Garam Masala

The exact blend is different depending on which region or cook it comes from, but common spices in garam masala include black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black and green cardamom pods, bay leaf, cumin, and coriander. In more southern regions of India, you’ll often find ground hot chilis are a part of the blend, too.

The process of making garam masala is quite simple; typically the spices are first lightly toasted to release flavor and aroma. Then, they’re ground into a powder. That’s it! The resulting blend is commonly used to flavor meat, fish, and vegetable dishes.

It’s worth remembering that once ground into a powder, the spices become less potent pretty quickly, so you’ll get the most out of freshly-ground blends. Even so, a garam masala powder will still last many months.

Whether you want a pre-ground garam masala or the spices to create your own flavorful blend, Uwajimaya has you covered. The former can be found in our spice aisle in the grocery department, while whole spices are available close by.