Garam Masala: the must have and easy to make spice blend

As promised, here is a recipe for garam masala.  A mixture of spices used primarily in northern India, garam masala is at the heart of so many delicious dishes.  The flavor is intensely fragrant, so a little bit goes a long way.  However, don’t let the word ‘intense’ deter you from trying this spice blend.  The beauty of garam masala is that it opens your taste buds, and bends otherwise bland ingredients into powerful bursts or flavor.  Think of garam masala as the cheerleader for you food, it can coax that sweet potato into a whole new experience.

Garam masala is an adventure blend. Try mixing it into your mashed sweet potato, or add it to a soup.  It is delicious sprinkled on popcorn.  Roasting some cauliflower?  Toss it in some garam masala first!

Ingredients:

4 Tbsps coriander seeds

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp black peppercorns

1 1/2 tsp black cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp dry ginger

1/2 tsp black cardamom or 3-4 large pods

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp crushed bay leaves

Method:

Heat a heavy skillet on a medium and gently roast all ingredients (leave cardamom in their pods until later) except the dry ginger, until they turn a few shades darker and become fragrant.  Stir occasionally.  Do not be tempted to speed up the process by turning up the heat as the spices will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.  When the spices are roasted turn off the heat and allow them to cool.  If they are not cooled once you begin grinding them, they will emit a bit of moisture and loose some of that delicious flavor.  Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins.  This can be done by gently squeezing the pod with your fingers, and it will crack open. Grind all of the spices together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.  Here is a nice trick: if you are like me and you only have one coffee grinder that you use to grind your coffee, grind up a slice of bread before you wash the grinder.  The bread will absorb a lot of the flavor the coffee leaves behind.