Garam masala means something close to "warm spices" in Hindi, or so Google Translate tells me. To me it means the flavor foundation for most Indian dishes I know how to make. My starter ingredient list originated, like many of my favorite Indian things, in Monica Bhide's Everything Indian cookbook, a great reference with 300+ recipes and a wealth of good pairing advice. I've modified it to suit me and here list volumes to make around 1 1/2 cups of it.
Note: unless you already cook Indian often you may not have many, or any, of these things around. Change that: many towns in the states now have either an Asian grocery with an Indian section, an Indian market, or both. Gainesville, FL, where I live and work, has 3 separate pan-Asian groceries and 2 Indian markets. Asiaphile foodie heaven... Also: for grating fresh nutmeg there is nothing better than a fine wood planer like the Microplane Classic. It's actually made for woodworking but works brilliantly for nutmeg, hard chocolates and cheeses and many other things. Finally, I have an inexpensive coffee grinder that I use only for spices. It's really worth that tiny investment for such nice fresh spices.
Ingredients:
~30-32 cloves
5 tbsp cumin seeds
12 green cardamom pods
8 black cardamom pods
2 2-inch cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp coriander seeds
4 tsp black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (added last, once other ingredients are roasted).
Heat a small cast iron skillet at medium (no oil--it must be completely dry). Add the spices and dry roast while stirring frequently. After a few minutes they'll start to become nicely aromatic and to turn brown. Turn off the heat, move the skillet to a cool surface and grate in the nutmeg. After the spices have cooled for 5 minutes or so, add them one batch at a time to the grinder and grind. Don't be alarmed when it smokes--the big spices like cardamom, peppercorn, coriander are releasing the inner smoke. Shake it lightly every 5-10 seconds to keep the bigger pieces moving until they're finely ground.
Keeps for a few months... so use it often :)
Note: unless you already cook Indian often you may not have many, or any, of these things around. Change that: many towns in the states now have either an Asian grocery with an Indian section, an Indian market, or both. Gainesville, FL, where I live and work, has 3 separate pan-Asian groceries and 2 Indian markets. Asiaphile foodie heaven... Also: for grating fresh nutmeg there is nothing better than a fine wood planer like the Microplane Classic. It's actually made for woodworking but works brilliantly for nutmeg, hard chocolates and cheeses and many other things. Finally, I have an inexpensive coffee grinder that I use only for spices. It's really worth that tiny investment for such nice fresh spices.
Ingredients:
~30-32 cloves
5 tbsp cumin seeds
12 green cardamom pods
8 black cardamom pods
2 2-inch cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp coriander seeds
4 tsp black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (added last, once other ingredients are roasted).
Heat a small cast iron skillet at medium (no oil--it must be completely dry). Add the spices and dry roast while stirring frequently. After a few minutes they'll start to become nicely aromatic and to turn brown. Turn off the heat, move the skillet to a cool surface and grate in the nutmeg. After the spices have cooled for 5 minutes or so, add them one batch at a time to the grinder and grind. Don't be alarmed when it smokes--the big spices like cardamom, peppercorn, coriander are releasing the inner smoke. Shake it lightly every 5-10 seconds to keep the bigger pieces moving until they're finely ground.
Keeps for a few months... so use it often :)
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