Garam Masala - What is it?
Garam Masala can be loosely translated to Hot (Garam) Spice (Masala), however it is not in fact a spice itself, rather it is a blend of spices.
Traditionally a Garam Masala is made up of cinnamon, roasted cumin, cloves, nutmeg (and/or mace) and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Commercially, however, the mixture may also contain dried red chilli peppers, garlic, ginger powder, sesame, mustard seeds, turmeric, cilantro, bay leaves, cumin and fennel.
Garam Masala can be purchased in Indian markets and in the gourmet section of all good supermarkets.
There are a couple of recipes for Garam Masala on the Curry Focus web site. Why not check them out at Garam Masala - Makes 62ml and Garam Masala - So Easy You can experiment with different combinations to find the recipe that you like best.
Remember that spices lose their flavour over time so it is important to make small amounts at a time and to store the powder in airtight containers.
Lots of recipes use Garam Masala and the spices are usually added near the end of cooking so that the flavours are not lost during cooking.
Enjoy.
