Toasted Whole-Spice Garam Masala
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and America's Test Kitchen.
Whole coriander, cumin, pepper, cardamom, cloves, fennel and cinnamon briefly dry-toasted, cooled and ground with nutmeg into a fragrant, warming blend.
None of the 14 major EU allergens. Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Toast the whole spices. Put the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, fennel and broken cinnamon in the dry pan over medium heat. Toss them for 2-3 min until they smell strongly and the cumin turns a shade darker; gentle heat wakes up the aromatic oils without scorching them.
- 2
Cool completely. Tip the spices onto the plate straight away, since the hot pan would keep cooking them, and leave for about 5 min. Grinding them warm makes a damp, clumpy powder.
- 3
Grind fine. Grind the cooled spices with the nutmeg to a fine powder, working in batches if your grinder is small. Shake the powder through a sieve if you want to remove the papery cardamom husks.
- 4
Jar it up. Spoon the blend into the airtight jar and keep it somewhere dark and cool. Use within 3 months, because ground spices lose their perfume quickly.
Storage
Store in an airtight jar away from light and heat for up to 3 months. It is safe for longer but gradually loses aroma. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why it's healthy
- Total fat: 30 % of energy (limit ≤ 30%)
- Saturated fat: 0 % of energy (limit < 10%)
- Free sugars: 0 % of energy (limit < 10%)
- Salt: 0 g (limit ≤ 0.02 g)
- Fibre or fruit & veg: 0.6 g fibre / 0 g veg (limit ≥ 0.1 g fibre or 80 g fruit & veg)
Per serving, worked out from the nutrition table against our WHO-based rule. Not endorsed by WHO.
Equipment
- small heavy frying pan
- plate
- spice grinder or mortar and pestle
- small airtight jar
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 6 kcal |
| Protein | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.2 g |
| of which sugars | 0 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g |
| of which saturates | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g |
| Salt | 0 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
