Garam Masala
by Tarla Dalal
garam masala recipe | Punjabi garam masala powder | homemade garam masala | with 20 amazing images.
This garam masala recipe is easy to make make as it involves roasting and blending of Indian spices. Even better, ingredients for Punjabi garam masala powder are always available in the Indian kitchen.
Every cuisine has a special ingredient, which gives it its characteristic flavour and aroma. If you think of Chinese cuisine, the five-spice powder comes to mind, for Bengali cuisine, there is the panch-phoron, for South Indian cooking, there is the sambhar masala, and when it comes to north Indian food, garam masala wins hands-down!
To make flavourful garam masala, roast cumin seeds, cardamoms, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, bayleaves and caraway seeds in a broad non-stick pan for 2-3 mins and keep aside so it cools down. Grind in a mixer to a smooth fine powder. Transfer the powder into a bowl, add the ginger powder and mix well. Sieve the powder well and discard the left over coarse powder and store in an air-tight container. Use homemade garam masala as required.
So robust and versatile is this garam masala, with such a large assortment of spices and seeds, that it can be used to flavour anything, from Pulaos and Sukhi Subzis to gravies and snacks too. Some popular recipes using garam masala are ragda pattice, paneer lababdar and spice mixed dal.
No wonder it is so popular all over the world! Although garam masala is available even in the smallest of shops in India and in Indian stores across the world, this recipe will help you understand how to make it, so you can make it in small batches at home to enjoy the boosted aroma and flavour that only freshly-made garam masalas can give.
Enjoy garam masala recipe | Punjabi garam masala powder | homemade garam masala | with detailed step by step recipe photos and video below.
Garam Masala recipe - How to make Garam Masala
Preparation Time: Cooking Time: Total Time:
Makes 1.75 cups
For Garam Masala
1/2 cup cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 cup cardamoms (elaichi)
1/4 cup black peppercorns (kalimirch)
1/4 cup coriander (dhania) seeds
3 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)
2 tbsp cloves (laung / lavang)
10 cinnamon (dalchini) sticks , 50 mm. each
1/4 cup bayleaves (tejpatta)
2 tbsp caraway seeds (shahjeera)
1 tbsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder , optional
1/2 tbsp dried ginger (soonth) powder
For garam masala
- For garam masala
- Combine all the ingredients, except the dried ginger powder in a broad non-stick pan and dry roast on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring continuously. Keep aside to cool.
- Grind in a mixer to a smooth fine powder.
- Transfer the powder into a bowl, add the ginger powder and mix well.
- Sieve the powder well and discard the left over coarse powder and store in an air-tight container.
- Use {span class="bold1"}homemade garam masala{/span} as required.
Punjabi Garam Masala Video by Tarla Dalal
Like Garam Masala
- Like Garam Masala, Homemade Garma Masala, then see our other Homemade spice mix recipes. From readymade soups and pastes to chutneys and dry spice mixes, nowadays in this fast pacing life, everything is easily available in stores. But, there are many people who still prefer preparing their own Indian spice-mix at homes like the garam masala, chole masala, chaat masala etc. Our website does have all these basic masala recipes that will help you make lip-smacking food at home:
Recipe notes for Garam Masala
- Recipe notes for Garam Masala. There is no single/standardized garam masala recipe. The ingredients differ according to the region based on locally available products as well as individuals preference. The garam masala recipe given below has some popular ingredients that you will see on a packet of readymade garam masala. Apart from that, garam masala variations may consist of turmeric, saffron, mustard seeds, mace, star anise, fenugreek or dried red chillies. Instead of dry roasting you can even keep the whole spices under sunlight and then grind them.
For the homemade Garam Masala
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For preparing Garam masala at home, first take all the spices as per the given measurements and check for stones, husks, hidden mold and fungi.
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For roasting the whole spices for garam masala, in a broad non-stick pan, put the cumin seeds. Make sure the pan is moisture-free i.e dry when you add the ingredients.
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Add the cardamom. Always make use of fresh spices to get maximum flavours and aroma.
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Also, add black peppercorns. They provide the necessary heat to the garam masala.
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Add the coriander (dhania) seeds. Many people even slow-roast each individual spice and then grind them, also some make use of very little oil while roasting.
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Add the fennel seeds (saunf).
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Add the cloves (laung / lavang).
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Add the cinnamon sticks. If you have long pieces of cinnamon stick then break them into pieces & then add to the pan.
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Add the bayleaves (tejpatta). Same with bay leaves, if they are huge then tear them with your hands and then add to the pan.
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Add the caraway seeds (shahjeera)
- Add the nutmeg (jaiphal) powder. Freshly grated nutmeg also works well for the garam masala recipe.
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Combine all the ingredients and dry roast on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring continuously. You will see the spices have darkened slightly and give out a toasty aroma.
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Keep aside to cool completely. You can make the garam masala without roasting the spices as well but, roasting absorbs all the extra moisture, increasing the shelf life of the garam masala.
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Transfer the roasted spices to a mixer jar. If not cooled completely, then you will have lumps in your ground masala.
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Grind in a mixer to a smooth fine powder.
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Transfer the powder into a bowl.
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Add the ginger powder and mix well.
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Sieve the Homemade Garam masala well and discard the left over coarse powder.
- Store the garam masala in an air-tight container.
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Use as required. Garam masala brings out the flavor from most Indian dishes so, it is widely used in making recipes across various courses like appetizers, subji, dal, etc.
| Energy | 0 cal |
| Protein | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Vitamin A | 0 mcg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 0 mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 0 mg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Folic Acid | 0 mcg |
| Calcium | 0 mg |
| Iron | 0 mg |
| Magnesium | 0 mg |
| Phosphorus | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 0 mg |
| Potassium | 0 mg |
| Zinc | 0 mg |
I love the recipes, thank you so much! I have a question about using cardamom: when you say 1/2 cup of cardamom, is that including the pods? Or just the seeds, in that case it seems a lot to use 1/2 cup?
Amazing article. Thanks for sharing the garam masala recipe with us. Great post really informative and helpful.
The garam masala is too good. Thank you so much Ma''am . I had not sieved the powder. Is it necessary that it must be sieved?
I would like to know which brand & model mixer grinder do you use for all the spices recipe you have posted. I currently use philips mixer grinder but it gets heated up & doesn''t grind v. fine
Thank you for the different recipes. However I think the Garam Masala recipe is more for non veg recipes. The Gujarati Garam Masala does not contain cardamom or nutmeg.
What would be weight of 25 cinnamon sticks in the recipe(4.5 cup)? I am trying to use powdered cinnamon instead of stick. Your help is much appreciated.
Would appreciate if you could give the measurements in grams as measuring 1/4 cup of bay leaf doesnt make sense... How many leaves woud that be in 1/4 cup.?
I had followed the punjabi masala receipe of Tarla Dalalji from the internet, gave the list of quantities to my wife to prepare the masala. She prepared it - Mind blowing taste it has. Just a small quantity when added to a curry transforms it into a proper punjabi masala curry. Sincere thanks and heart felt wishes to Tarla ji. THANKS A MILLION :)
Tarla Dalal,s receipes are famous since decades no introduction is necessary. I bought Microwave oven 15 years back, Tarla dalal,s recipe booklet consisting with delicious reipes. So blindly we can cook without second thought.