One thing I hate in Indian cooking recipes. Is the 'garam masala' or "curry powder" as a generic term.
As there are so many variations of each one.
technically, it is a curry powder mix. with less heat, more spice aromatic flavor.
It's something you purchased packaged to start with, but to make you own...you have to depend on your own tastes----not easily quantified. Depends on your mood, the dish, the season, the weather..etc.
Which is why A Indian Spice Box...is a good thing to have. It's a metal round box, with little bowls filled with the dried spices around a central bowl. You choose a bit of this/that..and create your own blend in the central bowl..then toast that and grind it, for the dish. So, each time it's rather customized to dish. Okay,start with some packaged stuff at first, and then explore making your own blend as there really isn't a hard and fast recipe---it's cooking for the moment.
In Time-Life Foods of the World the recipe is similar, but it also includes 1/2 cup black peppercorns, with 2 1/2 cups (total) whole cardamom, cloves, cumin, and coriander, and 5 3: cinnamon sticks. They are roasted in a slow oven and ground.
Every chef and home cook has their own version of haram masala. I have been making Vikram Vij's: http://www.underthehighchair.com/2007/07/diy-garam-masala.html?m=1
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lovely add ons: cloves, mace..
any other spice, overload!
As there are so many variations of each one.
technically, it is a curry powder mix. with less heat, more spice aromatic flavor.
It's something you purchased packaged to start with, but to make you own...you have to depend on your own tastes----not easily quantified. Depends on your mood, the dish, the season, the weather..etc.
Which is why A Indian Spice Box...is a good thing to have. It's a metal round box, with little bowls filled with the dried spices around a central bowl. You choose a bit of this/that..and create your own blend in the central bowl..then toast that and grind it, for the dish. So, each time it's rather customized to dish. Okay,start with some packaged stuff at first, and then explore making your own blend as there really isn't a hard and fast recipe---it's cooking for the moment.
http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Masala-Deluxe-Traditional-SimplyBeautiful/dp/B000T3E96O