Seasonings in Northern Indian cuisine
Garam masala is a spice blend used all over India; its ingredients vary widely by region and individual cook. Punjabi-style garam masala is essential for capturing the Mogul-influenced flavors characteristic of the cuisines of Northern India. Garam masala is added to dishes as they cook, and is sprinkled sparingly over food just before it is served to enhance the aroma. Garam masala is available at Indian and Pakistani groceries, but blending your own from fresh whole spices will put your individual stamp on homemade Punjabi dishes in a way the commercial blends can’t.
Instructions
1. Put the cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, black cumin seeds, cumin seeds, whole cloves, black pepper corns, whole nutmeg, whole mace, and whole Turkish bay leaves in the frying pan. Do not put the 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder in the pan. The ginger is added in Step 4.
2. Turn the heat element on your stove to medium heat. Roast the whole spices, stirring them and shaking the pan over the heat continuously to avoid burning. Do not leave the roasting spice unattended, they can burn very quickly. After about 2 minutes, the spices will become fragrant and you might hear seeds start to pop. Your spices are roasted and ready to remove from the heat.
3. Remove the frying pan from the heat and immediately pour the hot roasted spices into the heatproof bowl to cool. If you leave them in the pan, the retained heat will singe them and you'll have to start over. Set aside to cool, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes or until they are at room temperature.
4. Grind the toasted spices and the 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder in small batches, no more than 1 tablespoon of spices per batch, in the spice mill or coffee grinder for 30-40 seconds each. The powder should be finely ground and deliciously fragrant.
5. Pour the ground spices into the storage jar, cover with the lid and shake well to make sure the spices are thoroughly blended. Label the jar and date. This recipe makes about three tablespoons of garam masala. Your fragrant, delicious homemade garam masala is best used within three months for optimum flavor. It will keep for six months in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Tags: cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, from heat, garam masala, Garam masala, ginger powder, spices into