Kerala Garam Masala

By Flagthis -

I finally got off the phone with my Mom who ok'ed my proportions for the kerala garam masala! I'm sorry I kept you waiting. It took time because I couldn't have her tsking while reading this post. Call me a sissy, but I really do need her approval. Among all the excellent cooks in my life, she is the finest. I'm not saying this because of the obvious fact -she scares the living day lights out of me, but simply because, in my standards she is the best I've seen so far.

kgm60

There are many versions of this garam masala and this is my Mother's. It has been tried and tested by my family and friends, and all of them have loved it. The proportions are in metric system, because that is the system my Mother uses and I don't (dare not) question my Mother.

kgmp10

Ingredients

25 gms cardamom seeds(elakka/elaki/elaichi)
50 gms cinnamon (patta/dalchini)
50 gms cloves (gramboo/long)
1 whole, 5 gms when powdered nutmeg (jadikya/jaifal)
100 gms fennel (perinjeeragum/saunf)
5 gms mace (may flower/javitri) - optional
20 gms star anise (chakra phool) - optional

Directions

  • Dry roast the spices individually in a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. Make sure the flame is set at medium heat. Keep stirring, be watchful and don't let spices burn on you.
  • Grind all the roasted spices together into a fine powder.
  • Store in an air tight container.
  • Use sparingly since these are intense spices and can be over powering.

    • Comments

    1. leena antoJanuary 8, 2010 at 9:38 PM

      KERALA GARAM MASALA


      INGREDIANTS.


      HI ALL THE FANS OF KERALA GHARAM MASALA, HERE IS THE RECIPE TO MAKE IT AT HOME:
      FENNAL---100gm( PERUNJEERAKAM IN MALLU LANGUAGE)
      CARDAMOM---50GM
      CLOVES----50gm
      CINNAMMON---50gm
      STAR ANISEED(Optional)--10gm

      MILDLY ROAST THE ABOVE INGREDIENTS IN A PAN, THEN GRIND IT TO POWDER, STORE IN AIR TIGHT CONTAINER AND USE IN MILD DOSES.

      LEENA ANTO
      BANGALORE

      ReplyDelete
    2. vidduJanuary 12, 2010 at 1:25 AM

      My mom-in-laws garam masala recipe is quite similar. You are absolutely right - the masala is very intense, but does give the homemade flavor....

      ReplyDelete
    3. AlokMay 25, 2010 at 4:07 PM

      Thanks for this recipe,
      I made this and it tastes good!

      ReplyDelete
    4. Jane AlexanderOctober 10, 2010 at 6:42 AM

      Hello,

      My ex-mother-in-law was from Puna. She made a masala for dahl and other vegetable dishes she called it BLACK MASALA. It was suggested I use gram masala and add cloves and black pepper to it. The BLACK MASALA is very fragrant but not very hot.

      Any ideas? She has passed and I don't have the recipe...

      ReplyDelete
    5. julieOctober 12, 2010 at 2:50 AM

      Jane,
      I've heard for the maharashtrian kala masala but have never made it myself. Will check with my marathi friends and let you know what I find.

      -J

      ReplyDelete
    6. LeilaOctober 15, 2010 at 1:42 AM

      Jane,having lived in Mumbai I know this is Goda masala used only by Maharashtrians. Kindly Google and follow whichever you like best. There are plenty.

      ReplyDelete
    7. SandeepJune 7, 2011 at 11:05 AM

      Hi, beautiful pictures. Had been looking for a recipe for Kerala garam masala for a while. Is it possible to have the ingredients in easy measures (i.e. spoons, number of cloves etc) as I don't have a kitchen weighing scale? Thanks & keep up the good work!

      ReplyDelete
    8. heartlandroadOctober 6, 2012 at 3:30 AM

      Interesting! My Keralan friend's mother gave me a pot of home made garam masala when she visited some time ago. It's amazin stuff - I can smell cardamom and cinnamon in it, and my nose goes numb if I sniff too hard so I reckon there are cloves in there too! I had wondered about the ingredients, I think it must be similar to this recipe. I wish having it could make me cook as well as she does, but I think it takes more than a pot of garam masala to make that happen!

      When she visited she also brought my friend some whole spices from home, including bay, cardamom and a thick black bark that smelled like cinnamon - are you familiar with anything like that?

      ReplyDelete
    9. julieOctober 6, 2012 at 2:43 PM

      yeah, the thick dark bark is cinnamon...

      ReplyDelete

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