Traditional Indian Garam Masala, known as king of hot spice blend, made up of approximately 36 ingredients. Because of its complexity, many people prefer to just either go to nearby Indian grocery store or buy it online from Amazon, Walmart or Spicy Organic. If you find yourself in a hurry, and don’t have time to go either to the grocery store or shop online, an Indian curry powder can be a good substitute of Garam Masala.
Ethnic cooking at home allows you to bring the flavors of the world to your table, but each new culinary endeavor requires a different set of ingredients. By combining some spices that you already have in your cabinet, you can approximate the flavors of garam masala, one of the main ingredients of Indian cuisine. That means a potentially expensive ingredient can be left at the store.
Spices have the ability to transform the most insipid of dishes into a delicacy. The combinations are endless, as many as there are cooks. However, there are mixtures that have earned a name of their own because of how well they work. Such is the case of the Garam masala. If you are fond of Indian cuisine, it is more than likely that you know it, and even you have a jar in your kitchen. But if this is not the case, we will tell you what Garam masala is, how to use it, and some of its substitutes.
Garam masala is a combination of spices native to northern India. It is used to flavor meat, fish, seafood, and vegetable dishes. Remember what in the West we know as curry powders (which is also a mixture of spices), only it is not yellow because it does not contain turmeric among its ingredients.
What are the Ingredients Used in the Garam Masala?The basic mixture of the Garam masala is made with coriander seeds, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and black pepper. However, there is no single canonical preparation. The ingredients for preparing Garam masala vary from town to town, even from family to family. With Garam masala, each teacher has his own booklet.
Can You Buy Pre-Blend Garam Masala?You can find this ready-to-use spice mix in supermarkets, markets, and specialty stores. It is easier to find it in large cities and tourist towns, but it can also be bought in online food stores.
There are many preparations to which Garam masala can be added, but it is generally used to finish curry dishes, meats, soups, stews, and recipes with vegetables. There are also legume dishes such as lentils and chickpeas, and the flavor it provides in hot chocolate, spiced nuts, as well as cookies is very interesting.
Unlike other spices, Garam masala is usually added at the end of cooking. You can add it to a vegetable and chicken stew, for example, when it is about to finish cooking. Five minutes before turning off the heat and serving, add the Garam masala. With this, its flavors and aromas are preserved more intensely because they are not completely diluted, and the flavor of the dish is more powerful.
Common Substitutes for Garam Masala:Mainly there are three way a garam masala powder can be substituted with:
Curry powder:
Use curry powder as a replacement
Allspice and Cumin:
Mix 4 pieces of ground cumin with 1-part allspice for an effortless substitute when you're in a rush.
Chaat Masala:
Try utilizing Chaat Masala as a substitute in case garam masala is not available.
If you like this article, please share it on your Facebook or any other social accounts.
Learn more about Organic Garam Masala at Spicy Organic
