I cannot believe that I am finally writing an actual post about this amazingly aromatic, out-of-the-world Mom’s garam masala recipe! This is a family recipe that is being used for generations and this is my attempt to preserve some of the family traditions as a legacy.
As mentioned in my simple garam masala recipe, every family has their own version of garam masala and I couldn’t be happier to finally share the one from my family! In many maharashtrian families this kind of masala is also referred to as ‘Goda masala’. My mom uses this garam masala to make the authentic and delicious recipes like chicken curry, stuffed eggplant or black eyed peas curry, just to name a few!
This summer when my Mom visited me, I had asked her to bring all of the whole-spices that she uses to make her garam masala. She was thrilled to bring them, together we had a great time exploring and comprehending each spice. These also were some of the most treasured moments for the mother-daughter duo, recollecting family anecdotes from generations past.
With my mom’s help I was able to map the marathi spice names to the english ones; with the hope of passing this down as one of the legacies for my children and my extended family.
My mom slow-roasted each individual spice in a small pan, with a little bit of oil. Roasting helps get rid of any moisture in the spices making it easier to grind. As she continued to roast, a nostalgic warm-earthy-sweet-peppery aroma filled my kitchen! It emotionally transported me not only to my childhood memories of my mom’s cooking but also to my grandma’s kitchen who I was lucky to have spent a great deal of time cooking with.
We allowed these roasted spices to completely cool before grinding them to a fine powder in the spice grinder. After grinding, we sifted the spice blend and ran the larger grainy spices through the grinder again. This ensured that the spices were evenly ground.
List of the spices used in making mom’s homemade garam masala:
- asafetida {hing} – used as a digestive aid, asafetida has a strong odor that mellows out into a garlic-onion flavor
- bay leaves {tamal patra} – aromatic bay leaves with impressive health benefits which includes detoxifying the body
- black pepper {miri} – hot pungent spice, black pepper helps improve stomach’s ability to digest foods and promotes intestinal health
- black cardamom {badi velchi} – often referred to as queen of spices, black cardamom gives a smoky flavor to curries
- cardamom {velchi} – sweet and invigorating spice, green cardamom adds a fresh flavor to many recipes
- cumin seeds {jeera} – with it’s earthy, musky flavor; cumin seeds is one of the most popular spice
- black cumin seeds {shah jeera} – slightly bitter than cumin seeds; black cumin seeds are a rich source of dietary fibre
- cinnamon {daalchini} – sweet-spicy flavored cinnamon sticks enhance the flavors in many dishes
- cloves {lavang} – with a distinct and undeniable warmth, cloves are one of the most powerful spices with intense flavors
- coriander seeds {dhana} – Citrusy flavored coriander seeds add warm and nutty flavors
- dried red chilies {lal mirchi} – with a rich earthy flavor, chilies add perfect heat and color to foods
- fennel seeds {badishep} – lightly sweet and licorice flavored, fennel seeds are a good digestion aid
- fenugreek seeds {methi} – bitter tasting fenugreek seeds help control diabetes and have diverse benefits for skin, hair, and health
- mace {jaipatri} – mace is the outer covering of nutmeg that adds subtle and delicate flavors
- nutmeg {jaiphal} – sweet and pungent nutmeg adds a warm note to savory dishes
- poppy seeds {khuskhus} – adds nutty flavors and khuskhus is also a good source of minerals
- star anise {badyaan} – star anise adds a sweet-licorice flavor to curries
- stone flower {dagadphool} – with a strong earthy aroma this anti-inflammatory kalpasi spice is also dominant in South Indian Chettinad cuisine
- turmeric {halkund} – with a mild woody flavor, turmeric is a super food with its natural anti-inflammatory properties
If you enjoy cooking, you have to try making homemade spice blends that will elevate the flavors of any dish you make. You will be blown away with the taste as well as the quality if you compare them to the store bought spices. From my easy 5-ingredient garam masala to the homemade chana masala recipe, learn more about different spices and spice mixes in this cooking 101 guide.
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Mom's Garam Masala
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoon oil
- 5 pieces -whole turmeric - halkund
- 1/2 nutmeg - jaiphal
- 1 tablespoon asafetida - hing
- 5 cinnamon sticks - daalchini
- 3 tablespoon cloves - lavang
- 1.5 tablespoon black cumin seeds - shah jeera
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds - jeera
- 10 - black cardamom - badi velchi
- 1 tablespoon cardamom - velchi
- 3 tablespoon kalpasi - dagadphool stone flower
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds - badishep
- 2 tablespoon Mace - jaipatri
- 3 tablespoon black pepper - mire
- 10 star anise - badyan
- 8 bay leaves - tamal patra
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds - dhane
- 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds - methya
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds - khuskhus
- 25 - dried red chillies - mirchi
Instructions
- Add 1/2 tsp of oil at a time and slow roast each spice until it releases the aroma and is hot to touch. Allow all the roasted spiced to cool on a large tray.
- Grind the roasted spices in batches to make a fine powder.
- Sift the ground spice blend and grind any coarse spices.
- Store in an airtight glass jar.
Video
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Author: Archana
Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
Viswa says
Thank you for the recipe. How long will it last? Should I store it at room temperature or refrigerate it?
Archana says
Thank you! It stays good for a year in an airtight glass container. I Keep a smaller container in my spice drawer and store the rest in the refrigerator.
Bhanu Priya says
Nice ! garam masala powder blog comment very useful for all cooking maker . Thank you for sharing
Julie says
Thank you for sharing your family recipe! This is the very best garam masala recipe I have made. I couldn’t find kalpasi, but the result was still perfectly balanced and was a perfect base flavor for malai kofta. Where do you find kalpasi? I wonder if there is a place I can order it online.
Archana says
Looks like amazon has it -https://amzn.to/2X5AJJM
Michael says
Hi Archana – thank you so much for your recipes! I’m a huge fan of your cookbook, and was thrilled I found your website. Two quick questions if I can:
1) Are the Hing and Mace whole? I only have them in powder form, so will need to make a trip to the store if so. Or, could they be blended in powder form after the roasting?
2) You say “5 cinnamon sticks” – is that 5 one-inch sticks?
Thanks again and hope you are well in these trying times.
Archana says
You can use powdered hing and mace. And Five, 2-inch cinnamon sticks.
Michael says
Thank you!
Vitor Afonso says
How much is 5 pieces of tumeric. Can I use normal tumeric powder and what quantity for garam masala recipe
Archana says
I would say about 4 to 5 tablespoons
samir says
Surely you mean 4 to 5 teaspoons? (4 to 5 tablespoons of haldi is way too much
Archana says
This is the whole Haldi roughly ground and yes it makes a big batch of masala.
Sakthi says
Nice blog comment . Thank you
Pratiksha says
I want prepare garam masala powder for my day today day receip.. but I am begginer to this recipe.. can you help me for this recipe.. if ni want to prepare 1/2kg of garam masala.. then how can I take proper measure for this.. please help me
Archana says
Hi Pratiksha, I do not have all the spices to tell you the exact measurements at this time. But I am pretty sure if you follow the recipe it will make about 1/2 kg of masala
Michael says
It was not only good enough to impress my gourmet cook to-be mother in law from Rajasthan, she asked for more!
Am Holub says
Very sincere recipe! Great job!
padmaja says
Hi Archana what is the app or plug in you use for the printing recipe . I love it. Thanks
Archana says
Thank you! Its called WP recipe maker
Warren Attridge-Sanders says
Hi I am very excited to give this a go based on all the comments, but can you help me out, depending on my research black cumin can be Nigella seeds, caraway seeds, or a distinct black cumin (difficult to source). Which does this recipe refer to?
Archana says
So Black Cumin seeds called in this recipe are also sold as Shah Jeera in Indian grocery stores. Both Nigella seeds and Caraway have a different flavor profile. You can always substitute it with regular whole cumin seeds.
Dale says
Appreciation to my father who told me concerning
this webpage, this weblog is in fact awesome.
Neeta says
Hi Archana. Love your recipes. My Mom used to make masala for me every year and send it to me, never thought of asking her how she made it. Your Mom’s masala looks very much like how she used to make it.
Thanks for sharing. Quick query, what grinder do you use to grind your masala. I tried with my coffee grinder and the whole turmeric broke the grinder:(
Please let me know. Thanks!
Archana says
I use the Indian Premier brand grinder that comes with a small chutney jar.
Alonna Smith says
Hi Archana,
I love your website and the background information you give about Indian food. I am curious whether you know if black cardamom is a typical ingredient in Maharashtrian cooking or whether the use of it in this recipe is specific to your family? I know people move around and marry people from other regions, so it is hard to tell what is “traditional.” Thanks!
Archana says
I am not sure if its traditional. Will have to check with mom but its always there in our family garam masala 🙂
Alonna Smith says
Thanks Archana!!
JenJen says
Hello! I have all the ingredients ready, but I am not sure about the cardamom pods. On another website there were instructions to crush the cardamom pods, remove the seeds for grinding, and discard the pods. Is this necessary? Did you toast and grind the whole pods? Thank you for your time.
Archana says
Hi Jen! Yes toast and grind the whole pods for lots of flavor.
Amanda says
Does the oil make it go rancid after a period of time?
Does keep in the fridge build moisture in the bottle?
Archana says
I always keep the masala in kitchen cabinets. Never had an issue with oil going rancid or moisture build-up. You can also skip the oil if you are worried.
Phil says
I am new to Indian cooking but have loved trying new things. The other day I was at a local spice shop and bought a garam masala. I’ve seen it in so many recipes I thought it would work. However, when I used it, to my western palate, it made the dish very dessert-y. Too much cinnamon, I guess. With all the cinnamon in this recipe is that a predominant flavor? Is cinnamon a major flavor in all garams?
Thank you for your help.
Archana says
I agree! I am yet to find a store-bought Garama Masala I love. Check my easy 5-ingredient Garam Masala recipe that is ready in 10 minutes and is full of balanced flavors – https://ministryofcurry.com/homemade-garam-masala-2/
Elaine Tsai says
I just made this! We have an Indian store nearby and I was able to find just about everything I needed to make this. My husband said the aromas from the spices reminded him of his neighborhood when he was a boy in Queens, NY. I’m so excited to try it out in a recipe. Thank you for this authentic garam masala recipe.
Archana says
WOW!! I am impressed and I cannot wait to share this with mom. She will be so happy.
Logeswary says
Thankyou so much, so kind of you to share your family receipi. If I want to do about 5kg, can I just follow your receipi and increase the quantity
Archana says
I am not sure if doubling this recipe will make it 5K. I would suggest you try a smaller batch as shown in the recipe first.
@just.a.cooking.mom says
Amazing recipe! It took me weeks to collect all the ingredients, but it was worth it. My kitchen smells amazing and it is much richer and warmer than store-bought.