Topic: Garam Masala

[Razor]

Due to a recent "debate" in another thread with regards to Garam Masala and this question from unclebuck (which I think was tongue in cheek?)

whats garam masala?

I asked myself the very same question and have done some research.  So for anybody wishing to experiment with Garam Masala's, there seems to be regional variancies.  Here a a few;

GARAM MASALA RECIPE

Ingredients:
 
3 tblsp grated Coconut (Nariyal)
1 tblsp Sesame seeds (Til)
2 tblsp Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarson)
1/4th tsp Saffron (Kesar) threads
1/4th cup green Pepper corns (Kalimirchi)
1/4th cup White Pepper corns
2/3rd cup Green bruised Cardamom (Elaichi) pods
3/4th cup Cumin Seed (Jeera)
1/4th cup ground Nutmeg (Jaiphal)

How to make garam masala:

Roast all ingredients in a dry pan (preferably non-stick) and heat over a very low fire, shaking the pan time to time.
When the spices give off the fragrance allow to cool slightly.
Then grind finely in an electric grinder.
If electric grinder is not available, grind by hand and press through a fine sieve afterwards.
Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Make sure you always close the lid tightly after use.

GARAM MASALA-MAHARASTRA STYLE RECIPE

Ingredients:
 
4 dried whole Chili pods
2 tblsp Sesame seeds (Til)
11/2 tblsp Green Pepper corns
11/2 tblsp White Pepper corns
1/4th cup whole Cloves (Lavang)
3-4 Cinnamon (Tuj/Dalchini)
22 Black Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
2/3rd cup Cumin Seed (Jeera)
1/4th cup Coriander Seed (Dhania)
2 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)
1 tsp ground Ginger (Adrak)
1 tblsp Ground Nutmeg (Jaiphal)

How to make garam masala-maharastra style:

Roast all ingredients in a dry pan (preferably non-stick) and heat over a very low fire, shaking the pan time to time.
When the spices give off the fragrance allow to cool slightly.
Then grind finely in an electric grinder.
If electric grinder is not available, grind by hand and press through a fine sieve afterwards.
Store it in an airtight container for upto 3 months.
Make sure you always close the lid tightly after use.

GARAM MASALA-BENGALI STYLE RECIPE

Ingredients:
 
3-4 dried whole Chili pods
3 tblsp Sesame seeds (Til)
2 tblsp Green Pepper corns
2 tblsp Black Pepper corns
2 tblsp White Pepper corns
1 tblsp whole Cloves (Lavang)
2-3 Cinnamon (Tuj/Dalchini)
20 green bruised Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
1/4th Cumin Seed (Jeera)
3/4th cup Coriander seeds (Dhania)
3 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)
1 tsp ground Ginger (Adrak)

How to make garam masala-bengali style:

Roast all ingredients in a dry pan (preferably non-stick) and heat over a very low fire, shaking the pan time to time.
When the spices give off the fragrance allow to cool slightly.
Then grind finely in an electric grinder.
If electric grinder is not available, grind by hand and press through a fine sieve afterwards.
Store it in an airtight container for upto 3 months.
Make sure you always close the lid tightly after use.

GARAM MASALA-PUNJABI STYLE RECIPE

Ingredients:
 
1/2cup Cumin Seed (Jeera)
2 tblsp Coriander seeds (Dhania)
4 sticks Cinnamon (Tuj/Dalchini)
10-12 bruised green Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
4-5 bruised black Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
10 Cloves (Lavang)
1/2 broken Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
3-4 blades of Mace (Javitri)
1 tblsp black Pepper corns (Kalimirchi)
4 whole Star anise (Dagad Phool)
5 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)

How to make garam masala-punjabi style:

Roast all ingredients in a dry pan (preferably non-stick) and heat over a very low fire, shaking the pan time to time.
When the spices give off the fragrance allow to cool slightly.
Then grind finely in an electric grinder.
If electric grinder is not available, grind by hand and press through a fine sieve afterwards.
Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Make sure you always close the lid tightly after use.

GARAM MASALA-UTTAR PRADESH STYLE RECIPE

Ingredients:
 
3 dried whole Chili Pods
2 tblsp Pomegranate seeds
1/8th tsp Saffron (Kesar) threads
5 cloves of Mace (Javitri)
2 tblsp Green Pepper corns
2 tbsp White Pepper corns
2 tblsp whole Cloves (Lavang)
1/3rd cup Cumin Seed (Jeera)
2/3rd cup Coriander seeds (Dhania)
1 tblsp Fennel seeds (Saunf)
2 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)
1tblsp Ground Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
2 tblsp Black Pepper corns (Kalimirchi)

How to make garam masala-uttar pradesh style:

Roast all ingredients in a dry pan (preferably non-stick) and heat over a very low fire, shaking the pan time to time.
When the spices give off the fragrance allow to cool slightly.
Then grind finely in an electric grinder.
If electric grinder is not available, grind by hand and press through a fine sieve afterwards.
Store it in an airtight container for upto 3 months.
Make sure you always close the lid tightly after use.

This information was sourced here http://www.indianfoodforever.com/index.html

Enjoy,

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

Razor

I don't always make it but enjoy doing a home made garam masala. I know from my initial forays into Indian cookery that most households had their own blend. I also seem to remember it was something that was put into a dish at the end of the cooking period to add a final spiciness to the recipe.

[Razor]

Hi Stephen,

I also seem to remember it was something that was put into a dish at the end of the cooking period to add a final spiciness to the recipe.

Well, that's my understanding of how it is meant to be used but, I did a bit of research to see how many variables of GM was out there.  What I didn't expect to find, was regional variances though.  One of them even has coconut in it....very strange!

Ray

[loveitspicy]

There are many theories on the use of Garam Masala and to which chef you watch or listen too - the question is when do you use Garam Masala? during the start of making a curry - in the middle - or towards the end -
Here's another question - If we all have to cook spices through at the start of cooking a curry why then do we think Garam Masala can be stirred in towards the end of cooking? The raw spices/powder can only infuse slightly into the dish and not be cooked!!!!

Love to hear EVERYONE'S opinion on this - this is a real debatable topic - we all use it (most of us) in one way or another

best, Rich

[Cory Ander]

we all use it (most of us) in one way or another

Interesting comment LIS. 

I quickly checked through a number of spice mix and curry base recipes on the forum to check this statement.  I was very surprised to see the number of them containing garam masala.  I use it in neither (though I do make it and use it, from time to time, in some of my curry cooking...often towards the end of a slow cooked (beef or lamb) curry or to "pep up" an otherwise bland tasting curry.

I cannot recall anyone ever saying they'd actually seen it being used in a BIR (whether in their spice mix, curry base or in the cooking of their final curries)?

[Razor]

Guy's,

As to not derail emin-j excellent post with regards to his spice experiment, this thread that I started back in November would seem an appropriate place to discuss Garam Masala and it's use.

My view is this, Garam Masala is a blend of spices but where this blend differs to what we call Mixed powder or curry masala is, quite a few of the ingredients in a Garam Masala, are what I would call 'aromatics' (Hot = Garam) Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom (black or green) whereas your usual suspects in a 'mixed powder or curry masala, are less fragrant and need cooking to take away the 'rawness or roughness'. 

It was mentioned in emin-j's thread as to why some of us don't believe that the spices in GM need cooking out but we do for a curry masala?  My view on this is, as I said, a lot of the spices that form a GM are aromatics, and across Asia and the Arab states, such spices are used as condiments.  Grinding star anise, without roasting it or frying it, will still give you a powerful hit of flavour, and so doesn't really need any preparation.  A sprinkle of this, will give any dish an aniseed note, and I believe that is the same for cloves, cinnamon and cardamom (black or green)

Of course, Garam masala's can and do contain some of the same ingredients that you will find in a curry masala, coriander being at least one of them.

I use Garam masala at the end of a dish, just to add a little flavour, but I don't use any more than I can get between my finger and thumb..!

I do use it in my own curry masala, because, 1) that's the way that I was taught to make my curry masala and, 2) because it adds a warmth to the curry masala that you don't get with chilli powder (chilli powder adds heat)

As for the "Chef's Special Garam Masala", I read that as nothing more than the chef's own GM recipe, and nothing really special at all..!

I have a very old curry cookbook from the early 50's where the author tells us, that in India, they use Garam masala, as their Curry powder and that curry powder as we know it, is unheard of on the sub continent?  I should also point out, that the recipes in this book always ask for the Garam Masala to be added, right at the very end of every dish, and this has probably embedded my reason for doing the same.  The book is wholly focused on Traditional Indian Cookery.

That's just my view of Garam Masala, others may/will have a differing view which is fine, it all adds to the theatre of Indian cookery.

Ray

[Jeera]

i recently stopped using mixed powder in my curries and use a tsp of garamasala instead and put it in at the start of the dish. \you don't get that raw, clove taste as teh rawness cooks out.... I feel it has improved my curries.  I'm missing the final 1% for the specific taste I'm chasing (beefy savory flavour).... \i wonder if a home made garamasala would do the trick...maybe even Jalpur.

been doing this now for 25 bloody years and my curries have been getting worse over the years... I deserve a breakthrough :-)

[Razor]

Hi Jeera,

Well, 1% left to go, isn't bad at all mate.  You are using Garam Masala in a way that suits you and that is excellent, because it shows that it can be used in a way that differs from other peoples, mine included, methods.

Many thanks for your view,

Ray

[spiceyokooko]

As for the "Chef's Special Garam Masala", I read that as nothing more than the chef's own GM recipe, and nothing really special at all..!

As I said in the previous thread - at what point does a Garam Masala stop being a Garam Masala and actually becomes something else?

I believe the use of the term Garam Masala is becoming blurred almost to the point that no-one really understands what Garam Masala is any more or when or how it should be used.

In traditional Indian cookery, Garam Masala contained the four principal spices responsible for producing 'body heat' namely Black Peppercorns, Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamon, hence the name Garam (heat) and Masala (spice mix). This was added in small quantities at the end of cooking to add aroma and fragrance to the finished dish. This was after the principal spicing of the dish had already been cooked into it at the beginning using the usual spices found in Indian cuisine - turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, chilli etc.

Yet now we see spice mixes that purport to be Garam Masala that may or may not contain any of the principal ingredients and more often than not will contain large quantities of the cheaper ingredients such as coriander, cumin, paprika and so on that should be used at the start of the cooking process - not at the end. I even saw a Garam Masala in Tescos that didn't contain any of the four main principal ingredients of traditional Garam Masala.

Now we're starting to see the term Chef's Special Garam Masala being used, so the question is, what is a Chef's Special Garam Masala, what spice components does it contain and how is it being used?

[Peripatetic Phil]

As for the "Chef's Special Garam Masala", I read that as nothing more than the chef's own GM recipe, and nothing really special at all..!

Now we're starting to see the term Chef's Special Garam Masala being used, so the question is, what is a Chef's Special Garam Masala, what spice components does it contain and how is it being used?

It seems to me that Ray had answered that very accurately; it is a Garam Masala blended according to the chef's own recipe.  What exactly do you find so difficult to understand in that idea ?

** Phil.