Hi Mamta

im going to attempt making my own kashmiri garam masala and if possible would like to substitute the cinnamon sticks for powder, i would like to ask your advice as to how much powder would give similar flavour

many thanks

Andy

I think about 4 level tablespoons should do it. The thing is Vital, no Garam masala is exactly the same. Most Indian people do not measure things exactly when they make masalas at home. I would add less, smell it and add more if needed.

Mamta

there is much confusion over cinnamon, it is usually substituted with cassia. Even in India, cassia is sold as cinnamon. Dal chini means 'wood from China', so it describes cassia rather than cinnamon. You may find cassia works better, anyway, especially as originally in Kashmir, it would probably have been used, being near to Chinese trade route, rather than getting cinnamon from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). And I think cassia has a better flavour for mixing with other garam masala spices. (Chini although meaning China, figuratively means foreign in Indian parlance, like kababchini for cubeb pepper)

Make sure you use black cumin, and do not confuse it with caraway, which is common in some recipes. Caraway is not an Indian spice, although I found some in Bangalore, where it was called 'cake seed'. This spice, together with fennel are the real flavours of Kashmir in KGM.

I prefer using cassia for sauces as it doesn't break up like cinnamon can. However, my bad tempered moulinex coffee grinder prefers to grind cinnamon as oppose to cassia. Although it can grind cassia it makes its feelings quite well known by retaining some of the electrical charge and delivering it to me in an unexpected kick to the hand. I thought I'd gotten wise to it now, but it still catches me unaware on times.

I should have taken it back to Argos years ago, but it has character and I like it.

LOL !

Steve

I made the two garam masala recipes on this website a few weeks ago and I think I prefer the Kashmir one - the one that uses black cumin seeds.

I like to spice a tin of baked beans up for breakfast by adding 1 teaspoon of garam masala.

many thanks for all your advice, in the end i used cin xtick, seem to take hours with my hand grinder, tated the mix and it numbed the end of my tongue, should it have that effect or have i gone wrong somewhere ? Huge appreciation to Mrs M for the great website.

Andy

Cloves will numb your tongue ! They have been used to treat toothache for hundreds? thousands? of years for that very reason !

Steve

sometimes, freshly prepared garam masala produces quite a kick in the nose, especially compared to some shop bought offerings which usually contain cheap filler spices.

The highly aromatic spices need extracting into oil to give of their best, and I have often prepared flavoured oils from garam masala to add to dishes where I have not cooked the ingredients, but need a full garam masala flavour.

John - wasn't there a similar thread a while back where the advice was to wear wellington boots/latex household gloves to insulate against electrocution! LOL!

Certainly my moulinex objects to grinding up cinnamon sticks unless I break them up first using a stout pair of kitchen scissors or poultry shears.

I never roast my spices before making garam masala. I know that roasted ingredients smell better at the time you make it, but I feel that it looses all this flavour by the time you use it. In unroasted one, all the flavours remain intact and come out when you add it to a hot dish or hot oil. That is my theory anyway!

Yes, garam masala does give you a kick when you make it. I always sneeze when i make it :-(

Winton, yes I seem to think there was. Wasn't it started off when someone suggested that Mamta should start selling his and hers matching toxic suits complete with face mask and breathing apparatus for grinding your own chili powder?

Mamta, I agree with you on the dry roasting of the garam masala. I always dry roast mine before I grind it because I thought it was the 'done thing', but I have often thought that the aroma isn't as strong once it's been dry roasted.

I made a batch of kashmir garam masala only yesterday. I doesn't last me long.

The next time I make it I won't dry roast it and I'll see if it keeps its flavour for longer.

Yes John, I think the agreed official 'Mamta's Kitchen Uniform' was a toxic repellant boiler suit, covered with a Mamta's apron, wellington boots, rubber gloves, and DIY goggles (against those strong onions.) Perhaps a navy trilby with snood would 'cap' everything off nicely.

I think Mamta asked had we all gone mad, but none of these items are yet listed on:

http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/tip_display.php?tip_id=1

Sorry Mamta, just some fun!

'roasting' spices is really only of value if the mix contains coriander, cumin or methi seeds. These are the ones that undergo transformation, giving a nutty/roasted flavour. Spices in garam masala (say cassia, cardamom, cloves and mace/nutmeg) don't change (much if at all) and if heated, the volatile flavour chemicals are released to the atmosphere, reducing the masala's potency.

However, for dishes that do not include a frying/roasting step, like a korma or vindaloo or sambar, roasting the spice mix can provide the 'nutty/roasted' flavours that would otherwise not be developed.

Just a thought - I understand the "nutty" flavour by roasting/dry frying but why would you not just get a nutty flavour by adding nuts and get the true flavour of the cumin etc without ?

Steve

the true flavour of cumin is not changed much, just extra (nutty/roasts) flavours are made by frying/roasting them. The new flavours are made by reacting proteins and carbohydrates in the seeds, rather than change the cuminaldehyde in the spice.

Although we call the new flavours 'nutty' or 'roasted', these are only adjectives, a rather inadequate way to suggest these similar flavours. And these are not the only new flavours formed, some of which go on to make many more flavours, and some to give colour (yellow to brown).

Its the reason why old seeds turn a darker brown, too!

Dear all,

I have used these Kashmiri masala blocks in cooking and it is really good and aromatic. These circular blocks of masala are available only in selected places in India. LAst time somebody brought me from Himachal Pradesh, but they say that the ones avaialble from Jammu and Kashmir are the best, obviously.

Lapis, thanks for that ! you truely are the Mamtaskitchen font of scientific knowledge !

Steve

I learn so much here about food. It is nice that people are so willing to share their knowledge so freely :-).

mamta

Rajneesh, those blocks are called ver, and although they contain some spices, mostly they are onions, garlic (or praan, a kind of garlic/shallot cross) and chillies. They are indeed quite a unique flavour from that part of the world.

Mamta, I give all my knowledge freely, my reward is knowing others will do the same and we all benefit.

That last post was from me, Kavey, but I'm posting from different PC and my name isn't coming through correctly. I did enter it. Let's try again.

Hi Lapis

SO these Kashmiri masala block / cakes are called "Ver".......in what language?

I presume in Kashmiri. It is quite well known as ver, even my friend in Bangalore knows them as ver. They seem to be one of those 'magic' ingredients that give a regional dish that certain something like no other.