How to make Garam Masala at home; this 10-spice blend can be made with whole or ground spices and is ready in under 15 minutes. Perfect within cooking and as a finishing spice for fragrant. Flavor-packed meals!
Add all the spices to a dry pan and toast over medium-low heat for around 2 minutes, or until it smells very fragrant. Make sure to stir them constantly so they don't burn. Follow the same process if using ground spices – but be very careful not to let the spices burn.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes before transferring everything to an electric coffee or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. It's a good idea to shake the grinder a few times to encourage the spices to evenly grind.You may also be able to use the smallest jug in a blender like a magic bullet.
Add the powder to a sieve to collect any of the larger bits and re-grind them before transferring the spice mix to a glass container.
Notes
Cleaning the spices: Depending on where you've sourced the spices, you may want to clean them. Cinnamon and coriander can have worms- by breaking apart a few of the seeds/the cinnamon, you can make sure that they're fine. You could, additionally, wipe down the cinnamon with a damp cloth.
Using black cardamon: Black cardamom has a very pungent flavor. If you're new to the spice blend, I suggest reducing the amount used, to begin with, and increase to personal preference.
The cinnamon: I tend to roast and grind the cinnamon stick whole. However, you may want to lightly break it into smaller pieces with a pestle or similar tool before toasting/grinding.
Using a mortar and pestle: If you don't have an electric coffee/spice grinder, then you can grind the spices by hand using a mortar and pestle. Just be aware that this will take a fair bit of arm work to do.
The spice grinder: If you don't already own a spice grinder and plan on using your coffee grinder for this. Be aware that the spices' fragrance and flavor can linger within the machine and affect your coffee. For that reason, I recommend having one grinder specifically for food usage.
Read the blog post for more notes on the ingredients used!!