Growing up my mom did not like using Garam Masala in her cooking. (Even now she is probably shaking her head at me for even suggesting you use this in your cooking. Sorry mom!) I never understood why this is. Since individually we used every single one of those spices in our cooking, and almost every Indian or Pakistani recipe you look up online contains garam masala.

I finally figured out that it is probably because store bought garam masala can vary so much. The ratio and mix of spices is never the same, and it is all influenced by what region of South East Asia you are from. I’ve tried a few different blends of my own. And I’m sure my preference is totally biased based on my own tastes. But I like this one. It is very basic and is made up of things every ‘brown’ home already has so it’s easy to quickly whip up when you need some. Like say, when you’re in the middle of cooking some paneer biryani and reach into your spice rack only to realize you finished it all when recipe testing your green chicken recipe last week…😳 which may or may not have happened to me this weekend.

Print Recipe

Garam Masala-la-la

Garam masala is like the pad thai of south east asian cooking. The mix of flavours changes based on the cook. Here is my very simple version that can be made with basic spices that most cooks already have in the spice cabinet.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Seasoning

Keyword: Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30

Servings: 3 tbsp

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a jar. Keeps well at room temp in an airtight jar for about 6 months.

Notes

I love using it in my biryani, or in any Pakistani/Indian curries or marinades to add a little extra flavour.

TIP: For even better flavour, use the whole (not ground) version of each of the spices (except nutmeg) and dry roast them in a pan till fragrant (a few mins), then grind them up in a coffee grinder, mixing in the ground nutmeg at the end. Dry roasting spices adds a totally new dimension to the flavour!