Garam masala is among my oldest cherished spice blends, and I am proud to say that I have never bought it packaged. It is so easy to put together that you needn’t. The home made kind is more potent as it has none of the cheap spices that bulk-up commercial blends. A small amount goes a long way.
First things first. All Punjabi food does not use garam masala. If you don’t believe me, ask Punju Girl. Garam masala does not Punjabi cuisine make. Despite the fact that I love this spice blend and cook Punjabi food almost every other day, I use garam masala only occasionally, and sparingly.
The ‘garam’, meaning ‘hot’ or ‘warm’, in this masala comes from the use of spices that (according to Ayurveda) are considered warming , such as clove, pepper, and cinnamon. You may sun the spices to dry them out completely before grinding, but the spices are not to be roasted. Since the spices are not roasted, their oils are retained better and the masala will stay aromatic for over a year. I usually make the amount in this recipe (which makes about a cup and a half or so of masala) which lasts me a whole year (after sharing some with a friend or family); every winter it’s time to make a fresh batch.
This is my mother-in-laws recipe that she shared with me shortly before she passed away. She ‘measured’ out the spices on a thali for me to grind, knowing it was the last time she would be doing so. I record it here today - for my family and yours.
You may use whatever measure to scale the recipe; the proportions are by volume. I start with 100gm of moti elaichi (black cardamom) = 4 parts
Punjabi Garam Masala
4 parts moti elaichi (100 gm)
1 part zeera (cumin)
1/2 part cinnamon (or cassia bark, if cinnamon is not available)
1/2 part black peppercorns
1/2 part cloves
5-6 tejpatta (not bay leaves!)
Measure out the spices and sun for half a day (or leave in a barely warm oven for an hour). Grind to a powder (as fine as possible) and store in a dry jar.
And if this heart-warming masala is not the best thing to send to Zlamushka’s spoonful of Christmas, what is!
Notes:
- This is a very pungent spice blend. You will feel the ‘heat’ of the warming spices at the back of your mouth and throat. In a dish that makes 6 servings, I will usually use 1/3 teaspoon only.
- This is also a good substitute for Kashmiri garam masala (which does not have cumin).
My Gobhi aloo (cauliflower with potatoes) is incomplete without this magical masala added right towards the end of the cooking process…Recipe follows…till then put together the masala!
Tags: garam masala, punjabi cuisine, spice blends, Punjabi masala
Thanks for this
Sure!
I was hoarding a freshly made garam masala in my freezer. Now I can use it without worrying where my next batch will come from! Thank you!
No coriander seeds?
Nope, no coriander! That’s why a little goes a looooong way.
You take good care of that masala - mine just sits in the spice cabinet.
I appreciate this post so much. It is very sweet of you to share this family recipe, Anita. I am hoping I can find some tejpatta here in the US…have seen only bay leaves as far as I can tell.
Pel was able to find these at an Indian grocer…look for a North Indian shop maybe…Or substitute away till you find some! Tejpatta are very large leaves with parallel veins…
no corainder? thank you. i am so sick of the turbo-charged garam amsala from the store. there’s a guy from wisconsin
who sent me some good garam masala and it has a pinch of saffron in it. it makes such a lovely difference.
Absolutely no coriander
. Saffron would make it really special!
“..knowing it was the last time she would be doing so..”
That was very touching.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I bet she’s happier now that I have shared it with all of you!
thanx for ur wishes..nice tribute to ur ma in law.
garam masala is a must in my house too..i rely on my mom’s spice mix which she picked up from her punjabi friends..there are subtle differences..she uses regular elaichi. i guess the moti ones gives it the pungency.
There are probably as many variations for garam masala as there are for gun powder - every family ends up having their own twist! More so because no one writes down the recipe to begin with! My MIL just eye-balled the quantities for me - I measured them out using a cup so I would have it exact, without twisting it further!
What a coincidence… I just posted Jaffrey’s garam masala! I love the addition of tej patta. Must try it. So nice of your ma in law to share her trusted recipes with you.
There are many recipes that are now lost - she was an awesome cook. She would have loved the blogs! I keep wishing she’d kept a blue diary like Manisha’s mom…
Hugs to you for saying that tejpatta is not same as bay-leaves! i made a huge batch last year and ended up distirbuting it to everyone around :). I picked up a really cute masala recipe from my Mallu friend: its got cloves, cinnamon and fennel (she wasn’t sure of the proportions), but i used it like 7-8 cloves, 1 tsp. fennel and half a stick of cinnamon and it worked wonders!
Did you use it in place of your regular garam masala or for Kerala dishes?
Thanks for sharing this Anita, I’ve just finished writing it down in my kitchen manual. The only thing is that I am not familiar with tejpatta leaves
A question, you said that you use 1/3 teaspoon when cooking that makes 6 servings, is that all? Did you mean tablespoon instead?
I usually mix the spices together in a jar (without roasting of course) and then when I am ready to use it, I roast whatever portion I am going to use and grind it fresh.
I am sure you will be able to find tejpatta leaves at an Indian store - they are used in everything from curries to pulaos…
Yup, 1/3 teaspoon it is! This spice blend uses spices that are unequal in size and may not mix homogeneously enough to take out a little bit to grind fresh, but the recipe can be scaled down easily. This particular garam masala calls for no roasting…on the other hand, the garam masala used in Maharashtrian cooking is a blend of roasted spices…
I found today’s post very touching! Thanks for sharing the family recipe.
I learned something new - tejpatta/bayleaves not the same. I knew that there are two bayleaves varities - one california kind and one turkish. but somehow thought that they are same as our tejpatta.
Now that I have “Sumeet”, I think I will be able to make this masala to the right consistency.
For the longest time I would substitute tejpatta wherever bay leaves were called for!
Yes, Sumeet should make short work of this! That’s what I use!
wow nice post, had a punjabi aunty who would cook pretty similar to this but would add this to ghee thadka.
That’s interesting - I have never added this in a tadka…what do you say, Musical?
Thanks for sharing.
Between your masala and Ashwini’s version, I’m set. Just *hate* the generic version sold in stores.
Easy peasy! You’ll never go back to the packaged stuff now!
This is a lovely post - so interesting, and such a touching story
Thanks for sharing
Joanna
Thanks for the visit.
Anita, that was beautifully-written, and I offer a deep bow to your late mother-in-law. I have, in my posession, a garam masala, given to me by a dear friend, which is quite similar to this and which I absolutely love to use- especially with chana! And when it runs out, I will certainly prepare a new batch for myself using your mother-in-law’s recipe, and think of her every time it performs its magic!
Thank you so much for sharing.
On a tangent: once many years ago, I purchased a ready-made blend. It wasn’t bad, but the shop clerk suggested adding freshly-ground elaichi to any dish prepared with it, as what little it contained had long since lost most of this aroma. One day it seemed pointless to use anymore so I pitched it, and since then always make my own (or use a gifted home-made one!). The flavour just can’t be beat!
It is magical,isn’t it?! Yes, great in chhole! Now use it with gobhi-aloo.
Nothing like “hommade”! and can you please tell some more people that garam masala is NOT to be used in every other dish!!!
LOL exactly my point!
I have never made garam masala and i am not scared to do so now. Thank you, this recipe goes to my collection.
It is really hardly any work to make this masala! Let me know what you think once you’ve used it.
A lot of people add garam masala in the tadka, rather than a sprinkle on top. i personally use the sabut masale for tadka, though. I use my friend’s garam masala recipe for standard Punju dishes and some of our stir-fries that we used to make together, very different,and gives a whole new flavor to the routine sabzi. She did use it in certain Mallu recipes too. As for my garam masala, my basic recipe is similar to yours. But every once in a while, i get a “fitoor” and blend some other ingredients for a different flavor
like last time, i added star anise and shah zeera 
It did taste great!
Btw, do try the three spice masala (my buddy’s recipe).
Oh, I surely will!
Lovely post, Anita.
I was really touched by the story about your mother-in-law.
It was interesting reading the discussion here as well. At the moment I have a box of shop-bought garam masala that tastes a lot of coriander, and now I know why it tasted ‘all wrong’ to me - it did not have the warming properties that garam masala should have. I had a jar previously that did have these properties. Can’t wait to use this one up…
Yes, shop-bought blends do tend to add coriander (and lots of it!) which is a very inexpensive spice to bulk up the quantity. Naturally, it lacks the ‘garam’ in the masala! Try it, you’ll love it. It can also be used in place of Baharat in middle-eastern cuisine (hmm, I should share my recipe for that too…).
I shall try and make my own!
Now, you have to!
hai anita
nice post.thanks for sharing the recipe.though i do not know what tej patta means .i stay in saudi & can u tell me the english name for it,so that i can enquire here.
thanks again.
I am sure all the Indian stores in Saudi sell it by the Indian name of tej patta or tamala patra…in English it would be the leaves of Cassia lignea plant. Read the different names.
Very touching story Anita.May your mother in law’s soul rest in piece.Really very nice of you to share a family recipe.I never attempted to make garam masala at home because of the roasting part.Definately try your’s.ISn’t tejpatta called bayleaf in english?Till now i was under the impression that both are same.Thank you once again.
No roasting in the Punjabi garam masala!
Tej patta is Indian bayleaf, while there is also laurel or the bay leaf more common in the West. Two different plants. Tej patta is the leaf of the Indian Cassia, the bark of which is commonly used in place of the more expensive cinnamon.
[...] knob of ginger, grated 1/2 t turmeric 1 1/2 t coriander powder 3/4 t red chilli powder 1/3 t garam masala salt 1 1/2 T oil (peanut or [...]
This truly is the most touching entry I have received so far. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe of your Mother-in-law. Excuse my poor “measuring” knowledge, but what is thali?
No, thali is no unit of measure. It is that stainless steel giant ‘plate’ you see in the first picture holding all the whole spices! It is the traditional Indian metal plate for serving meals everyday!
So wonderful to have an original home recipe for garam masala. Thank you for the post.
Ambu
This one’s a keeper
Thank you—in one of those just-at-the-right-time moments, I told myself I need to make a new batch *and* catch up on blog-visiting this weekend!
You’ll love to use it in this cold weather!
[...] peeled and grated 2 C chopped onion 1 C chopped tomatoes 2-3 T oil 2 t red chilli powder 1 t garam masala (optional) [...]
[...] Pubjabi Garam Masala from MadTeaParty Goda Masala from MadTeaParty Garam Masala from BongCookBook Garam Masala from Ashwini at Food for Thought [...]
[...] since I made it as a house warming present last year. It is as much at home in my kitchen as is the garam masala. And just like for garam masala, there are hundreds of recipes for baharat too, likely changing [...]
It was lovely. will you also pls tell what is panch phoran used in parathas.And how to make delicious traditional punju aloo parathas
Panch phoran is a blend of five spices - equal amounts of fennel, fenugreek, mustard, cumin, and nigella seeds, usually used for tadka in Bengali cuisine.
Hi Anita,
Thanks so much for this recipe.Had just one question,
does the moti elaichi have to be peeled or used as is.The spices are drying out in the oven,just waiting for u to get back to me.Then I am set to make this fabulous garam masala!
Use the whole elaichi. If it is well-dried it will grind to a powder very easily.
Let me know how it turns out.
Hi Anita,
I made your Garam masala yesterday.What can I say except WOW!!! I have it stored in a double ziplock bag in the refrigerator,yet everytime I open the door the fragrance that wafts out lingers long after.The moti elaichi imparts this camphor like fragrance.
Thank you so much.Today I plan to use it in your Aloo gobhi recipe.Will let you know how that turns out.
You are welcome. And gobhi aloo is the best recipe to use it in - I never cook that dish without a dash of this masala.
Hi.. was just going thru ur webpage.. what exactly do u mean by ‘not bay leaves’ when u mention tejpatta ??
Ok i got it… just read other posts…
SOrry !!
hi,
1 cld u kindly post a recipe for Sarson Da Saag.(authentic punjabi-pind style)
2. thanx.
It was in the drafts! And now it’s done! Don’t you wish you had wished bigger that day?!
hi, anita can u tell me in which dishes i can use this masala
Use it (sparingly) in sookhi gobhi aloo, Punjabi Chhole, mutsch, panch-ratan dal, in place of Baharat even…I don’t use it in everything! But there is a version of moong dal that I will post (one of these days
) which needs this.
Hi Anita,
Thanks to ur Mother-in-law for sharing this wonderful Punjabi garam masala recipe through you…! it’s kind of u that u have shared with us equally. our dadi or elders always have best tactics and tricks for adding more flavours to recipe. I always miss my mom and grandma here as they are so far from me. I have settled in Australia since 2004.
BTW, keep it up Anita.
I always love to visit to you via ur blog.
bye.TC.
Sonu
I hope you are planning to give it a try!
Dear Anita,
I came across your blog some time back and love reading it. Yesterday I made garam masala following your recipe. It turned out great.
The aroma of the ground spices was heavenly. I for one am never again going to buy garam masala. Thank you for sharing your mother in law’s recipe.
Bye
Geetika
It really is very simple to make your own garam masala - and once you do, ther eis no going back to packaged ones!
Welcome to The Party!
[...] peeled and grated 2 C chopped onion 1 C chopped tomatoes 2-3 T oil 2 t red chilli powder 1 t garam masala (optional) [...]