Garam Masala is a quintessential spice blend that is unique to South Asian cooking. It can easily be found at any store carrying Pakistani or Indian groceries, and sometimes it can even be found in the spice and baking aisle at regular grocery stores.
Garam Masala is composed of a blend of spices including, but not limited to, cinnamon, cumin seeds, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, nutmeg, and coriander seeds. No one Garam Masala blend is the same as another, as each person/family uses a different variety of spices and various quantities.
Growing up, I always watched my mom buy prepackaged Garam Masala, but after getting married, I found out that my husband’s side of the family uses their own unique blend. The recipe I’m sharing today is special to my husband’s side of the family, is really easy to whip up, and also keeps well for long periods of time. You just combine the spices, and grind them to a fine powder. A coffee grinder is a good investment if you’re into grinding your spices 🙂
Garam Masala
Yield: ¾ to 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 12 black cardamoms
- ½ cup cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon pieces
- 2 tablespoons cloves
- 2 tablespoons black peppers
Directions:
Combine all spices together and grind into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.
We have made our own curry powder so would be fab to try this too.
Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to make your own spice blends at home?
I think people genuinely don’t realise that it is easy or even possible!
SubhanAllah I was going to ask you how you make your garam masala!!
What type of machine do you use for processing? Looking to buy, any suggestions?
Lol, we’re on a similar wavelength!
I use a coffee grinder to grind my spices… I don’t really care for a certain brand. I’m not sure where you live, but I bought mine from Bed Bath and Beyond more than 4 years ago and it still works ( a basic Krups coffee grinder for $20, andddd I used a $5 coupon 😉 )
I learned it the hard way that the garam masala is different in every household. I used to use my Mom’s garam masala to cook a recipe of my MIL and the result was something I was not looking for, lol! Now, I have atleast four different recipes that I use for different kinds of foods I cook and intend to do a recipe post soon insha Allah. One of mine is similar to yours but with a slight variation in amounts. Wait and read:)
4 different recipes! That’s amazing!
hard to find a good quality garam masala. Thanks for the recipe, m going to make this weekend.
Thanks! Please drop by and let me know how it worked for you 🙂
Making your own garam masala is very easy & simple to make. Thank you Henna for sharing your family recipe. Looks great!
It’s totalllllly easy! And thanks Ambreen 🙂
i buy those garam masala packages too. i have always heard making it at home is better coz it’s fresh and tastes better and stronger. but, I didn’t know the recipe was so simple… totally making my own from now on 😉
That’s what I used to think too! It’s actually handy because you don’t have to run out to buy garam masala if you run out, you can just make your own!
Garam masala recipes vary so much from home to home but making your own definitely is much better than buying the pre-made stuff. I used to buy the pre-made garam masala but after realizing it was so simple to make and it made the food taste better I’ve been making my own. I also put green alaychi and shah zeera…also some other thing my mom gave me saying to put it in garam masala..have no idea what it is….starts with a ‘j’. .I also make dhania and zeera powder as well now. Thanks for sharing your family recipe!
You’re totally right! And you know, I always buy my dhania and zeera already ground, but it makes total sense to do just do it myself. I’m sure the taste would be so much more fresh if I ground it myself.
About how long would you say this keeps? I don’t use a whole lot of it in my cooking but am always eager to try stuff beyond the packaged store stuff.
I would say that it would last at least a year, if it’s kept in an airtight jar. I’ve also heard of people keeping spices in the refrigerator to prolong their life. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂