About the history of garam masala spice mix
The history of an unusual mixture began in ancient India. In Hindi, a name like garam masala refers to two-part words, where "garam" is nothing more than "hot" and "masala" is simply a universal "mixture of spices."
Gorgeous garam masala is the perfect blend of selected spices to enhance the quality of bean soups, sauces, casseroles, fried appetizers, vegetable salads. It is also suitable for sweet dishes - sweet pastries with apples, plums, pears, peaches and pumpkin. Experiment with this mix in oatmeal, corn or whole grain multigrain cookies. Specialists prepare healing hot herbal tea, natural coffee and even barley orzo with garam masala.
HozOboz recommends using this seasoning for a party on a winter veranda, preparing hot fruit drinks with an additional interesting note of a memorable unusual taste. This will allow each guest to imagine themselves in the form of a historical character from India, who may have eaten dishes with this spice several millennia ago.
Such a mixture is necessary for catering for the purpose of healing with the help of Ayurvedic cuisine. HozOboz strongly recommends getting acquainted with the preparation of khichri (kichari, kitri), one of the most popular Indian recipes, which includes suitable rice and yellow mung dal (mung dal), a variety of vegetables seasoned with garam masala. This characteristic Indian spice is prepared according to many different recipes. HozOboz demonstrates a composition characterized by the obligatory presence of blue fenugreek and dried rose petals.
Ingredients for Garam Masala
- Mustard seeds - 24 g
- Cloves - 10 g
- Dry coriander - 14 g
- Dry ginger - 5 g
- Cinnamon sticks - 1 stick
- Turmeric - 11 g
- Bay leaf - 1 pc.
- Tea rose petals - 20 g
- Allspice - 5 g
- Red hot dry pepper - 2 pcs.
- Black peppercorns - 9 g
- Black Bengal pepper (pippali) - 2.5 g
- Fenugurek (fenugreek blue) - 2.5 g
Step by step cooking Indian spice mix with photo
- HozOboz dried tea rose petals with pods of hot red pepper on warm summer days, and used mustard seeds and fragrant coriander from the autumn harvest. The rest of the spices were bought in an oriental shop. We weigh them on accurate scales and proceed to the preparation of a spicy spicy mixture.
- We send all the spices to a cast-iron pan (or a wok with a thick bottom), standing on a high heat. Mix everything with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add pods of hot red pepper, continuing to mix vigorously.
- By the characteristic smell and how everything has become evenly ocher, you can understand that our homemade garam masala with rose is ready.
- We take out the red peppers from the mixture and clean them from the seeds using kitchen scissors. Cut the peeled dry leaves into pieces.
- Crush the cinnamon stick with a hammer.
- Pour the cooled mixture into an electric grinder.
- Grind it into a homogeneous powder, avoiding overheating. Our great-smelling fresh garam masala is ready! We pour it for storage in a sealed jar in order to gradually use it in a kitchen that is not quite familiar to Europeans. Experimenting!
About the benefits of homemade garam masala spice
In garam masala, the composition of spices is selected in such a way as to have a warming effect. Thanks to this, garam masala spice is great for drinking on especially cold and dank days. Such a garam masala recipe is simply indispensable for those people who are prone to frequent colds due to hypothermia.
The homemade mix excludes salt in its composition, which cannot be said about the industrial version of such a popular Indian seasoning. This immediately makes it a much more dietary product (calorie content is reduced by almost half!), And prevents excessive fluid retention in the body, having a beneficial effect on the work of the heart and circulatory system.
Alternative options for garam masala
There is always a lot of variation in Indian blends, and HozOboz is sure that you may want to experiment with some other spices, substituting some of the ingredients in this classic recipe. So, for example, you can add nutmeg, mountain celery seeds to the composition, abandoning pippali and fenugurek. Or focus on cumin and asafoetida (or dry garlic if you can't stand the smell of asafoetida).
KhozOboz was happy to teach its readers new techniques in the preparation of oriental spices and hopes to receive feedback on both the spice itself and the dishes prepared with this fragrant mixture. Have a great gastronomic experience!
Garam Masala - a mixture of toasted and crushed spicy spices, the use of which is common in the cuisine of the cold regions of North India. In Hindi, "garam" means "hot" and "masala" means "a mixture of spices." The spices used in garam masala really "warm", so they are indispensable in cold weather and winter season for those who are prone to colds and hypothermia. It is also recommended to use garam masala when various diseases digestive tract.
Garam masala, one of the most popular spice mixes among the world's finest culinary experts, is a versatile tool that can add a unique flavor and aroma to food.
Composition of garam masala differs depending on the region. Various combinations of these and other spices are used in various recipes, and no recipe is considered more reliable than the other. The components of the mixture are fried and mixed.
Garam masala can contain almost all Indian spices, however, it usually includes up to 12 ingredients: cumin, coriander seeds, black and allspice, Indian bay leaf, as well as small amounts of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom.
More modern versions also include hot red chili, fennel, saffron, and nutmeg. All components of garam masala must be ground together, and such a mixture is always made by the cook himself immediately before preparing the dish.
Indian chefs usually add garam masala at the very end of cooking or simply sprinkle the dish with this mixture just before serving. In addition, garam masala is almost always added to batter, in which pieces of vegetables or fruits are fried.
Garam masala is ideal for bean and pea soups, as well as fried appetizers, sauces, vegetable salads and vinaigrettes.
Garam masala gives amazing flavors to sweet dishes: muffins, pies with apples, pears, pumpkin, oatmeal cookies, hot herbal tea and fruit (especially apple and pear) drinks.
Some recipes call for spices to be mixed with herbs, while others call for water, vinegar, coconut milk, or other liquids as the base to make a paste. Some recipes may include nuts, onions, or garlic; frying is used.
In India garam masala called the spice of love.
2 cinnamon sticks 5 cm long
Fry each spice individually in a dry cast-iron skillet, stirring occasionally, until the spice darkens a little and begins to emit a characteristic smell. Typically, this procedure takes about 15 minutes. When all the spices are ready, mix them and grind them in an electric coffee grinder. Place the finished masala in a glass jar with a tight lid and store in a cool place. Garam masala, made from high quality spices and stored in an airtight vessel, retains its taste and aroma for several months.
Another garam masala recipe includes cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in the same proportions as in the previous recipe. After frying and grinding these spices, add half of the finely grated nutmeg to them.
The recipe is simple, the selected spices are first fried and then ground into powder. As a result, homemade garam masala is much more fragrant and fresh than the purchased version. You can store a jar for 1-2 months and use as needed.
Garam masala is not a spicy condiment, but a warming one. In Hindi, 'garam' means 'hot' and 'masala' means 'mixture'. The spices that are part of the seasoning really have a warming effect, in Ayurvedic medicine they are considered to raise the temperature, “warm the body”. Therefore, the recipe will also be relevant for those who are prone to frequent hypothermia and suffer from colds.
What is in garam masala
There is no classic recipe, the composition varies depending on the region. Each Indian chef has his own set of spices, which can include up to 20 ingredients. But the principle of preparation is the same - the spices are fried (in a dry frying pan), mixed and crushed.
Typical composition of garam masala:
- black pepper,
- white and black zira seeds;
- carnation;
- cinnamon leaves and sticks;
- fruits and leaves of nutmeg;
- green and black cardamom pods;
- coriander seeds.
The composition always contains black pepper and cumin, which are responsible for the "warming" effect. But almost never chili or turmeric is included in garam masala. And one more important point. In Indian cuisine, it is not customary to use ready-made, purchased ground spices. It is better to grind them yourself, then the aroma will be richer, better revealed.
Where to use?
Indian cuisine lovers can use garam masala to make bean soups, sauces, casseroles, appetizers and vegetable salads. It can be added to muffins and pies with apples, plums and pumpkin, to stir in oatmeal, corn or cereal cookies. An interesting taste is obtained from hot milk-tea and fruit drinks.
Total cooking time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1/2 cup
Ingredients
- black peppercorns - 2 tbsp. l.
- cumin seeds (zira) - 2 tbsp. l.
- coriander seeds - 2 tbsp. l.
- cloves - 1 tsp
- black mustard seeds - 1 tbsp. l.
- ground cinnamon - 1 tbsp. l. (or 1 stick 5 cm)
- dried ground ginger - 1 tbsp. l.
- ground cardamom - 1 tsp (or 2 tsp seeds)
- ground nutmeg - 0.5 tsp. (or whole 1/2 piece)
- saffron - 1/2 tsp
Cooking
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Cooking begins with frying spices in a dry cast iron pan, without oil. Moreover, each of the spices must be dried in a pan separately, because the heat treatment time is different and can take from several seconds to a minute. First, heat the cumin, stirring occasionally, until it reveals its characteristic aroma and darkens a little. Pour into bowl and leave to cool.
Dry the coriander. It is fried quickly, as soon as it starts to crackle, you can remove it from the heat.
Black pepper is roasted until a characteristic aroma appears. Be careful not to burn any of the spices, otherwise you risk spoiling the whole masala!
Pour mustard into the pan - we need black mustard seeds, they can be purchased without any problems at an Indian spice shop. Warm up for a short time until it starts to crack.
When all the whole spices are fried, dry the ground ones: cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and ground dry ginger. In ground form, spices are cooked instantly, just a few seconds are enough.
When all the spices are fried and cooled, you can start grinding in a mortar. It is more convenient to pour in parts, and not all at once. Saffron does not need to be fried, just put it in a mortar with other spices and grind it with a pestle.
Grind all the spices to a powder state. It is best to perform the procedure manually, enjoying the process and inhaling the enchanting aroma of spices. But you can also resort to using a coffee grinder, grinding all the spices into powder.
This is how homemade garam butter turns out - a beautiful chocolate-terracotta color. A set of spices is incredibly fragrant, rich in taste and useful properties.
The finished product is best used immediately for its intended purpose, adding to soups and other dishes. You can transfer to storage in a closed container and store for 1-2 months in a dry place, away from sunlight. Have a nice trip to the world of Indian cuisine! And be healthy!
We immediately pour the right amount of seasonings in handfuls onto a dish. If you have some of the ingredients already ground, pour them separately. I have everything in one piece.
We take a frying pan. It must be completely dry. We put all the unground ingredients into it. You can, of course, fry everything separately, so it's more correct. But I will fry the spices together. Then they will mix anyway, and I will save time. Toast all spices in a pan, including bay leaf and cinnamon sticks. Don't be lazy to stir. Fry over medium heat for 5-7 minutes to release the spices.
Take the pan off the fire. We take out from it the bay leaf, saffron and cinnamon sticks. We take a mortar. We put loose spices into it in portions and grind it well. You can use a coffee grinder for this purpose. Set the cinnamon and saffron aside for now.
Grind cinnamon sticks with saffron separately (you can use a coffee grinder). We do not need a bay leaf, it has already played its role. Again, take the pan and fry the grated spices, stirring with a spatula, for a couple of minutes.
Garam masala is a legendary Indian spice mix, the Hindi name translates as "hot mix". Like all spices, and especially loved in Asian cuisine. However, the fashion for oriental cuisines is widespread today, so garam masala can be found among French, Russian, and American housewives.
The spices that must be included in the garam masala mixture are: black pepper, cloves, brown and green cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. The rest of the ingredients can be added at the discretion of the cook, and in India they prefer not to buy this seasoning, but to cook it without fail.
It is advisable for garam masala to take not ground spices, but whole ones, and fry them over low heat in a pan with a thick bottom, stirring constantly, like seeds, for about ten minutes. As soon as a breathtaking aroma has gone from the spices, and their color has turned brown, the fire must be turned off, the spices should be cooled and ground in a coffee grinder.
Homemade garam masala is used immediately, and the leftovers are stored in glass jars with lids, but not longer than 3 months. Sometimes spices are toasted with a little bit of coconut milk or vinegar (makes a paste), garlic, ginger, anise, and chili peppers (makes a spicier mixture). There is no single recipe for garam masala: all variations have an equal right to exist. Today, this seasoning is widely used in cooking. Garam masala goes well with plov and poultry dishes.
