Let’s start with garam masala. You can, of course, take a ready-made one. But it’s not always easy to buy it, and it’s interesting to cook the spice yourself.
There is no canonical recipe for cooking garam masala. But you can distinguish the main ingredients that are put in almost every recipe (for example, black pepper), and those that are extremely rare (mustard, sesame). So you can cook garam masala yourself, and then buy it in the store (in one, in another) – and they will all be different.
So, for our garam masala, take:
1. Coriander Seeds 3 tbsp.
2. Cumin Seeds 2 tbsp.
3. Cardamom Seeds 2 tbsp.
4. Black pepper 2 tbsp.
5. Nutmeg 1 tsp.
6. Cinnamon 1 stick
7. Whole cloves 1 tsp.