Content

• Ingredients
• To step
• Tips
• Warning
• Necessities

Garam masala means hot mix of spices in Hindi. It is a blend of ground spices used in Indian curries, normally blended with cinnamon, roasted cumin, nutmeg and sometimes red chilies. Since store bought Garam Masala loses its aroma quickly, you better learn to make it yourself. With these instructions you will have fresh Garam Masala when you cook Indian.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of cloves
• 3 to 4 bay leaves
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 4 black cardamom pods
• 12 black dried pepper
• 1 or 2 freshly grated nutmegs
• 6 to 7 cm acacia bark; this has a woody, bittersweet taste. You can easily find it in Asian supermarket, but if you can't, use cinnamon sticks. This will give a sweeter taste, but it will not give off as much flavor as the acacia bark.

To step

1. Crush 4 black and 2 green cardamom pods with a spoon or spatula until they break. Collect the seeds from the pods and discard the empty pods.
2. Grate 1 or 2 fresh nutmegs, just enough to fill a tablespoon.
3. Heat a nonstick pan over low to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of cloves, 3 to 4 bay leaves, the seeds of 2 green cardamoms and the seeds of 4 black cardamoms, 12 black dried peppercorns and break the acacia bark into the pan.
4. Stir for about 30 seconds. This releases the aromas of the spices.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the grated nutmeg. Since the nutmeg is grated, it will burn more easily if the pan is too hot. Stir slowly and continuously to avoid burning. The nutmeg will start to brown.
6. Put the contents of the pan in a spice grinder. If you don't have a spice grinder, you can use a mortar and pestle or a clean coffee grinder. But a spice grinder will give a finer texture and consistency.
7. Grind the mix into a nice smooth powder.
8. Check if the herbs are completely ground after about 30 seconds. Grind until the powder is fine.
9. Store your freshly made Garam Masala in an airtight container, this will keep for about 3 to 6 months.

Tips

• This is a fruity and hot spice combination that has been used in many different meat and vegetable dishes. It is best if you add it at the end of cooking and be careful when adding it so that it does not dominate the dish.
• Garam masala is not "hot" the way chilies are, but it can be quite tart.

Warning

• Note that there is not one set Garam Masala recipe. Recipes for Garam Masala in India vary from region to region, and even cook to cook.

Necessities

• Cutting board
• Spatula
• Fine metal grater
• Small bowl
• Pan with non-stick coating
• Teaspoon
• Spice grinder
• Airtight jar