15 Flavorful Recipes Using Garam Masala (2024)

FAQs

What can you use garam masala in? ›

Garam masala is an iconic Indian spice blend that is used in a wide variety of dishes including curries, stews, soups, dals, and marinades. We love this spice because it lends a warm, sometimes sweet earthiness to recipes like this Hyderabadi Lamb Biryani and Tandoori Pomfret.

What Does It Taste Like? Garam masala adds warmth, sweetness, floral notes, and a touch of heat from the black pepper. It is intended to be a fragrant spice as well as flavorful. While cumin, coriander, and turmeric may remind you of curry, garam masala is generally not firey hot.

It can be added at the start of cooking, but it's more usual to add it at the end or to sprinkle it over food just before it's served, a little like salt and pepper.

Traditionally this spice blend is finely ground but you can also use the coarse spice blend in your cooking. Store the sifted garam masala in an airtight glass jar away from direct sunlight. You can also refrigerate or freeze the garam masala for longer freshness.

Just a sprinkle of this hot, warm, and sweet spice blend will enhance any dish—especially when you take a few minutes to make it yourself.

Though spices are typically fried at the start of a recipe, there are also benefits to adding them later on. Dev Biswal explains: 'Generally, it's better to add garam masala at the end of the cooking process, as it works on an aromatic level, raising the whole nature of the dish.

The aroma of masala found in powdered form evaporates if left in open and exposed to air for long. As a general rule, dry herbs remain fresh for about 4 years. If you keep garam masala for long, it may not taste bad (and will not cause any harm to eat), but it will lose the freshness and flavour.

Saffron is a spice but not used in garam masala. Black salt is an ingredient of garam masala but it is not a spice as it is not from plants.

Garam masala (from Hindustani گرم مصالحہ/गरम मसाला garam masālā, "hot spices") is a blend of ground spices originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Caribbean cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings.

In some people, garam masala leads to diarrhoea and vomiting. Bloating is another problem that some people may face when they consume too much of garam masala.

Should you toast garam masala? ›

Toasting the whole spices releases their oils to give you the most fragrant and aromatic flavours. Select your whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and coriander seeds to toast them carefully. Blend by grinding for an exceptional aroma and spice flavour. Yes, toast.

There is some overlap, but curry powder is generally a blend of aromatic, earthy, and sometimes hot spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek, while garam masala is a blend of warm, sometimes slightly sweet spices such as cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon.

How to Use It. You can use garam masala in many different ways. I love adding it to a marinade for chicken or fish, mixing it into a curry paste, or blending it with yogurt as a dipping sauce. If you're making a dal, curry, or soup, add the garam masala during the simmering step toward the end of cooking.

Garam masala is a spice blend that is popular in Indian cuisine. It consists of many spices, including cumin, coriander, fennel, and cardamom while kitchen king masala is a variation of garam masala. It contains more spices than the former, such as chilli powder and cayenne pepper.

Too much garam masala gives a slight bitter flavour, Also a lot of people do not like very strong flavours. That would be about 1/2–1 level teaspoon, depending on the dish. And about 1 teaspoon for a dal fry for 5 people.

Helps With Digestion

Black pepper, another common ingredient, has also been found to have beneficial effects on our digestive system. On top of that, one study found that eating food with garam masala was associated with faster digestion time in healthy adults.

Allspice has a comparable warming effect similar to garam masala, but it's not as strong. The flavor profile is pretty similar. To get the most accurate flavor without overpowering your dish, combine four parts of cumin powder with 1 part of allspice.

There is some overlap, but curry powder is generally a blend of aromatic, earthy, and sometimes hot spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek, while garam masala is a blend of warm, sometimes slightly sweet spices such as cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon.

Garam masala is a spice blend widely used in Indian cuisine often seen in curries, lentil dishes, and soups.