Guides · 3 min read ·
Homemade Garam Masala: A Simple Pakistani Blend
How to make Pakistani garam masala at home: a balanced blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and pepper, with how to roast, grind and store it.
Garam masala is the spice blend that finishes many Pakistani dishes, sprinkled in during the last few minutes for warmth and fragrance. Shop-bought packets are convenient, but they lose their aroma quickly and often lean heavily on cheaper spices. A homemade batch takes about fifteen minutes and lasts for months, and the difference in smell when you open the jar is striking.
What “garam” means
Garam means warm or hot, but garam masala isn’t about chili heat. In the traditional way of thinking about food, these spices, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and cardamom, are considered “warming” to the body. The blend is aromatic rather than fiery, and it’s used in small amounts.
A balanced Pakistani blend
Every family’s garam masala is a little different. This is a balanced, everyday version that suits salan, qorma, biryani and keema.
| Spice | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cumin seeds | 4 tablespoons |
| Coriander seeds | 3 tablespoons |
| Black peppercorns | 2 tablespoons |
| Green cardamom pods | 1 tablespoon (about 25 pods) |
| Black cardamom pods | 4 |
| Cloves | 1½ teaspoons |
| Cinnamon (cassia) | 2 sticks, about 8 cm each, broken up |
| Bay leaves | 4 |
| Nutmeg | ¼ of a whole nutmeg |
| Mace (javitri) | 2 blades |
This makes about ¾ cup.
Method
- Roast gently. Put everything except the nutmeg in a dry pan over low heat. Stir constantly for 3–4 minutes, until the spices smell toasty and the cumin darkens by a shade. Don’t let anything smoke or turn dark brown; burnt spices make a bitter masala.
- Cool completely. Tip the spices onto a plate and let them cool for 10 minutes. Grinding warm spices releases oils that make the powder clump.
- Grind. Remove the black cardamom husks and use only the seeds. Grate in the nutmeg. Grind everything in a spice grinder or dry blender jar to a fine powder.
- Sift (optional). Sift through a fine sieve and regrind anything left behind, for a smoother blend.
Storing it
Keep it in a small, airtight glass jar in a dark cupboard, away from the stove. It’s at its best for about 3 months and stays usable for 6. Making a smaller batch more often is better than a huge batch that goes stale.
How to use it
Garam masala goes in near the end of cooking, usually in the last 5 minutes or sprinkled over a finished dish. Added at the start, its aroma cooks away. Use it sparingly: half a teaspoon to a teaspoon is enough for a family-sized pot of chicken qorma or aloo gosht. Too much and every dish starts to taste the same.
It isn’t used in everything. Many vegetable dishes and daals skip it, and a dhaba chicken karahi is often made without any garam masala at all, relying on tomatoes, ginger and black pepper instead.
Adjusting the blend
- For biryani: add a little extra cinnamon and green cardamom, and a pinch of star anise if you like it.
- More heat: increase the black pepper and cloves.
- Milder, sweeter: reduce the cloves and black cardamom and increase the green cardamom.
- Nihari: nihari uses its own, more complex masala with ginger powder, fennel and long pepper, so keep a separate blend or buy a good ready-made nihari masala.
Once you’ve made your own garam masala a few times, you’ll learn your preferred balance, and that small difference is part of what makes home cooking taste like your home.
