Steak Marinade
Lara Lee
1061 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,061
15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ marinating
Garam Masala
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:¼ cup
- 10green cardamom pods (1 gram)
- 4black cardamom pods (5 grams)
- 6whole cloves (1 gram)
- 2(2-inch/5-gram) cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- 3whole mace blades/arils (3 grams), see Note
- 3whole star anise pods (2 grams)
- 3bay leaves, preferably Indian
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
30 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 4 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread spices on a small rimmed baking pan and toast until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let the spices cool.
- Step 2
Using a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle, grind the spices until fine. If you like, you can strain the mix through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any coarse bits, but this is optional. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
Tip
- Whole mace is available at spice shops and online through purveyors like La Bôite.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Tim from Winnipeg
I use an electric coffee grinder to grind my spices. When I'm done, I put a small handful of raw rice in it and run it for 5 seconds or so. I then dump the ground rice (with associated spice residue) in the garbage, give the grinder a quick wipe with a dry cloth, and it's clean and ready for it's next assignment.
Alisha
I have this blend from Mr Cadiz’s Collection with Burlap and Barrel. It is definitely sweeter than most garam masalas with more “warming” spices versus spicy and pungent. Think cardamom/cinnamon notes versus cumin, chili pepper and coriander (more traditional). Love this for winter root vegetable curry and lentils/daal.
Prakash Nadkarni
This recipe's the real deal, but you can use just 1 cardamom variety if you wish. Black cardamom is much cheaper, but its harsher notes, OK for savory dishes, make it less suitable (used by itself) for Indian desserts. Apart from freshness/flavor, one reason to make your own garam masala is that commercial blends are often bulked up with cheap spices - cumin, coriander, fenugreek- improving the vendor's profit margin. (Any or all of these may be added to the same dish, but separately.)
Sumukha
Using an oven for this small amount of spices is a waste of energy and time. I use a cast iron pan. Heat it, bring down the heat, add one ingredient at a time. It will take maybe a min or min and a half. Constantly stir. You will smell the aroma. grind them together in a coffee grinder. Store in an airtight box. do not refrigerate. The chill of refrigeration take away the potency of the spices.Our family recipe has a spoon of Cumin, 2 spoons of coriander seeds, 1 spoon of black pepper corn too
Prakash Nadkarni
@Sheila: You're right that you would normally crack the pods and use just the seeds: in Indian groceries, you can buy 4 oz packs of podless green-cardamom seeds, a decent deal. The pods retain a little of the spice's aroma, though, so if you have a lot of pods to deal with, putting them whole into the grinder saves labor: they reduce to a powder. (Indian cooks making ginger-garlic paste in blenders similarly skip peeling the ginger and individual garlic cloves.)
stephanie
i also have an electric grinder just for spice grinding, but the cup (which also houses the blades of course) is removable. so you can just wash the cup with soap and water when you're finished, no need to waste rice. definitely recommend this type of grinder for anybody in the market for one for this purpose. (it was cheap, too.)
Prakash Nadkarni
@ray: 1g/5g are the weights of EACH kind of pod.
Robert A.
Indian bay leaves (tej patta) are not at all interchangeable with what we know as "Bay leaves" in the US. If you use Turkish bay leaves (or California, which are even stronger), you will get a very different flavor from what is anticipated here.
John Andreino
My wife of many decades is East Indian, and without even consulting with her, I now this does not cut the grade.
Mark Twain
My version to make curry: Fry a small onion till translucent then add whole spices: cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, red chilli peppers, mace, nutmeg, saffron, black cardamom, star anise, corriander powder, cumin powder. Fry for a couple of minutes and then add 1/2 cup water and simmer for five minutes, covered. This captures the flavor. Next I use all the whole spices by grinding the liquid mixture and use in the curry. Or, for a milder flavor, I strain the liquid and use
Elena
If you want to add dimension to your rub seasoning mix, for ribs or other meats, add some garam masala. It already has a lot of the secret ingredients of a good meat rub. But a little goes a long way, or it won't be secret, it will be too loud.
Anne, MI
I think Molly may be on to something, finding the ingredients is a challenge. The recipe I use to make my own - includes "stone flower" which is a lichen. Check out these ingredients: • 2-3 tablespoon oil, 5 pieces -whole turmeric, 1/2 nutmeg, 1 TBLS asafetida, 5 cinnamon sticks, 3 tablespoon cloves, 1.5 tablespoon black cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 3 tablespoon kalpasi - dagadphool stone flower (and 9 more). Each ingredient heated separately
Mark Twain
No need to use stone flower if you are using cinnamon. OVerkill
Sumukha
Using an oven for this small amount of spices is a waste of energy and time. I use a cast iron pan. Heat it, bring down the heat, add one ingredient at a time. It will take maybe a min or min and a half. Constantly stir. You will smell the aroma. grind them together in a coffee grinder. Store in an airtight box. do not refrigerate. The chill of refrigeration take away the potency of the spices.Our family recipe has a spoon of Cumin, 2 spoons of coriander seeds, 1 spoon of black pepper corn too
April
I don't happen to have mace on hand but I do have whole nutmeg and whole allspice, would either of those work as a substitute? Also I have bay laurel leaves but no Indian bay, should I use the laurel or leave it out entirely? (I know I can order them online but I want to make it today with what I have on hand).
Elena
Yes, use your bay leaf. Nutmeg can sub for mace. IME, mace is a fragile, intensely perfumed and sweeter part of the nutmeg. Subbing nutmeg is perfectly fine. I am still picking off the mace from whole nutmegs I brought home from a market in the Grenadines. Great memories. While something fresher might be better, it still has an alluring perfume and I'm glad I saved it, it's much better than pre-ground mace.
molly mu
It is easier to get garam masala than to find some of the ingredients.
Prakash Nadkarni
This recipe's the real deal, but you can use just 1 cardamom variety if you wish. Black cardamom is much cheaper, but its harsher notes, OK for savory dishes, make it less suitable (used by itself) for Indian desserts. Apart from freshness/flavor, one reason to make your own garam masala is that commercial blends are often bulked up with cheap spices - cumin, coriander, fenugreek- improving the vendor's profit margin. (Any or all of these may be added to the same dish, but separately.)
Sheila
You just grind the whole cardamom pods, you don't crack them and use just the seeds?
Prakash Nadkarni
@Sheila: You're right that you would normally crack the pods and use just the seeds: in Indian groceries, you can buy 4 oz packs of podless green-cardamom seeds, a decent deal. The pods retain a little of the spice's aroma, though, so if you have a lot of pods to deal with, putting them whole into the grinder saves labor: they reduce to a powder. (Indian cooks making ginger-garlic paste in blenders similarly skip peeling the ginger and individual garlic cloves.)
ray f
can I just verify the cardamom pod weights? 10 green weighs 1 gram; 4 black weigh 5 grams?
Prakash Nadkarni
@ray: 1g/5g are the weights of EACH kind of pod.
Alisha
I have this blend from Mr Cadiz’s Collection with Burlap and Barrel. It is definitely sweeter than most garam masalas with more “warming” spices versus spicy and pungent. Think cardamom/cinnamon notes versus cumin, chili pepper and coriander (more traditional). Love this for winter root vegetable curry and lentils/daal.
Tim from Winnipeg
I use an electric coffee grinder to grind my spices. When I'm done, I put a small handful of raw rice in it and run it for 5 seconds or so. I then dump the ground rice (with associated spice residue) in the garbage, give the grinder a quick wipe with a dry cloth, and it's clean and ready for it's next assignment.
stephanie
i also have an electric grinder just for spice grinding, but the cup (which also houses the blades of course) is removable. so you can just wash the cup with soap and water when you're finished, no need to waste rice. definitely recommend this type of grinder for anybody in the market for one for this purpose. (it was cheap, too.)
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
