Garam Masala

With a complex perfume of earthy cumin and cinnamon, nutty, peppery cardamom, and citrusy coriander riding the top notes, our salt-free blend Garam Masala wraps you in a hug of comforting fragrance before you even take your first bite. When you eat it, the anchor flavors of cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander are shored up by a bite of clove, a sweet hit of nutmeg, and the heady floral lift of saffron. It finishes with the clean burn of black pepper, which lingers on the tongue and fills you with the sense of homey warmth.

The words “garam masala” literally means “warming spice” or “hot spice”. It does not, however, refer to spicy heat generated by peppers. First created in the mountainous regions of northern India, Garam Masala was created to provide the sense of warmth during cold Himalayan winters, a sort of comfort curry. At its core, Garam Masala is a personalized blend of spices that employs what is available regionally, and what is preferred personally. When you look at what goes into Garam Masala across India, the ingredients in this blend shift. A Garam Masala produced in a region of southern India may, indeed, have hot peppers in the blend to reflect the southern influence.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Garam Masala has enough muscle to withstand a longer cooking time, so add early when you’re making a curry. Letting the flavors bloom in ghee or oil give them leverage to move through the entire stew, but it will mellow the individual flavors. An additional sprinkle across the top of a dish at the end of cooking will make the flavors pop. Because of its warming aesthetics this is a beautiful spice to use if you want to update American comfort food, so toss it with butternut squash to roast and mix into mac & cheese, or slow cook with apples for decadent apple butter. We have also found that it’s fantastic mixed into turkey burgers for a lightened up burger classic.

This salt-free blend contains: Black pepper, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and saffron.

Hungry for more information?

What is Curry?
Indian Spices and Seasonings
Spice Cabinet 101: Cardamom
Garam Masala: A Taste Worth Acquiring