Garam Masala is a multi-purpose Indian spice blend. I am sharing a failproof garam masala recipe that will give your curries restaurant style flavour. Be sure to watch the video!
Garam Masala 101:
In this post, you will learn about:
-how to make garam masala powder at home
-purpose or uses of garam masala
-common myths about garam masala
-useful tips and notes
What is Garam Masala made of?
This garam masala recipe is a blend of 11 whole spices . The word ‘garam’ refers to the intensity and heat of the spices.
It is one of the most popular Indian spice blends. It is a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free spice mix.
Is garam masala spicy in taste? The Garam masala has an earthy, slightly spicy taste. It has a certain warmth in its aroma and flavour.
Ingredients For Garam Masala:
- Whole Black Peppercorns (sabut kalimirch)
- Green Cardamom (hari/choti elaichi)
- Coriander Seeds (sabut dhaniya)
- Black Cardamom (badi elaichi)
- Cumin Seeds (sabut jeera)
- Star Anise (phool chakri)
- Cinnamon (dalchini)
- Bay Leaf (tej patta)
- Clove (laung)
- Mace (javitri)
- Nutmeg (jaiphall)
Watch Garam Masala Video
Helpful Equipment
Heavy Duty Mixer: You need a strong blade and a heavy-duty dry mixing jar for blending the whole spices.
Cast Iron Skillet: For dry roasting the spices, you need a heavy-duty pan or cast-iron skillet. Avoid using a non-stick pan as the spices might get burnt quickly and not roasted properly.
Storage Jars: I stick to either glass or stainless steel jars for storing all my spices and lentils. Make sure the jar has an airtight, rustproof lid.
How To Use
Garam Masala is one of the key ingredients when it comes to spicy Indian food recipes. It is mainly added to the curries for a rich aroma and an earthy, spicy flavour.
A teaspoon of this spice blend is sufficient to get the desired taste and aroma in any Indian curry. Too much can spoil the taste and make the dish too spicy.
The homemade garam masala is much more robust in taste and aroma than the store-bought one. So if any recipe suggests 1 teaspoon of garam masala, use ½ teaspoon of homemade garam masala.
Here are a few of my favourite Indian food recipes with homemade Punjabi-style garam masala – Dum Aloo , Matar Paneer , Soya Chaap Curry , Rajma Masala , Keema Matar , and Dal Makhani .
How To Store
It is best to store garam masala in a clean, sterilized, airtight jar at room temperature for a month. Make sure to use a dry spoon every time you use it. A good homemade masala is safe for consumption for 1 year .
To increase the shelf life of the masala powder, transfer it to a freezer-friendly ziplock bag. Seal the bag and store it in the freezer door for a year or so.
During the rainy season , put the masala jar under the direct sun for a day to keep the spice blend fresh and free of bugs.
Common Myths
Garam Masala is added to every Indian curry or dish. This is one of the biggest myths. It is only added to the rich Indian dishes from India’s Northern and Central regions.
Garam Masala is added while roasting the curry paste . A wise cook always adds garam masala in the end. So that the aroma and the flavour of the spices enhance the taste of the dish, it is not added for colour or texture. Hence there is no need to fry or saute it with the curry paste.
Garam Masala and curry powder are the same. These two Indian spice mixes are poles apart. The curry powder is a turmeric-based spice blend mainly used in Anglo-Indian or British Cuisine. Whereas garam masala does not have turmeric, is sharp in taste, and can be used for various Indian recipes.
Adding a large amount of garam masala makes the dish tastier. It does just the opposite. Indian cooking is very complex, and the flavour of a dish is built at different steps while cooking. So adding a double quantity of garam masala will not make your curry more tasty or flavoursome.
What is an alternative for Garam Masala?
Substituting Garam Masala with any other spice mix won’t give you the exact flavour. However, you could try using:
- Curry Powder
- Kitchen King Masala
- Maggi Magic Masala
- All Spice mixed with cumin powder
More Homemade Indian Spices
- Tea Masala
- Curry Powder
- Rasam Powder
- Sambar Powder
- Ginger Garlic Paste
- Pickle Masala Powder
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 4 tablespoon coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon cumin seeds (sabut jeera)
- ▢ 2 ½ teaspoon black peppercorn (sabut kali mirch)
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon green cardamom (hari elaichi)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cloves (laung)
- ▢ 3 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ▢ 2 star anise (phool chakri)
- ▢ 1 blade of mace (javitri)
- ▢ 1 nutmeg (jaiphal)
- ▢ 2 cinnamon sticks (dal chini), one inch size
- ▢ 2 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
Instructions
- To prepare garam masala powder, first, dry roast the coriander seeds in a cast iron pan. Continuously stir the seeds while frying for even roasting. It takes 2 – 3 minutes or till the coriander seeds start releasing their aroma. Once roasted, transfer to a plate.
- Repeat the same process with the cumin seeds. They usually take a minute or so. Make sure not to burn them. Transfer to the same plate as coriander seeds.
- Next, add the remaining whole spices in the pan. Dry roast them for 2 – 3 minutes or till the aroma is released. Stir continuously while roasting the spices.
- Combine all the dry roasted spices on the plate. Once they become lukewarm to touch, grind to a fine powder.in the mixer. You can crush the whole spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf to tiny pieces before grinding. This step makes them easy to blend.
- Garam Masala powder is ready to use. You can store it in a clean, sterilized, dry container with a tight fitting lid.
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure to use good quality whole spices for making the garam masala. Avoid using stale or moist whole spices for the purpose.
- You can sun-dry them for a day before making the spice mix.
- Roasting the spices separately ensures they are evenly roasted to perfection.
- Do not roast spices for too long as they might get burnt and taste bitter.
- If the blender motor becomes hot while grinding, turn it off and wait for some time before starting it again.
- After grinding if the garam masala powder is warm to the touch allow it cool down completely before storing.
- For longer shelf life, store it in the freezer.
Nutrition
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Garam Masala Recipe
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)
- 2 tablespoon cumin seeds (sabut jeera)
- 2 ½ teaspoon black peppercorn (sabut kali mirch)
- 1 ½ teaspoon green cardamom (hari elaichi)
- 1 tablespoon cloves (laung)
- 3 bay leaf (tej patta)
- 2 star anise (phool chakri)
- 1 blade of mace (javitri)
- 1 nutmeg (jaiphal)
- 2 cinnamon sticks (dal chini), one inch size
- 2 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
Instructions
- To prepare garam masala powder, first, dry roast the coriander seeds in a cast iron pan. Continuously stir the seeds while frying for even roasting. It takes 2 - 3 minutes or till the coriander seeds start releasing their aroma. Once roasted, transfer to a plate.
- Repeat the same process with the cumin seeds. They usually take a minute or so. Make sure not to burn them. Transfer to the same plate as coriander seeds.
- Next, add the remaining whole spices in the pan. Dry roast them for 2 - 3 minutes or till the aroma is released. Stir continuously while roasting the spices.
- Combine all the dry roasted spices on the plate. Once they become lukewarm to touch, grind to a fine powder.in the mixer. You can crush the whole spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf to tiny pieces before grinding. This step makes them easy to blend.
- Garam Masala powder is ready to use. You can store it in a clean, sterilized, dry container with a tight fitting lid.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use good quality whole spices for making the garam masala. Avoid using stale or moist whole spices for the purpose.
- You can sun-dry them for a day before making the spice mix.
- Roasting the spices separately ensures they are evenly roasted to perfection.
- Do not roast spices for too long as they might get burnt and taste bitter.
- If the blender motor becomes hot while grinding, turn it off and wait for some time before starting it again.
- After grinding if the garam masala powder is warm to the touch allow it cool down completely before storing.
- For longer shelf life, store it in the freezer.
Nutrition
This is a soft, moist, vanilla flavour eggless Sponge Cake. Serve it with whipped cream and fresh fruits for teatime. Be sure to watch the video!
Vanilla Sponge Cake is a classic baking recipe you will always find in grandma’s recipe diary. It is a versatile cake you can serve in a million creative ways.
August – September is always a transitional month for me.
It’s not quite autumn, but it feels like summer is over, so I can spend some quality baking time in the kitchen without worrying about the melting butter and sweltering heat.
I love the warmth and comfort of old-fashioned teatime cakes. Instead of layering cakes with beautiful piping details, I like to keep them simple.
What You Need
You need 8 ingredients, 8-inch round cake tin, and a hand mixer to make eggless vanilla sponge cake.
- All-Purpose Flour: I have used basic all-purpose flour and not cake flour.
- Condensed Milk: This is an eggless cake. Hence, we are using condensed milk. I have used Nestle Sweetened Condensed Milk.
- Butter: The butter gives this sponge cake a rich buttery classic taste.
- Sugar : I add only 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar because the condensed milk is already sweet. You can use regular powdered sugar or castor sugar. Don’t use icing sugar.
- Vanilla : Adding vanilla flavour is optional.
- Other ingredients: Milk, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
Equipment : A hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment is a must for making the batter for vanilla sponge cake. Else, it would be best if you used a lot of muscle power to get that perfect airy cake batter.
Baking Tin: You can bake this cake in a round or square tin. Or, if you are planning to layer the cake with frosting, divide the batter into two 8-inch cake tins and bake.
Watch Sponge Cake Video
My Tried & True Tips
My 1 Cup = 250 ml liquid and 200-gram flour. Whereas 1 tablespoon = 15 ml and 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. The condensed milk tin I bought was 400 grams. I used exactly half of it.
Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before making the cake batter.
I have used salted butter hence skipping adding salt separately. If you use unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the flour.
I highly recommend using a hand mixer or stand mixer to achieve a light, fluffy, and airy cake batter.
After 30 minutes, cover the tin with aluminium foil if the top of the cake is browning too fast.
In my 52-litre capacity OTG, this eggless sponge cake takes precisely 45 minutes. I would suggest checking it after 30 minutes by inserting a toothpick.
Do not invert a piping hot cake after immediately bringing it out of the oven. Let it sit in the cake tin for 10 – 15 minutes or till it becomes lukewarm before inverting.
Serving Suggestion
There are a million ways to serve a sponge cake. It is the most versatile cake recipe.
A few of my favourite easy ways to serve a sponge cake are:
- dust it with icing sugar
- layer with fresh berries or fruits
- make a victoria sponge with a layer of whipped cream and fruit compote
or serve it without any add-ons with a cup of tea
More Eggless Cake Recipes
- Eggless Peach Cake
- Eggless Orange Cake
- Eggless Semolina Cake
- Eggless Chocolate Cake
- Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Eggless Whole Wheat Cake
f ollow us on Youtube or Instagram for video recipes.
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
Dry Ingredients:
- ▢ 1 cup (200 gram) all purpose flour (maida)
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 3 tablespoon powdered white sugar
Liquid Ingredients:
- ▢ ¼ cup (60 gram) unsalted butter, softened
- ▢ 1 cup milk, at room temperature
- ▢ 200 ml condensed milk, at room temperature
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Instructions
- Preheat your oven at 170 degree celsius. Grease a 8 inch round cake tin with little butter or line the base with parchment paper.
- To prepare the eggless sponge cake, first mix together flour, baking soda, powder together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl cream butter using a hand mixer or stand mixer at medium speed still creamy in texture. Gradually add the condensed milk and whisk well using the hand mixer for 1 minute.
- Now add sugar and vanilla essence, one last time whisk with the hand mixer for 1 – 2 minutes at medium speed.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture in the liquid ingredients along with ½ cup of milk. Cut and fold to form a lump-free batter. Add remaining flour and milk. Once again, cut and fold the batter till smooth, evenly combined, and no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the batter in the greased tin. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes in the middle rack of the oven. After 30 minutes cover the tin with an aluminum foil if the top of the cake is browning too fast. At this stage, insert a toothpick and check the cake for doneness as well.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven, let it sit in the tin for the next 10 – 15 minutes. After cooling down a bit invert the sponge cake onto a wire rack and let it cool down completely at room temperature.
- You can serve eggless sponge cake at room temperature or slightly chilled.
How To Decorate Sponge Cake:
- To layer the sponge cake, cut it horizontally from the middle into two equal halves. In the bottom half add the generous amount of whipped and spread it with the back of the spoon. Over the layer of cream add one or two spoonful of strawberry compote and some sliced fruits.
- Cover this layer with the upper half of the cake like a sandwich. Layer the upper half as well with cream, cherry compote and sliced fruits.
- Keep the cake in the fridge for sometime before serving. I feel after getting chilled it tastes more delicious and the flavors are well soaked by the sponge cake.
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before making the cake batter.
- I have used salted butter hence skipped adding salt in the flour. If you are using unsalted butter add ¼ teaspoon salt in the flour.
- I highly recommend using a hand mixer or stand mixer to achieve a light, fluffy, and airy cake batter.
- After 30 minutes cover the tin with an aluminum foil if the top of the cake is browning too fast.
- In my 52-liter capacity OTG, this eggless sponge cake takes exact 45 minutes. I would suggest checking it after 30 minutes by inserting a toothpick.
- Do not try to invert a piping hot cake after immediately bringing it out from the oven. Let it sit in the cake tin for 10 – 15 minutes or till it becomes lukewarm before inverting.
Nutrition
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