What is garam masala? Method of preparation and use of this seasoning

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

When you are going to cook an Indian dish from a cookbook, you often come across such an interesting ingredient in recipes as garam masala. What it is? Is it possible to make seasoning yourself in our conditions of northern latitudes? Or will cooking aromatic Indian dishes remain an unattainable dream for us? Of course, zira, cardamom and coriander do not grow on Russian bows, and you will not find a clove tree in our forests. But in the markets you can easily find all the necessary ingredients.

So let's go to the market. What do we need and how much? The very word "masala" from the Hindi language is translated as "mixture". That is, it is a combination of herbs and spices. "Garam", by the way, means nothing more than "hot". Therefore, spices should warm. Garam masala is a mixture of spices that not only smells good and gives dishes a unique flavor. Seasoning is indispensable in the so-called"winter" dishes - chicken in a curry, for example. And at home, in India, the mixture is added to a wide variety of dishes: salads, soups and even desserts.

So what are we going to the market for? Ask the merchant to give you two tablespoons of coriander, cardamom and cumin seeds. You also need to buy two cinnamon sticks (about 5 cm long), a teaspoon of cloves (buds) and ground nutmeg. Well, at home you probably have one bay leaf and two soup spoons of peppercorns. Now let's start preparing garam masala. The recipe is extremely simple and resembles roasting seeds.

We take a heavy pan, preferably with a thick bottom, put it on a small fire. Without any fat! When it warms up well, pour a mixture of spices on it without nutmeg and stir it with a wooden spatula. After a while, the spices will begin to smell fragrant. After ten minutes of such calcination, the mixture will change color - it will become darker. This is a sign that it's time to turn off the fire. Let the garam masala cool completely and add a tablespoon of grated nutmeg. Mix again and grind in a coffee grinder. We put the powder in a tightly closed container. The mixture retains its fullness of flavor for about three months, and then begins to fade.

There is another, more complex recipe for garam masala - "Karma". According to him, we grind each spice separately. Yes, and the mixture is somewhat different: 10 cardamom seeds, 5 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 bay leaves, 2 dried hot red chili pods, as well astwo soup spoons of mustard seeds, cumin, coriander and peppercorns. Then we combine all the chopped spices in a bowl. Heat a dry frying pan until a light haze appears. Pour the mixture and ignite it, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula, for two minutes. Cool, pour into a jar.

In what dishes does garam masala find its use? In almost all meat, if you want to give them a touch of southern exoticism. This mixture of spices can also eliminate unwanted odors from foods such as lamb. Fry the fillet in olive oil for 5 minutes until crusty, put on a plate. In the remaining fat, sauté the chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic for 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of garam masala to them and fry for half a minute. Put the fillet pieces in the pan again, pour in the broth or tomato sauce, bring to a boil. Then cover the pan with foil or a lid and put in an oven preheated to 180 C for 4 hours.