OT: Garam Masala (was Re: Untasty Food)

Sally Caves wrote:

> About garum... I, too, wondered if it was related to Garam Masala.  Here
> in the States you can buy it in powdered form.  It seems to consist of
> ground cloves, ground ginger, ground coriander, cinnamon, and something
> else I can't identify.  It's very intense and salty.
Garam masala is coriander seeds, black pepper, cumin seeds, bay leaves,
green cardamom, mace, cloves, and cinnamon all ground together. To quote
from my book on spices:

"'Garam' means warm or hot and 'garam masala' means warm or hot spices.
This is a North Indian spice mix. Unlike other spice mixtures, garam
masala is often sprinkled over a finished dish to enhance the flavours,
adding a gentle aroma of roasted spices just before serving. It may also
be used in the early stages of cooking to flavour a dish."

Here's their mixture:

10 green cardamoms (shelled, of course)
6 tbsp coriander seeds
4 tbsp cumin seeds
10 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 tbsp black peppercorns
3 dried bay leaves
1 tbsp ground mace

Dry fry briefly and crush to powder.

It's one of my favorite spice mixtures. The best thing I've ever done
with it is simply to dry rub a T-bone with it, then broil or grill. It
gives the meat a deep, smoky flavor that I just can't get enough of.

This book is called "The New Guide to Spices" by Sallie Morris, if
anyone is interested. It's very enlightening, and has instructions to
make several dozen scrummy sounding spice mixtures in the back.

--
Daniel Seriff
microtonal@sericap.com
http://members.tripod.com/microtonal

Honesty means never having to say "Please don't flush me down the toilet!"
                      - Bob the Dinosaur