South Indian garam masala

Masalas

A South Indian garam masala built on star anise, bay leaf and black pepper.

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

Makes about 80 g Servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeeragam)

1 tbsp black peppercorns (karumilaku)

2 tsp fennel seeds (peruncirakam)

6 cloves (kirambu)

2 cinnamon (pattai)

4 green cardamom pods (elakkai)

2 star anise (chakr phool)

2 bay leaves (biriyani ilai)

2 marathi moggu (kapok buds)

Directions

Dry-roast the coriander seeds on a low flame until they smell warm and nutty. Tip into a plate.
Roast the cumin and fennel briefly - under a minute - and add to the plate.
Roast the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, bay leaves and marathi moggu for a minute or two.
Cool everything completely, then grind to a fine powder.
Store in an airtight jar. Use a teaspoon per portion in kurma, vegetable curries and dry roasts.

Made with Chakr phool (star anise) — what it is, what it is called in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu, and how it is used in South Indian cooking.