Garam Masala: What It Is and How to Use It

Ask five people how much garam masala goes into their chole and you'll get five answers. At least one of them will say "just a pinch, at the end," and that last part is what most people get right without being able to say why.

Garam masala is the blend of warm whole spices that a lot of North Indian kitchens use to finish a dish. This guide covers what's usually in it, whole versus ground, when to add it, how to make a small batch from whole spices, and how it differs from the curry powder on German supermarket shelves.

What Is Garam Masala?

"Garam" means warm and "masala" means a spice mix. The warmth isn't chilli heat. It comes from cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper, the spices that smell warm before they even reach the pan.

There is no single recipe. Every region, every brand and most families have their own version. A Punjabi garam masala often leans on cumin and coriander seed. Others use more black cardamom, or add nutmeg, mace or star anise. What they share is a base of a few whole spices, toasted and ground.

What Goes Into Garam Masala

Most blends are built from some combination of these:

Green cardamom
Black cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon or cassia bark
Black peppercorns
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
Bay leaves

Some blends add nutmeg, mace, star anise, fennel or dried ginger. Packaged blends differ too, so check the ingredient list on the pack if you want to know exactly what's inside.

Whole vs Ground Garam Masala

Ground garam masala is what you reach for most days. It's ready, it tastes the same every time, and a spoonful stirred into a dal or sabzi does the job. MDH Garam Masala 100g is the one a lot of North Indian households grew up with. It's warm and rounded, not sharp. There's more on the brand in our MDH spotlight.

Whole garam masala is the same spices, unground and already mixed. You can use it two ways. Drop it straight into hot ghee at the start of a biryani, pulao or korma, where it flavours the fat and gets pushed to the side of the plate later. Or toast and grind it yourself for a fresher blend. TRS Garam Masala Whole 200g gives you the mix in one bag instead of six separate packets.

Ground spices lose their smell faster than whole ones. If you cook with garam masala a few times a week, a packet of ground is fine. If you only use it now and then, keep whole spices and grind a little at a time. You'll get more out of every spoon.

How and When to Add Garam Masala

Late, and not much.

At the end. For most curries, dals and sabzis, stir it in during the last minute or two of cooking, or sprinkle it over just before serving. Long cooking dulls the aroma, and the aroma is why you're adding it.
In a marinade. For chicken, paneer or biryani, garam masala goes into the yoghurt with the other spices. It cooks from the start here, and that's fine, because it's part of the base rather than the finish.
Bloomed in fat. Whole garam masala goes into hot ghee or oil first, before the onions. Give it 20 to 30 seconds, until the cloves swell and the cinnamon smells toasty, then carry on.
Go easy. Half a teaspoon to a teaspoon is plenty for a pot that feeds four. Use more and the dish tastes of cloves and not much else.

How to Make Garam Masala at Home

A small batch takes about 10 minutes and fills a small jar.

You'll need:

2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cloves
10–12 green cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks (about 5 cm each), broken up
2 bay leaves
1 black cardamom pod (optional)

Method:

Heat a heavy, dry pan on medium-low on your electric or induction hob. No oil.
Add everything and keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cumin darkens a shade and the kitchen smells of it. Don't let anything smoke. Burnt cumin makes the whole batch bitter.
Tip it onto a plate straight away so it stops cooking in the hot pan, and let it cool completely.
Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder, or a coffee grinder you only use for spices. Sift out any stubborn bits of cinnamon or cardamom husk if you like.

If you'd rather not buy every spice separately, toast and grind TRS Garam Masala Whole instead. Or build your own mix from single spices: TRS green cardamom, TRS cloves, TRS cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaves.

Garam Masala vs Curry Powder

They're different things, and swapping one for the other changes the dish.

Curry powder is a blend that came out of British colonial-era cooking and is mostly sold in Western shops. It's usually heavy on turmeric, with coriander, cumin, fenugreek and chilli. It goes in early and gives a dish its colour and base flavour. Garam masala usually has no turmeric and little or no chilli, and it goes in late, for aroma. Most Indian kitchens don't keep curry powder at all. They have turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and garam masala to finish.

If a German recipe asks for curry powder and you want it to taste like home, use turmeric, chilli and coriander at the start and garam masala at the end.

Three Dishes to Use It In

Chole. Garam masala goes in with the onions and tomatoes, and a little more goes on top before serving.
Rajma. Add it once the beans have simmered in the gravy, a few minutes before you switch off the heat.
Dal. A small pinch stirred through a finished dal tadka or dal makhani, just before the tadka goes on. Optional, but you'll taste it.

How to Store Garam Masala

Keep it in an airtight jar, away from the hob, direct sunlight and steam from the kettle. A dark cupboard beats an open rack next to the stove. Ground garam masala slowly loses its smell, so buy or make only what you'll use in a few months. Whole spices hold their flavour longer. To check a jar, rub a pinch between your fingers. If it barely smells of anything, make a fresh batch.

Try These Products

MDH Garam Masala 100g: ground, for everyday cooking
TRS Garam Masala Whole 200g: whole spices for biryani, pulao, or grinding your own
TRS Green Cardamom 50g and TRS Cloves 50g: if you want to adjust your own blend
The full spices and masalas range

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