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Garam Masala an Indian Curry Spice Mix

July 8, 2009 by Nancy Lopez-McHugh 9 Comments

garam masala homemadeSpices are the most important ingredient in Indian cuisine. One of those spices or rather spice mixture you’ll come across most often in Indian recipes is Garam Masala. I’ve come across so many variations that I get the feeling that every family or region has their own unique recipe. These days you can find ready made mixtures in virtually any store. But the commercially prepared doesn’t even come close to the aromatic freshly ground home made Garam Masala. Ground or crushed spices don’t have the same aromas as their whole counterparts, ground spices have a shorter shelf life than whole and generally whole spices are cheaper. Also some of the lower quality curry brands will substitute cheaper spices for the more expensive ones like cardamom or nutmeg.

This combination of 9 spices is what has worked best for me, and since it doesn’t include chili it works well for people that don’t want spicy curries because you can decide how much “kick” you want it to have later.
home made curry powder
Spice you’ll need:

2 Tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 Tablespoons whole cumin seed
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks or 1 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon
half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons whole green cardamom seeds (shelled then measured after you remove the shell)
2 dry bay leaves
You will also need a pan, a mortar and pestle or coffee bean grinder or spice grinder.

1. Warm the pan on the stove over medium low heat, then add all of your whole spices to dry roast for a couple of minutes, or just until the spices start to release their fragrance be careful not to burn them.

2. Then you will transfer the spices from the pan to a dish to cool off for a few minutes.

3. Add all of your spices to your mortar or coffee/spice grinder. I like to use a mortar and pestle to easily control how fine I want the mixture. Now time to use those muscles and start grinding the spices until you get a fine mix. Store in an airtight container in a dark place.

Garam Masala an Indian Curry Spice Mix
 
Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
3 mins
Total time
23 mins
 
Learn how to make garam masala, an Indian curry spice mixture that goes on countless Indian dishes. You'll love the taste of this homemade curry mix and best of all it doesn't have any filler spices or preservatives.
Author: SpicieFoodie.com & Nancy Lopez-McHugh
Recipe type: spices, curry mix, gluten free
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons whole coriander seeds
  • 4 Tablespoons whole cumin seed
  • 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon
  • half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons whole green cardamom seeds (shelled then measured after you remove the shell)
  • 2 dry bay leaves
  • You will also need a pan, a mortar and pestle or coffee bean grinder or spice grinder.
Instructions
  1. Warm the pan on the stove over medium low heat, then add all of your whole spices to dry roast for a couple of minutes, or just until the spices start to release their fragrance be careful not to burn them.
  2. Then you will transfer the spices from the pan to a dish to cool off for a few minutes.
  3. Add all of your spices to your mortar or coffee/spice grinder. I like to use a mortar and pestle to easily control how fine I want the mixture. Now time to use those muscles and start grinding the spices until you get a fine mix. Store in an airtight container in a dark place.
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You’ve just made your first Garam Masala and by now your kitchen and house will come alive with all the wonderful smells. The slight sweetness from the cinnamon, the spiciness of the pepper and cloves, a hint of citrus from the coriander seeds, a little lemony scent from the cardamom. Go ahead taste it, now tell me that doesn’t taste 100 times better than the prepackaged stuff?, not even a comparison.

You’ll get hooked on making your own mixture, once you see the difference in your curries. You can double , triple or quadruple this recipe to have extra to store ~ just remember the ground spices will start to loose their freshness. Lots of curry recipes coming ……

aromatic fragrant spice mixtures

Filed Under: Curry, Indian, Spices & Spice Mixtures

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Comments

  1. Padmaja says

    August 30, 2009 at 02:25

    Your blog looks awesome. Indian recipes garam masala is most important ingredient. May be i will try to prepare garam masala.

    Reply
  2. Spicie Foodie says

    August 31, 2009 at 20:58

    Hi Padmaja,
    Thanks, Yes if you do try my recipe please come back and tell me how it worked out for you:)

    ~Spicie

    Reply
  3. kimber says

    March 20, 2012 at 09:49

    Mmmmmm. Visiting here from Pinterest. Will be pinning so others can see what a beautiful blog you have… I can’t wait to make my own. Thankfully, we have a few specialty shops here that carry a good selection of spices. I’m inspired! Hope you post those curries soon. I’m obsessed!

    Reply
    • Spicie Foodie says

      March 20, 2012 at 10:57

      Hi Kimber,

      Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Mike says

    September 17, 2013 at 20:22

    Hi –
    I was looking for “thai recipes” and came across your website. It is absolutely beautiful. I have printed off a couple of the recipes for an “Asian” themed pot-luck.

    Looking forward to eating some actual food prepared per your recipes but your site pictures are almost good enough to eat alone :-).

    Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Flash Gordonette says

    October 20, 2013 at 19:27

    Hi there,

    Just wanted to let you know that I love this recipe.
    In fact, I love it so much, it got a mention in my blog :)

    http://flash-gordonette.com/2013/10/20/9-gluten-free-split-pea-poulourie.aspx

    Hope you don’t mind!

    Flash-Gordonette x

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Taste From The Past: Curry Spice Mixes | Spicie Foodie Homemade Curry Spice Mixes and Pastes Recipes says:
    April 12, 2013 at 23:16

    […] Garam Masala ~ Indian Curry Spice […]

    Reply
  2. 20 Vegetarian Curry Recipes for #MeatlessMonday | Healthy Vegetarian Recipes on Spicie Foodie says:
    September 16, 2013 at 10:01

    […] are some links to curry spice mixes and pastes recipes so you can make them at home. Garam Masala ~ Indian Curry Spice Red Thai Curry Paste or Krung Kaeng Phed Thai Green Curry Paste Malaysian Meat Curry […]

    Reply
  3. 24 Cilantro Facts 24 Cilantro Facts You Need To Know | Food Info on Spicie Foodie says:
    February 16, 2014 at 13:18

    […] The seeds are always called coriander and they are ground up with other ingredients to make curry spice mixes and […]

    Reply

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