Garam Masala Recipe

Indian garam masala is a aromatic spice blend used in Indian cooking. This recipe gives you garam masala that is very flavorful. It can be used in veg and meat dishes. Store it in a air tight glass jar and use up to a few months.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Servings125 grams

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Basic spices

½ cup (35 grams) coriander seeds (daniya)
¼ cup (30 grams) cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tablespoons (17 grams) green cardamoms (elaichi)
2 tablespoons (12 grams) cloves (laung)
1 tablespoon (9 to 10 grams) black pepper corn (kali mirch)
8 grams (8 pieces) cinnamon (∼ 3 inch each, use Ceylon cinnamon, cut down to half to use cassia)

Spices for aroma (optional, but recommended)

4 medium (1 gram) dried bay leaves (tej patta)
3 (4 grams) star anise (chakri phool, helps in digestion)
1 tablespoon (8 grams) fennel seeds (saunf, avoids acidity)
½ small (2 grams) nutmeg ( jaiphal, helps in digestion)
3 to 4 (3 to 4 grams) black cardamoms ( badi elaichi, for flavor, refer notes)
3 strands mace (javitri/japatri, for flavor)

How to make the recipe

Preparation

Cleaning spices is an important step as it increases the shelf life of your garam masala. So Clean the bay leaf and inner part of cinnamon stick with a dry or damp cloth to remove dirt. or dust.
Break open the nutmeg and check for worms.
Pick and discard stones and debris from all the spices.

Roast Spices

A word of caution- do not toast the spices on high heat or burn them. Heat a pan & add cardamoms, bay leaf, star anise, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, cloves and pepper.
Roast them on a low heat without burning until they begin to smell good & turn crunchy. Transfer to a large tray/plate.
Add coriander seeds and roast on a low heat until they turn slightly deep golden or light brown but not burnt. They smell good & turn crunchy when they are ready. Transfer this as well to the plate.
Add fennel seeds & dry roast until aromatic. They don't need to be toasted for long. Transfer these to the same cooling tray. Add cumin & repeat roasting until cumin begins to smell good & the color changes slightly deeper but not burnt.
Transfer to the same plate and cool completely.

How to Make Garam Masala

Add all these spices to a spice grinder jar. Grind to a fine powder, in intervals of 40 to 60 seconds.
If you do not own a powerful grinder, sieve the garam masala and powder the coarse spices again. If you have a small grinder, grind in 2 batches.
Store this garam masala powder in an air tight dry glass jar.

NUTRITION (estimation only)