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Garam Masala Recipe: Cornerstone Rub Of India

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garam masala spices on a black board, waiting to be combined

Curry and Garam Masala are the traditional classic Indian spice blends. On their own, they are potent. On food, they are seductive. Garam Masala finds itself onto foods, especially chicken, marinades, salad dressings, stir fries, and even baking in breads and sweets. But it is most often used as a final sprinkling before serving, a sort of dry sauce.

Garam Masala has a complexity from sweet, pungent, spicy hot, and savory. There is no single recipe for either of these blends. They vary region to region, family to family. Some add expensive saffron, others mace. Here is my recipe. It includes cardamom seeds. They are hard to find, but I consider their heady citrus aromas essential.

Since there is no salt in this recipe, (click here to read why our rub recipes do not have salt), salting the meat first is a must. This process is called dry brining. Salt will penetrate deep into meat so you should get it on in advance, perhaps overnight. The rest of the spices and herbs cannot penetrate very deep, so the rub can go on anytime, even just before you start cooking. The general rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt per pound (453.6 grams) of meat (don’t include bone, and ribs are about half bone).

Garam Masala Recipe


garam masala spices on a black board, waiting to be combined
Tried this recipe?Tell others what you thought of it and give it a star rating below.
3.78 from 40 votes
This is a great recipe for Garam Masala, a traditional classic Indian spice blend.

Course:
Sauces and Condiments
Cuisine:
Indian
difficulty scale

Makes:


Takes:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 2 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 bay leaf
Notes:
About the salt. Remember, Morton's coarse kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

  • Warm a frying pan over medium heat and add the ingredients, breaking the cinnamon stick into small pieces as you do so. Let them sit for a minute or two, and then stir. Continue to gently toast things until they start to brown and get fragrant. This process, called blooming, cooks everything and pulls the oils to the surface.
  • Dump everything into a grinder. You can use a blender, food processor, mortar & pestle, spice grinder, or coffee grinder. Crush into a fine powder.
  • Use immediately. If you store it in a tight jar, bloom the powder again before using.

Related articles

Published On: 8/12/2014 Last Modified: 8/12/2024

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