The flavour of any vegetable dish jumps several notches the moment the right spices go in. The gentle, mildly sharp aroma of a good garam masala can completely change the character of a dish. If you enjoy making kitchen staples with your own hands, you can skip the ready-made packets from the market and prepare this spice blend at home. All you really need to know is which spice goes in and in what quantity. Food content creator and chef Parul of 'Cook With Parul' has shared a way to make sabzi masala at home on her YouTube page, one that you can store for months. Here is the complete method.
Ingredients You Will Need
To prepare this masala you will need: four tablespoons whole coriander, one tablespoon fennel seeds, two tablespoons cumin, one teaspoon shahi jeera, 2 small pieces of cinnamon, 1 star anise, 4-5 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 6–7 cloves, half a teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 1 small piece of nutmeg, 3-4 bay leaves, 5–6 dry red chillies, 2 tablespoons kasuri methi, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon amchur powder, half a teaspoon asafoetida, 1 teaspoon dry ginger powder, 1 teaspoon mint powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon rice flour, half a teaspoon black salt and 1 teaspoon white salt.
How To Make It
Step one: Turn on the gas and place a pan over it. Once the pan is hot, add the whole coriander, fennel, cumin, shahi jeera, cinnamon, star anise, green cardamom, black cardamom, black pepper, cloves, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg, bay leaves and red chillies. Roast these spices on a low flame until they turn golden, then switch off the gas as soon as they are done.
Step two: Once the roasted spices have cooled slightly, transfer them to a mixer jar. To the same jar, add the kasuri methi, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, amchur powder, asafoetida, dry ginger powder, mint powder, garlic powder, rice flour, black salt and white salt, then close the lid.
Step three: Now grind everything into a fine powder. As soon as the masala is ready, fill it into an airtight container. Stored this way, the masala stays good comfortably for up to a month. You can use it while making everything from everyday vegetables to biryani.
