Homemade Garam Masala Recipe
If you love flavorful foods, then chances are that you have heard of and most likely enjoyed garam masala before. This Indian spice blend is the jack of all trades, and you can use it in anything from soup to meats and everything in-between. Garam masala has a little kick to it without being overly spicy, making it enjoyable for a variety of people. It's perfectly warming and flavorful — just in time for fall!
Recipe developer Catherine Brookes came up with this delicious recipe that lasts for up to 6 months. "This spice mix is packed with warm, fragrant, earthy flavors, as well as being fun and easy to make yourself at home," she raves. "Making the garam masala from scratch at home allows you to add a wider range of spices to get even more flavor into the mix." Sure, you could buy a store-bought blend, but this easily-customizable recipe comes together in a breeze, and it's really no more effort than going to the grocery store.
Gather the ingredients for this homemade garam masala
As with any recipe, you must gather the ingredients before you begin. For this dish, you will need cardamom seeds, whole black peppercorn, whole cloves, star anise pods, cumin seeds, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, and ground nutmeg.
Toast the spices
Take out a large saucepan and add your whole spices. This includes the cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, whole cloves, star anise pods, and cumin seeds. Place the saucepan on your stove and turn the heat to medium-high to toast the spices for about 2-3 minutes. Once the mixture becomes aromatic, you can move on to the next step. Brookes says that toasting the spices ahead of time is the secret method in this recipe.
Grind the spices
Transfer the toasted spices to either a spice grinder or a food processor. Then, add the ground cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg.
Blitz the spices
Turn the spice grinder or food processor on and blitz until the mixture breaks down into a fine powder. Easy enough, right? "There are lots of layers of flavor here, with a little heat, sweetness, earthiness and floral notes too," Brookes says of the flavor.
Serve and store
Once you finish blitzing the species, you can add it to your meal or store it in an airtight container for up to 6 months. She also shares some of her favorite ways to use the spice blend. "It can be used in curries and other Indian dishes, as well as soups and stews," Brookes notes.
- 1 ½ teaspoons cardamom seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 star anise pods
- 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add the cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, whole cloves, star anise pods, and cumin seeds to a large saucepan and toast over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until aromatic.
- Transfer the toasted spices into a spice grinder or food processor and add the ground cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg. Blitz until broken down into a fine powder.
- Use as desired, and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.