Eat Well: The Gift of Garam Masala

The following post was written by my mom, WWW. Thanks mom!

I know it's December and I should be thinking about new holiday meals and such, but for some reason, living out of one suitcase for two months while living with Rebecca has me thinking about how to do everything simpler and that includes the holidays. All I have felt like doing since I got home is cleaning out closets, recycling and getting rid of a lifetime of accumulated stuff. (Speaking of STUFF, if you haven’t ever seen George Carlin’s routine on it, you must. It's my favorite routine from my favorite comedian.)

One way to simplify your holiday baking is to pick one recipe that is your favorite and let it become your signature food. It should be something you LOVE to make, not something that is a chore. As soon as it becomes drudgery, the whole meaning is lost. Years ago I streamlined my baking by sticking to my all time favorite candy, English Toffee.

I posted about it last year, but for those who missed it, this is the BEST candy ever, is SOOOO EASY, and makes great gifts!

Of course, your signature holiday food doesn’t have to be traditional. If you love dehydrating apples, why not give packages of those as holiday gifts? If it’s roasted nuts or caramel corn you like, make those! Lately I've been cooking lots of Indian food and this week made my own Garam Masala spice blend. I bought the spices in bulk from Sprouts (I know they are fresh because it is a high volume store), toasted them in my cast iron pan, and ground them up in a spice grinder (coffee grinder used exclusively for spices). I plan to write up a few of my favorite Indian recipes and attach them to a package of my homemade spice blend.

Garam Masala means “hot spices” and is made from a mixture of toasted spices which are then ground. Common spices used in garam masala are peppercorns, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, dried chilies, mace, and nutmeg. In northern India, each household has their own favorite recipe. You can have fun figuring out what you like and in which combination. Here is a basic recipe that I found in Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness. You can change the proportions according to your taste, or add fennel seed and nutmeg for a different flavor.

Garam Masala

1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

2 bay leaves

¼ cup cumin seeds

¼ cup coriander seeds

1 rounded tablespoon green cardamom pods

1 rounded tablespoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons whole cloves

1 whole dried red chile

1/8 teaspoon ground mace

Combine all ingredients but the mace in a frying pan and toast over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cumin turns uniformly brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Put into a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Add the mace and store in an airtight container. This will keep for 3-4 months.

You can use the garam masala as a flavoring for dips (use yogurt and sour cream half and half and add maybe a little onion or garlic) or add it at the last minute to curries, lentils, or vegetable dishes.

Here is a wonderful recipe for cauliflower using garam masala:

Cauliflower with yogurt

(Inspired by Indian Home Cooking)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 medium head cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small onion cut into ½ inch dice

1 bell pepper, green or red, (or 2 Anaheim chiles) thinly sliced and cut in half

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups plain yogurt (not low fat)

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 tomato, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Add the cumin seeds to the oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onion and salt and cook until the onion turns brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook a few minutes. Add the ground cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and yogurt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the tomato and the cooked cauliflower and cook, stirring, 5 more minutes.

Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.

Add cilantro and serve hot.

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What are some of your favorite food(s) to give as gifts? I'd love to hear from you!

Love,

WWW