A lot of people ask me about the masala that I use in almost all the curry that I prepare. Masala is the core of any Indian curry. It is basically a mixture of many spices. There are different types of masala with special and unique taste. I’m going to share a common recipe for garam masala which is used in common dishes. The taste of the masala depends upon the spices and most importantly the quantity of spices used.
So ladies and gentlemen, I present you my homemade Garam Masala.
Usually masala is made just before cooking the dish or curry, but some people who like to save time like me prepare the masala in advance and keep them in airtight container. I prepare the masalas annually.
So from today onward stop buying ready-made masala pouches from the market and prepare a jar of masala for yourself. There is no other masala better than the one which is prepared at home. First and foremost there are lots of spices to be added in our masala, please refer the list below and go on shopping 🙂
Ingredients mentioned here are for 2 kg of masala, yeah I prepare this much for myself it is enough for a year.
Ingredients
- Byadgi chillies – 1 kg.
- Coriander seeds 200 gms.
- Khas Khas (poppy seeds) 200 gms.
- Turmeric (roots) 100 gms.
- Fennel seeds (saunf) 50 gms.
- Shahjeera (caraway seeds) 50 gms.
- Methi seeds 50 gms.
- Mustard seeds 50 gms.
- Cinnamon 10 gms.
- Cloves 10 gms.
- Star Anise (chakri phool) 10 gms.
- Jaipatri (mace) 10 gms.
- Tej patta (Bay leaf) 10 gms.
- Black Cardamom (badi elaichi) 10gms.
- Nutmeg (jaiphal) 5.
- White sesame seeds 100 gms.
- Oil 1 tsp.
Phew that’s it. If you have all the ingredients let’s start with the method of preparing the masala.
Method:
- First of all you must dry the red chillies in the sun for 1 day and then remove the twigs.
- Take a big pan or khadhai, put 1 tsp. oil in it. We are going to fry all the ingredients lightly. We need to fry the chillies first in medium heat. The chillies should become brighter red in colour. Be careful don’t fry too much or else the chillies will turn black and the masala won’t get its colour.
- Remove the chillies from the pan and keep them aside, put the coriander in same pan and fry till you get the aroma. Again don’t fry it too much, the colour should not be changed.
- Remove the coriander and add black pepper, Methi seeds, Cloves, Star Anise and Cinnamon, in the pan. We need to smash black cardamom and jaiphal together lightly and then put them in the same pan. Now fry lightly till you get an aroma. Remove and keep aside.
- Now fry fennel seeds and shahjeera. Remove and keep them aside like we did with other ingredients. Fry Mustard seeds till they crackle. Remove and keep aside.
- Now fry sesame seeds, when they start crackling add khas khas in same pan and fry till it starts crackling.
- Now the final step mix all fried ingredients in a separate vessel and send it to the floor mill. Be sure to store your magic powder in an airtight container.
Use the masala while preparing curry according to your taste, you can also add chillies to make it spicier or vice versa.
I am sure you will enjoy this dish. Please email me and tell me about your experience cooking this recipe.