Kashmiri Garam Masala Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add cumin, bay leaves. cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, fennel seed, mace, and cinnamon sticks and dry roast until fragrant, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool; add nutmeg. Grind the spices into a fine powder using a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Heat a small, heavy-based frying pan over medium-hot heat.
• Separately dry roast each spice, except nutmeg, until each one starts to give out a beautiful, fragrant aroma. Remove from pan and leave to cool.
• Combine all roasted spices (not nutmeg) in a blender and grind to a fine powder.
• Add nutmeg and store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and cinnamon; toast, shaking the skillet every few seconds, until the cumin seeds turn reddish brown, the cinnamon sticks appear brittle and the mixture is highly fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
• Immediately transfer the nutty-smelling spices to a plate to cool. Once they are cool to the touch, place them in a spice grinder. Add all the remaining spices and grind until the texture resembles that of finely ground black pepper.
• Store the spice blend in a tightly sealed container, away from excess light, heat and humidity, for up to 2 months.

Steps:

• 1. In a medium cast-iron skillet, roast together the fennel and cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, and saffron threads, stirring and shaking the pan over medium heat until heated through, about 2 minutes. 2. Let cool, the grind in a spice or coffee grinder to make a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, and nutmeg. Transfer the mixture back to the skillet and roast over medium heat until heated through once more. Let cool, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, about 1 month at room temperature or about 1 year in the refrigerator.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.