Garam masala | Polka Puffs!

"Something smells good ..what's cooking today?"

I hear this so often when Mr. PP walks into our home after work.. He always knows what’s smelling good but loves asking me the menu for dinner! 😬

Not that there’s some sort of feast being cooked by me for we prefer light, healthy and traditional North Indian fare for most days. And I keep it elaborate on Friday nights &/or Saturdays too… 👌 Sundays are all about brunches & breakfasts for dinner!!! Ya, we do that a lot, and eat out to try some of the new eateries…or revisit our old haunts. It’s a welcome change 😜

Anyways, what does smell good is a basic stir-fry of cauliflower & peas or a simple dal tadka…reason being my special Garam Masala Mix (North Indian Style All Spice Mix).

It’s my mom’s recipe..and I haven’t changed a thing. I make it every month, just enough so that it lasts for about a month or so and make a fresh batch again. That way I know it’s going to taste fresh and aromatic! 🙌🙌

I add the spice to mix to most of the traditional, North Indian food that I prepare on daily basis and trust me, the aromas are so earthy and heady…I can smell them around the entire house!

As a kid, I hated it when my mom added the Garam Masala to any of the curries /veggies. LOL! I didn’t mind the whole spices as I could pick those out of my food. I grew fond of it’s flavours very late in life 😝

I actually smile to myself each and every time I am making this spice mix..😀

Anyways, I guess you would pretty much know the ingredients that go into making this Masala, however they could be some ingredients which you would not be well acquainted with as the Garam Masala made in every household is slightly different with the basic flavour being the same.. So here comes the recipe. 😋

Yield: Approximately 50 gms

Equipments: A large skillet, measuring cups / spoons, a heavy duty dry blender (most homes have this, a basic mixie), a clean dry jar (preferably a glass jar, as spices keep better in these).

Ingredients:

1 tbs each of Jeera seeds (cumin), Dagadphool (black stone flower)

8-9 nos dry whole red chillies

1/2 tbs each of Akkhi Kali Mirch (black pepper corns), Shahi Jeera seeds (black cumin seeds)

9-10 nos. each of Laung (Cloves), Chotti Elaichi (green cardamom)

3-4 nos. Badi Elaichi (black cardamom)

1 no. 3″ piece Dalcheeni (cinnamon stick)

5-6 nos. Tej Patta (bay leaves)

1 no. Javitri Phool (mace flower)

1-2 pinches Jaiphal pwd (nutmeg pwd)

1 no. Anasphal (star anise)

Method:

Heat a skillet on low – medium heat for a couple of mins. Add all the. Above ingredients to this hot skillet and dry roast them for 4-5 mins, making sure that they don’t burn or change colour. Use a spoon to move around these whole spices to ensure the heat gets distributed evenly. Turn off the heat and remove these now warm whole spices in a bowl to cool a bit. Once they are cool enough to touch, put everything into the blender jar, and dry grind them to a fine powder or a slightly coarse powder, the choice is yours! 😋 I keep mine slightly coarse.

Store this masala / spice mix in a clean, dry glass jar, preferably in the freezer (it’s humid in Mumbai so I keep mine in the freezer along with any other spice mix / masalas). They will be fresh and last for almost 2-3 months.