Add a Little Spice to Your Life!
Do you love to cook? Do you like to try new flavors and recipes? Or maybe you are in a cooking rut and don’t know how to start expanding your cooking repertoire. Let us help you get spicy in the kitchen. Your kit includes a pre-measured packet of garam masala and a few recipes.
What is garam masala? Garam masala is a popular spice blend used throughout India. The word garam means “hot” while masala means “spices” but those words aren’t meant to imply that garam masala is always spicy. In Ayurvedic medicine, the spices in garam masala are considered warming meaning they increase the metabolism rather than being hot in flavor. As with many spice blends, the exact spices included in garam masala vary by region and even by household. The most common spices included in the blend are cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, nutmeg, and mace. Other popular add-ins include bay leaves, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, and dried red chiles. In northern India, garam masala is heavy with black peppercorns.
Garam masala tends to get spicier with the addition of dry red chiles in southern India. Easy ways to add garam masala to your diet. Garam masala adds warmth, sweetness, floral notes, and a touch of heat from the black pepper. It is intended to be a fragrant spice as well as a flavorful one. It can be sprinkled over dishes, like pureed soups or fresh popped popcorn, just before serving to enhance the flavors and add a touch of warmth. Try baking with garam masala by swapping it into any recipe that calls for pumpkin pie spice. Make masala eggs by whisking in a pinch or two just before you scrambled the eggs. Before roasting, add a few generous pinches to any root vegetable such as carrots, parsnips or sweet potatoes. Garam masala can be used as a rub for meat, poultry, and fish. Mix the spice blend with a little oil or yogurt and massage it into the meat. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Recipes featuring Garam Masala:
- Sheet-Pan Chicken Tikka Thighs
- Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken
- Cauliflower and Tomato Masala with Peas
- Chana Masala
- Peas with Garam Masala
Need more inspiration?
You can watch a six-part Great Courses class called The Everyday Gourmet: Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking for free with your library card by using a Hoopla Great Courses BingePass or streaming on Kanopy.