Masala is a legendary blend of Indian spices eaten dry or as a paste. The word "garam" means "warm" or "hot". Garam masala literally means "hot spices", that is, spices that warm the body. The site contains complete information about the seasoning garam masala: what it is, composition, where and how to use it in cooking, and much more.
Garam masala is an Indian blend of ground spices lightly toasted to enhance their flavor. The taste can be slightly spicy or pungent - it depends on the method of preparation and on the dish seasoned with it, but a sweetish aftertaste is a common property.
Garam masala is at the heart of most Indian dishes. This is a great addition to curries, lentils and soups.
There is no single recipe for garam masala. Ingredients vary by region, as well as the personal preference of the person creating the mixture. Learning how to blend spices (becoming a masalchi) is a matter of pride in India, and every chef strives to make the best blend.
What does garam masala look like - photo
Garam masala is not necessarily a powder of spices, it can also be in the form of a paste with the addition of coconut milk, vinegar or water.
Composition
There are many variations of garam masala recipes. This spice mix contains 10 to 30 or more ingredients. The simple version most commonly used in India includes:
- black pepper;
Other common ingredients are saffron, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, mace (nutmeg), anise, tamarind, fenugreek, bay leaf, dried red chillies.
Whatever spices are used, they are all carefully blended for a balanced flavor that is spicy and somewhat sweet, but without added sugar.
What taste and smell
No garam masala blend has the same taste and smell, as there are many different spice compositions.
Despite the fact that the word "garam" is translated as "hot", this does not mean that the seasoning is spicy. Spices increase body temperature, speeding up metabolism. However, for those who are not used to spices and spices, garam masala will seem spicy.
The seasoning has a deep and complex aroma, it has a balance of all six tastes:
- cinnamon adds warmth and sweetness;
- pepper - slight pungency;
- coriander and dill - a spicy, floral note;
- cumin – spiciness adds warmth and together all the spices add depth and complexity to recipes both sweet and savory.
Where could I buy
Garam masala is not so common in supermarkets. It can be found in stores specializing in spices, spices and vegetarian food.
Garam masala will differ depending on the brand. As already mentioned, each manufacturer has its own recipe for this spice mixture.
In small towns, this seasoning is almost impossible to find in stores. You can easily fix this problem and buy garam masala online.
How and how much to store
Store garam masala in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Shelf life is six months, but ground spices run out of steam pretty quickly, so it's best to use the seasoning within a few weeks. Over time, you will have to put more garam masala in dishes to get the desired taste.
Do not put it in the refrigerator: the seasoning is well stored there for 1-2 days, but as soon as it accumulates moisture, it loses flavor.
The nutritional value
Dietary fiber (fiber) in garam masala takes up to 16%. The seasoning contains almost no fat. It is a source of manganese, potassium, vitamins A and B.
Calorie content of 100 g of garam masala is 379 calories.
- Fats 15 g
- Carbohydrates 45 g
- Protein 16 g
Garam Masala Seasoning Recipes
The proportions, combinations and variations of garam masala are endless. Spices are usually roasted whole and then ground into a powder.
Recipe 1 - simplified version
This quick recipe garam masala blend takes 2 minutes to make at home with everyday spices. Use it in Indian dishes, with fried vegetables, in soups, stews and more.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of cumin;
- 2 teaspoons of coriander;
- 2 tsp cardamom;
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon;
- 1 tsp black pepper;
- ½ tsp nutmeg;
- ½ tsp cloves;
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper.
How to do:
- Mix all ground spices in a small bowl and store in a sealed jar.
- To enhance flavor and aroma, lightly toast the desired amount in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat just before use until fragrant.
Recipe 2
To make garam masala as authentic as possible, use whole spices.
Ingredients:
- 1 st. l. coriander seeds;
- 1 st. l. cumin;
- 1 tsp black pepper;
- 0.5 tsp whole cloves;
- 0.5 tsp cardamom seeds from green pods (or a mixture of black and green);
- 0.5 tsp zira (optional);
- 2 bay leaves;
- 0.5 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
- 1-3 dry red chilies (or 1 tsp chili flakes)
- 5 cm piece of cinnamon stick;
- a piece of nutmeg (about 1 tsp).
How to cook:
- Lightly toast the whole spices over medium heat in a skillet without oil until the seeds crackle and release flavor. Stir constantly so the mixture doesn't burn.
- Grind in a spice grinder or blender to a fine powder.
Recipe 3
Ingredients:
- zira - 30 g;
- coriander - 10 grains;
- black pepper - 10 peas;
- green cardamom - 10 boxes;
- black cardamom - 5 boxes;
- cloves - 8 heads;
- star anise (star anise) - 4 pieces;
- nutmeg color - 4 pcs;
- cinnamon - 4 sticks;
- freshly grated nutmeg - 3 g.
How to cook:
- Quickly fry whole spices in a pan without oil, stirring constantly so as not to burn.
- Cool slightly and grind the spices in a mortar to a fine powder or grind in a mixer.
- Add ground nutmeg to the mixture.
Application in cooking
Garam masala is not limited to adding to curries or Indian dishes. It is used as a versatile seasoning for adding to meat, chicken, fish, vegetables or rice dishes.
- It is usually added to a dish at the end of cooking or sprinkled on top right before serving because the taste can become bitter if cooked for too long.
- The products are thoroughly mixed with the masala mixture so that the spices are evenly distributed.
- The dish is salted last, when it is almost ready and even removed from the fire, otherwise it will interfere with the taste of garam masala.
What dishes are used
The list below on Pripravkino.ru is a brief example of foods and dishes where you can add garam masala:
- in green beans, lentils, potatoes, carrots, zucchini;
- in soups and stews;
- in baked or boiled potatoes;
- in pilaf and other rice dishes;
- rub meat or chicken with this seasoning before frying;
- added to marinades, salad dressings;
- garam masala is prepared spicy sauce: mixed with a small amount of sour cream or mayonnaise until a thick mass is formed and served with meat or poultry;
- seasoning flour when baking bread and gingerbread.
Benefit for health
Here are the most popular health benefits of garam masala:
- Fights diabetes. Cinnamon in the seasoning has the ability to naturally lower blood sugar levels. It helps prevent the development of diabetes, especially for those at risk. Cinnamon also improves the body's responsiveness and sensitivity to insulin, a vital hormone that maintains blood sugar balance.
- Strengthens the immune system. The blend of spices in garam masala has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic and antimicrobial properties.
- Helps the digestive system. Garam masala increases body temperature and metabolism. This prevents slow digestion and accumulation of toxins.
- Reduces cholesterol levels. Cloves, peppers, cardamom, coriander and cinnamon lower "bad" cholesterol (LDL).
- Fights inflammation. Cumin in garam masala improves digestion and metabolism, regulates heart rate. It is also rich in iron and increases hemoglobin levels.
- Reduces bloating and flatulence. The spice has carminative properties that aid digestion and help fight bloating, nausea, and flatulence. In general, garam masala supports the health of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Slows down the aging process. Garam masala is able to slow down the aging process thanks to cinnamon, black pepper and cumin. In particular, pepper has strong antioxidant, antibacterial, and antibiotic properties that provide excellent anti-aging benefits.
- Helps with weight loss. This is only because garam masala is spicy and it causes perspiration in the body. Sweating is a procedure that burns excess fat in the body, helps to reduce fat in the body.
- Increases the body's ability to absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
Contraindications (harm) and side effects
For the most part, garam masala is considered a healthy and safe condiment. This spice blend has a long history and continues to be used regularly today. The same is true for the individual spices that are present in it.
However, as with any product, there is a risk of harm from side effects:
- Sensitive people have allergic reactions to any spices, then garam masala can cause itching, rash, burning sensation in the mouth or diarrhea and vomiting.
What to replace
If you don't have garam masala on hand, you can use an alternative. Here are some options for replacing it:
curry powder
Of course, you won't get the warming effect of garam masala from curry, but this flavor is well suited to Indian dishes. Just add the same amount of curry powder as directed in your recipe and you'll have a good substitute.
Allspice and cumin
These spices are usually always present in the kitchen. And while a classic garam masala blend can contain over 30 individual ingredients, you can easily make your own simple substitute using just allspice and cumin.
Or... do not mix all the ingredients
Even if you find that you don't have everything for garam masala, you can create your own blend using a few key ingredients.
For an alternate mix, use:
- 3 parts coriander and cinnamon;
- 1 part cumin and cloves;
- ½ part cardamom and pepper.
Mix these ingredients together and simply add this spice mix to your dish in place of store-bought or homemade garam masala.
If you don't have these six ingredients but have some time to experiment, try making a blend with what you have. You can get a great composition of garam masala!
- a mixture of toasted and crushed spices, is a traditional seasoning of Indian cuisine, today recognized by culinary experts all over the world. In appearance, it is a brown powder (it has various shades: from brownish-greenish to thick chocolate color).
The smell of garam masala is close to nutty, has a rich, spicy-sweet taste. The basis of the taste is created by such spices as cumin, coriander, black and allspice, Indian bay leaf. To these base ingredients are added others, usually cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon. Modern versions of the recipe suggest including saffron, fennel, nutmeg and hot red chili in the mixture.
Origin of garam masala
Northern India is the birthplace of garam masala. Each spice, which is part of the garam masala, is fried separately in a dry cast-iron skillet, stirring occasionally, until it darkens and begins to emit a characteristic smell. This procedure usually takes 15 minutes. After that, the cooked spices are thoroughly mixed and ground, and then seasoning can be added to the dish.
The nutritional value
The nutritional value of garam masala, like many other spice mixtures, varies - it depends on the specific composition. As you know, the composition of this seasoning can include from 5 to 20 different spices (most often an average version of 12 ingredients is used), while their proportions may also differ.
The use of garam masala in cooking
Garam masala in cooking It is used as a seasoning for both hot and sweet dishes, and it is also added to sauces and drinks. It is believed that this spicy mixture is most suitable for dishes of chicken, vegetables, rice, legumes (beans, peas, lentils). It is put in a variety of soups, snacks, salads and stews. The spicy mixture is widely used in the confectionery industry, used to make cakes, puddings, oatmeal and buckwheat cookies, pies with apple, berry, pear, pumpkin filling, add to the batter ( batter), where pieces of vegetables or fruits are fried. In addition, garam masala is considered an excellent flavor for juices, fruit drinks, herbal teas.
Usually, the spice is laid at the very end of the preparation of the dish or just before the dish is served to the table: sometimes, the dish is simply sprinkled on top with the resulting dry mixture. The remaining seasoning can be stored in a glass jar with a tightly closed lid in a cool place for about 3-4 months. Indian chefs believe that the mixture should be made just before preparing the dish.
Application in cosmetology and medicine
Ayurvedic cuisine, which is a specific unity of culinary, medical and religious-philosophical principles, perceives the spicy mixture of garam masala as a necessary component of healing dishes that cleanses the body. This implies not only symbolic cleansing in a psychological, spiritual sense (since it is believed that spices "burn" everything negative, excessive, harmful), but also in purely physiological (purification of toxins and toxins). As doctors have established, garam masala can indeed be beneficial for a number of diseases of the digestive tract. In addition, the named spicy mixture is an excellent tool for the prevention colds, male impotence and sclerosis.
Garam masala is a legendary Indian spice mix, the Hindi name translates as "hot mix". Like all spices, and especially loved in Asian cuisine. However, the fashion for oriental cuisines is widespread today, so garam masala can be found among French, Russian, and American housewives.
The spices that must be included in the garam masala mixture are: black pepper, cloves, brown and green cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. The rest of the ingredients can be added at the discretion of the cook, and in India they prefer not to buy this seasoning, but to cook it without fail.
It is advisable for garam masala to take not ground spices, but whole ones, and fry them over low heat in a pan with a thick bottom, stirring constantly, like seeds, for about ten minutes. As soon as a breathtaking aroma has gone from the spices, and their color has turned brown, the fire must be turned off, the spices should be cooled and ground in a coffee grinder.
Homemade garam masala is used immediately, and the leftovers are stored in glass jars with lids, but not longer than 3 months. Sometimes spices are toasted with a little bit of coconut milk or vinegar (makes a paste), garlic, ginger, anise, and chili peppers (makes a spicier mixture). There is no single recipe for garam masala: all variations have an equal right to exist. Today, this seasoning is widely used in cooking. Garam masala goes well with plov and poultry dishes.
What is garam masala seasoning? Garam masala is not a spicy condiment. "Garam" means "hot" and "masala" means "mixture of spices". "Hot" and "spicy" are rather Ayurvedic concepts, where it is believed that plants and herbs can have both "warming" and "cooling" properties of the body.
This seasoning is especially common in northern India. It is added mainly at the final stage of cooking, after the fire has already been turned off. There is no single recipe for garam masala. Every Indian chef who uses garam masala has his own. Some recipes include up to 20 different ingredients.
Chef: Rick Stein
- 1 st. l. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. l. cumin seed (zira)
- 2 tbsp. l. coriander seed
- 2 tsp cardamom seeds
- 4 tsp clove buds
- 1 cinnamon stick in 7cm
- 1 nutmeg
- grater
- pan
- coffee grinder or food processor
Cooking method:
- Fry all spices except nutmeg in a skillet (without oil) over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Cool down.
- Grate nutmeg on a fine grater, add to the roasted spices.
- Grind to powder in a coffee grinder or food processor.
- Store in a closed container away from sunlight for no more than one month.
What is in Garam Masala?
Regardless of how many and how many spices you choose (if you want to create your own garam masala recipe), it must have black pepper, which “warms” the body. But never chili or turmeric can be included in garam masala. (How glad I was to read this. When I first made this seasoning, I didn’t like it at all because of the color. As a fan of experiments, I immediately wanted to add turmeric for brightness. But, fortunately, I found out that this could not be done. )
The next ingredient in garam masala is cardamom. It is easy to catch the aroma of lemon and eucalyptus in its seeds. Which of these two smells will dominate depends on the country where the plant grows.
Cardamom goes very well in dishes with coriander seeds. Both spices are united by the lemon component in the smell. Perhaps this relationship determined their proximity in the recipe for garam masala.
Cinnamon is the rolled bark of the cinnamon tree. This is the only spice that I buy not only in its whole, but also ground form, since at home it is not always possible to grind it to a powder state.
In Indian cuisine in general, cloves are often used in rice and meat dishes. You need to be very careful when using it in ground form, as its tart aroma can easily “drown out” all the others.
Before adding grated nutmeg to garam masala seasoning, be sure to check its suitability. How to do it? After cutting the nut in half with a knife, it should be oily and moist. If, when cut, the nut crumbles, and inside it is dry, then this is an old nut, whose best time is long behind.
Cumin (zira) is one of the main components of garam masala. Cumin, like black pepper, is a "warming" spice.
The basic principle of preparing garam masala seasoning is as follows: fry spices (without adding oil), cool, grind into powder. I do not recommend buying this or any other ready mix spices. Firstly, the purchased version is almost always a miserable semblance of freshly made, since spices do not retain their aroma for a long time when ground.
Secondly, when they are roasted, they really “open” their aroma, spreading it in the kitchen and throughout the house. Especially in winter, the smell alone has a warming effect on me. I see no reason to deprive myself of this pleasure.
This recipe for garam masala is taken from the book Rick Stein's India by the famous English chef and restaurateur Rick Stein (sometimes referred to as Rick Stein). Last summer, a series of BBC documentaries came out in which Rick Stein traveled around India in search of the best sauce curry. This series was a great success, as was the book based on it, which I couldn't help but get. Garam masala has a special place in this book, as it is one of the main ingredients in many of its recipes.
I must say that Indian cuisine is very popular in London. I continue to be surprised by the openness of the British to the knowledge and acceptance of the cultures of other countries, including their cuisine. Arriving at one Indian restaurant, my husband and I were surprised to find a menu with a hundred names of dishes, which obviously did not tell us anything. In brackets, as often happens, it was not explained what is included in the dishes. Most of the visitors were British. That is, they, unlike us, knew exactly what to order from this list. We had to order "blindly". But now I also have a favorite Indian restaurant. In the menu "Al Mirage" the composition of the dishes is indicated. It doesn’t look very remarkable, but the food ordered there has never disappointed me.
Burger with garam masala for Barack Obama
One of the popular garam masala recipes I know of is the nine-year-old Shreya Patel's veggie burger. Why is he so famous? Last summer, thanks to this recipe, little Shreya got the opportunity to meet Barack Obama at the White House.
Shreya was one of 55 little chefs who received this opportunity. Michelle Obama organized a competition for healthy lunches (lunches), which are not only tasty, but also easy to prepare, and also affordable. As a prize, the winners were invited to the White House for a State Dinner for Children.
In fact, very a good idea. A burger doesn't have to be vegan. Garam masala added to beef cutlet for a burger, will give the dish a special spice.
In Indian cooking, there are various combinations of various types of spices called masala, thanks to which everyday food becomes spicy and varied.
With the help of masala Indian cuisine is always new, interesting, endowed with unique taste properties and attractive aroma. Let's figure out what masala seasoning is and what it can be used for.
seasoning composition
The composition of masala is different: it can consist of dry, fried and ground seasonings, and sometimes it can look like a paste or sauce. It is not recommended to use for its preparation. ready seasonings purchased in stores. This leads to taste uniformity of dishes. Moreover, all seasoning mixtures can be easily made with your own hands.
Almost every recipe for Indian dishes uses the so-called "hot mixes" - garam masala. According to the theory, these spices help to warm up the body and activate various processes in the human body.
Ground garam masala is used to season dishes, usually at the end of cooking. This allows you to preserve the specific flavor of the prepared food. In some recipes for cooking, spices and spices are used not ground, but as a whole.
Consider the most common and frequently used recipes for composing the composition of garam masala.
Recipe for garam masala:
- First cast: take one teaspoon of cardamom seeds, cumin, cloves, black peppercorns, as well as about 5 cm cinnamon, half nutmeg. Grind the ingredients in a coffee grinder.
- Second recipe. You need to prepare: about 5 cm cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of cumin seeds, one teaspoon of black peppercorns, one teaspoon of clove seeds and two tablespoons of coriander seeds. Grind all the ingredients with a coffee grinder.
biryani masala
How to prepare biryani masala: mix 8 cardamom seeds, cinnamon (5 cm from the stick), one teaspoon of clove seeds and fennel seeds. Grind all ingredients with a mortar or coffee grinder.
