Punjabi Garam Masala

"Most of us have fond memories of food from our childhood. Whether it was our mom's homemade lasagna or a memorable chocolate birthday cake, food has a way of transporting us back to the past. " - Homaro Cantu.

    Garam Masala is the uncrowned queen in our spice rack. Ever present and always honoured. Only that the garam masala that is used in my mother's home is distinctly South Indian. My mom has never seen black cardamoms till I introduced them to her. And she has no idea Ginger is available in a powder form. Oh yes, life was easy back then.

I have been using this Punjabi Garam Masala to audaciously keep my North Indian curries from turning South Indian. I have mentioned it before, but we tend to do that. Somehow, every curry that was made would morph itself into a South Indian dish.So, in the early days, I used to consciously keep my wandering hands away from the familiar spice jars and followed just what the recipe called for.

I love Punjabi Food, rich in taste and color and I really really try to bring the same flavour that Kusum Maami fed us when we were children. My first Chole curry, Rajmah Masala and Aloo Subzi were cooked in Ammamma's kitchen with loads of ghee/butter and an equal measure of love. Those were the days when none of the ladies knew how these curries were made. So when Kusum Maami got into the kitchen, my mom and Aunts were reduced to helpers in the kitchen. Or they quietly slipped out for their night off. The then skinny me loved butter and it loved me right back. So I was the most excited when Kusum Maami was the one making dinner. I can still distinctly remember those nights as I write this. The magic of food and how it never fails to bring back memories is something that fascinates me every time.


Now, I have been using this spice blend for years and have been missing it for few months now. Once our move was finalized, I only had questions about the things that will be available after the move. Will I get Black Cardamoms there ? How about Nutmeg ? Do people even use Mace anymore?
Thanks to the predominant Indian community, all these spices and more are available here. It also made me understand that to get good quality Indian spices, I had to actually leave India.

Here is the Ingredients list. It has a strong flavour and should be used in reduced quantities in comparison to the store bought ones.

Ingredients :

Jeera / Cumin - 1/2 Cup
Green Cardamoms - 1/2 Cup
Black Cardamom - 7 -8 pods
Peppercorns - 1/4 Cup
Coriander Seeds - 1/4 Cup
Fennel Seeds - 3 Tbsp
Cloves- 2 Tbsp
Cinnamon - 2 Tbsp or equivalent
Mace - 3 Tbsp
Shahjeera/ Black Cumin seeds - 2 Tbsp
Bayleaf - 1/4 Cup
Nutmeg powder - 1 Tbsp
Dried Ginger powder - 1/2 Tbsp

Method :

Dry roast all the spices except the Ginger powder till the aroma of the spices fills your kitchen. Keep the flame medium low and ensure that you do not burn them.

Allow it to cool.

Dry grind the spices in a mixer to a fine powder. ( Please see note)

Transfer the ground mixture to a plate and add the dried ginger powder. Mix well.

You can then sieve this mixture once to ensure the Ginger powder is well blended with the ground mixture.

Bottle it up and use sparingly to enhance the flavour in any curry you see fit. I am really trying hard to not mention North Indian curry. There I go.

Note :

If you have a mixer/grinder that throws a tantrum and refuses to give you that fine powder, keep the mix coarse. Since you wont be able to run this through the sieve, just add the ginger powder to the coarse powder and give a quick spin in the mixer to ensure even blending.

Also make sure that the spices are only lightly roasted. Burnt spices are no fun.

 

Recipe Source : From my recipe notes written years ago. Definitely somewhere from the Net.