- Indian
Garam Masala
A fragrant homemade garam masala made by gently toasting whole spices, then grinding them into a fine powder. This blend is warm, floral, earthy, and aromatic, with black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, star anise, mace, poppy seeds, rose petals, and optional saffron and nutmeg. Store it in an airtight container and use it to finish curries, dals, braises, rice dishes, roasted vegetables, and marinades.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 16
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Yield
- 50 g
Instructions
Toast the whole spices
Place the black cardamom pod, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, bay leaf, and mace blades into a cold, dry frying pan.
Warm until fragrant
Place the pan over medium heat. Toast the spices for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
Add the delicate spices
Add the poppy seeds, dried rose petals, optional saffron, and optional grated nutmeg to the warm pan.
Cool the mixture
Let the spices cool completely before grinding.
Grind into powder
Transfer the cooled spice mixture to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
Store
Transfer the garam masala to an airtight container. Store in a cool, dark place.
Recipe by
Russell Toris
@russell-toris