Garam masala is a basic blend of spices common to North Indian and other South Asian cuisines. From the Hindi Garam "Hot" and Masala "mixture" the Garam refers to the intensity of the spices rather than the heat content; it's spicy but not like a chile pepper.
Garam masala can be found pre-made in the spice aisle but spices are always so pricey and I was pretty sure, according to my memories of Laurie Colwin, that I already had all the separate spices necessary to make my own.
When I got home, I remembered my mother was in current possession of my copy of Home Cooking so I consulted the Oracle of the Internet. Honestly...what excuse is there for not knowing anything anymore?
So this is the recipe I found from Allrecipes.com and indeed I already had everything, although this pretty much wiped out my jar of cumin. What is it about cumin anyway? It smells like an old sweat sock but it's just so awesome...
Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
