Garam Masala

Aromatic Garam Masala, Ground Fresh

Garam masala is meant to perfume a dish, not flavour it the way a chilli powder does. Ours is built that way — cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cumin, coriander, bay leaves, nutmeg and mace. Each one is roasted on low heat and ground together in small quantities. The first time you open the jar, the kitchen tells you the difference between a fresh garam masala and a six-month-old one sitting on a supermarket shelf.

What Goes Into It

Green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, nutmeg and mace. That is the entire list. We do not add chilli to bulk it up, and we do not add salt or turmeric. A real garam masala is about aroma and warmth — chilli would mask it, and salt would interfere with the flavour balance you build in your dish.

The whole spices are picked for grade. Cardamom is plump and green, not the cheaper bleached pods. Cinnamon is true cinnamon bark, not cassia. The volatile oils in fresh cardamom and clove are what carry the fragrance — once they are gone, the powder is just brown dust.

How We Make It

Each spice is dry roasted on low heat, by itself, until the oils start to release. The roast is gentle — too dark and the aroma turns bitter. Everything cools and is ground together in a small mill. Each batch is sold within a few weeks of being made. Nothing else is added — no preservatives, no anti-caking agents, no MSG.

How to Use It

Add garam masala towards the end of cooking, in the last two to three minutes. This is the one spice blend you should never add at the start. The volatile oils evaporate the longer it cooks. A quarter to half a teaspoon is usually enough for a four-portion curry — it builds, it does not blast.

Use it in chicken curry, paneer curry, dal makhani, rajma, chickpea curry, biryani (sprinkled before the dum stage) and even a quick dal tadka. For biryani, a final pinch right before sealing the pot makes the difference.

How Our Garam Masala Differs From Packaged Brands

Most packaged garam masalas have two issues. First, they contain chilli or kashmiri chilli powder added to bulk out the volume. This is not how a traditional garam masala is made. Second, they sit in warehouses and on shelves for months, by which point the aromatic oils have dissipated. Ours is small batch, fresh, and has nothing in it that would not be in a home-ground blend.

Storage

Airtight container, away from heat and sunlight. Six to eight months. Garam masala loses aroma faster than a sambar or rasam powder, so use it in this window. If the jar still smells flat after stirring, it is past its prime.

Shipped Across India

We ship garam masala online across India through Delhivery. Three to seven business days. Free shipping on orders above Rs 699. Cash on delivery available.

Try also: our sambar powder and rasam powder. See our full range of South Indian and Indian masalas.