking process or even after serving so that the full flavor and aroma is at its most potent. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as a “pepping up” or “finishing” spice.
Helpful hint: if you are going to add your spices at the end of the cooking process (i.e. sprinkling over the food in the pot) be sure that the spices were roasted in a pan or skillet otherwise the hot oil dilutes the spices and they aren’t as flavorful.
You want to keep you ground garam masala in small quantities, so if you are buying an already ground version buy a very small amount and if you are grinding your own try to grind only what you need for each meal. Storing garam masala for even a few months can have quite a change in its flavor as the balance changes with the powerful aroma of the cloves becoming more predominant.
Here are several versions of Garam Masala that you can make yourself:
Basic Garam Masala
1 Tsp Whole Cloves
1 Tsp Green Cardamom Seeds
2 – 1” Cinnamon Sticks
1 Tsp Black Peppercorns
Dry roast all ingredients in a heated skillet over medium heat until the spices release a toasty aroma (approximately 8-10 minutes). Let cool. Grind to a powder with an electric blender or with a mortar and pestle.
Traditional Garam Masala
2 Tbsp of Black Cardamom Pods
1-1/2 Cinnamon Sticks
4 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds
3 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
2 Tbsp of Black Peppercorns
2 Tejpat Leaves (you can substitute Mediterranean or Turkish Bay Leaves)
Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods (throw away the outer shell/ pod), break the cinnamon stick into pieces, dry roast all of the spices in a heated skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the spices release a toasty aroma. Remove from heat and let the spices cool. Grind to a powder with either an electric blender or with a mortar and pestle.
Western India Garam Masala (Gujarat region)
2 Tbsp of Black Cardamom Pods
1-1/2 Cinnamon Sticks
4 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds
3 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
2 Tbsp of Black Peppercorns
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
2 Tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Tsp Ajwain Seeds
3 Dried Hot Chile Peppers
2 Tejpat Leaves (you can substitute Mediterranean or Turkish Bay Leaves)
Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods (throw away the outer shell/ pod), break the cinnamon stick into pieces, dry roast all of the spices in a heated skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the spice release a toasty aroma. Remove from heat and let spices cool. Grind to a powder with an electric blender or with a mortar and pestle.
Northern India Garam Masala (Punjabi Region)
1-1/2 Cinnamon Sticks
3 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
2 Tbsp of Black Peppercorns
2 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds
1 Tbsp of Black Cardamom Pods
1 Tbsp of Green Cardamom Pods
1 Tbsp of Black Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp of Dried Rose Petals
2 Tsp of Ground Ginger
2 Tsp of Fennel Seeds
2 Tejpat Leaves (you can substitute Mediterranean or Turkish Bay Leaves)
2 Blades of Mace
Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods (throw away the outer shell/ pod), break the cinnamon stick into pieces, dry roast all of the spices in a heated skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the spice release a toasty aroma. Remove from heat and let spices cool. Grind to a powder with an electric blender or with a mortar and pestle.
