Uma’s cooking has always been lip-smacking, leaving her family wanting more. One of her favourite blends was garam masala. There simply was no meal in their home without a dash of the masala. But the purpose of the following blog post was born when her daughter once asked her what garam masala was used for, and all Uma could say was ‘It adds mouth-watering aroma and flavours to the dish

While she’s not wrong, she’s not fully right either. Garam masala is so much more than that, as we’ll see.

What is Garam Masala?

Predominantly used in India, and a few other parts of Asia, garam masala is an Indian spice blend. Usually containing about 10 different spices, this mix is made by roasting pure spices and then grinding them.

The best thing about the blend is that, there is no one recipe or combination of spices followed unanimously. Even as you read, there is a new recipe for garam masala being born in some household in India.

Where can you use Garam Masala?

Garam Masala is used in multiple stages of cooking. While some begin their cooking with it while tempering, some end their cooking with the spice blend as the seasoning. In some dishes, Garam Masala becomes the sole spice blend to be used.

Curries (Dry): Be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian curry, adding a dash of garam masala and coating the vegetables or meat with it, elevates the flavours and aroma of your dish, making it absolutely appetising!

Curries (With Gravy): Adding Garam masala to your gravy makes it mouth-wateringly delicious! Vegetables/meat soaked in this gravy, is bound to be more juicy and palatable!

Soups and stews: This magic blend is also used as an additional spice blend, to flavour soups and stews.