Garam Masala Uses: Curries, Rubs, Roasted Squash and Even Cookies

Garam masala is a blend of ground spices that, Britannica says, originated in India; most versions vary around a central theme of cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and peppercorn.¹ The name means “hot spices,”² but The Spice House points out that it is warming rather than hot like chili peppers.³ Because recipes differ from region to region and home to home,⁴⁵ what a jar tastes like depends on what is in it. This page is about where to use it. For when to add it, whether to toast, and how much, see cooking with garam masala.

At a glance

In curries and stews

This is garam masala’s home ground. Bong Eats uses the Bengali blend to flavor egg, chicken, mutton, lamb or beef curries,⁶ and Saveur’s headnote for Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe says it lends potency to stews, curries and fried snacks such as samosas.⁷

When it goes in early, it is cooked with the base of the dish. Katzer notes that almost every North Indian curry or braising dish starts with spices fried in fat,¹¹ and America’s Test Kitchen recommends cooking ground spices in fat rather than adding them straight to liquid, which can leave a bland, musty flavor.¹² The details are on cooking with garam masala.

As a finishing spice

Great British Chefs says garam masala can also be used to finish dishes at the end of cooking.⁴ Bong Eats is specific: a pinch, with a sliver of ghee, garnishes most ghontos and dalnas, khichuri and panchmishali torkari.⁶

A common claim says the traditional way to use garam masala is to sprinkle it on food at the table, and that this keeps its full pungency. We found no source for either part. The sources here describe finishing at the end of cooking, and also cooking it in from the start.

As a rub for roasting

Britannica calls garam masala ideal for rubs on meats and vegetables to be roasted, where the high heat blooms the spices.¹ You can use it alone or as one part of a longer rub; that choice is cooking judgment. For a blend built specifically for yogurt marinades and the tandoor, see tandoori masala vs. garam masala.

In chicken tikka masala

Alfred Prasad’s chicken tikka masala on Great British Chefs, which the site calls a twist on murgh makhani, uses ½ teaspoon of garam masala alongside other spices, including ground kasoori methi.⁸ A common suggestion says garam masala can replace all the ground spices in a tikka masala recipe; we found no recipe that does that, and Prasad’s does not. See tikka masala and tikka masala vs. garam masala.

With squash and pumpkin

Saveur’s roasted acorn squash soup with spiced oil uses 2 tablespoons of garam masala in all, tossing the vegetables with oil, 1 tablespoon of the blend, salt and pepper before roasting; the soup serves 10 to 12.⁹ Garam masala is often suggested for pumpkin pie as well, but we found no named pie recipe that uses it. For other spices that suit squash, see pumpkin soup spices.

In bread and dough

Britannica says garam masala can be worked into the dough for flatbread and naan, where baking finishes the melding of flavors.¹

In sweets

Britannica notes that some Western chefs use garam masala in sweeter desserts such as flan or chocolate torte.¹ NPR’s Kitchen Window column ran a garam masala oatmeal-raisin cookie, adapted from Terry Boyd, with 1½ teaspoons of garam masala for 2 dozen cookies.¹⁰ Whether a jar suits sweets depends on what is in it. A blend close to Bong Eats’s basic Bengali mix of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves⁶ is a natural fit for baking; one heavy with cumin and pepper is less so. That last point is cooking judgment.

Claims that don’t hold up

• “Garam masala comes from northern India and spread south.” Britannica says only that it originated in India,¹ and Great British Chefs describes it as used across the subcontinent.⁴ We found no source for a northern origin or a southward spread.
• “Southern blends are spicier.” Not traced. Regional lists differ in which spices they include; Gulf News food writer Karishma Nandkeolyar notes, for example, that star anise is not part of the garam masala used in Hyderabad.⁵ No source compares heat.
• “Some blends have 30 or more ingredients.” Not traced.
• Health claims. Britannica mentions traditional beliefs that garam masala raises body temperature, treats colds and lowers blood sugar,¹ and Saveur ties the name to spices thought to warm the body in Ayurvedic medicine.⁷ We found no regulator or systematic review supporting any health claim, and this page makes none.

If you overdo it

See too much garam masala. If you have run out, see garam masala substitutes.

Not yet measured

• How much garam masala a typical savory dish uses; published amounts vary from a pinch to tablespoons.
• Whether a toasted or untoasted blend works better in sweets.

Related

• Garam masala and cooking with garam masala
• Garam masala substitutes and too much garam masala
• Garam masala vs. curry powder, garam masala vs. allspice and chaat masala vs. garam masala
• Ras el hanout vs. garam masala