yields approx. 1/3 cup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds,
• 2 tsp cumin seeds,
• 1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns,
• 3 tbsp fennel seeds, (saunf/badishep)
• about 20 cloves,
• 1 cinnamon stick 1 1/2 inch.

Method

1. Toast cloves, cinnamon, fennel and peppercorns together in a clean dry kadai/pan until aromatic. Remove from the heat.
2. Then toast coriander seeds. When they just turn light red, add cumin and turn the heat off. Set aside to cool.
3. Grind everything together into a very fine powder.
4. Store in an airtight container for later use.

The fennel used in this masala gives nice fragrance to any curry such as vegetable kurma or eggplant curry.

Tips and Variations:

The proportion mentioned above yields aprox. 1/3 cup garam masala. However, if you are planning to make it in a larger quantity, avoid multiplying the amount of all the ingredients in the same proportion. Some spices such as cloves have a very strong pungent flavor which might be overpowering if their amount is increased in the same ratio.