Garam masala spice blend question (ingredients, Indian, loin, chicken)

[SeaDreams]

We want to branch out into something new, so on a recent trip off island we picked up a garam masala blend. I just went on line to check out recipes and read that it's a toasted ground blend of herbs and spices. The small container we got is dried whole bay, etc. Not toasted and ground.

No problem doing this, but is that what GM is completely or should I reserve some and keep it whole for use in recipes in this genre?

Teach me please!

[Dogmama50]

I've only ever had it ground up, never seen it as whole spices. I use it on pork loin a lot, it's nice on chicken and fish like ono too.

[netwit]

Was it like this? If so, you'd likely to have follow the instructions on the site. Garam masala is a blend of spices, but like most people, I buy them already ground.

[Pivot Point]

I've never seen it for sale whole, either--only ground.

If you keep it whole, and grind as needed, you won't have consistency of flavor, because your blend will always have different proportions of spices.

So, you have to decide whether you prefer freshness of flavor or consistency of flavor. If you prefer freshness, grind as much of each ingredient as you like for whatever you are making. But if you prefer consistency of flavor, grind and mix all the ingredients at once.

[SeaDreams]

Originally Posted by netwit

Was it like this? If so, you'd likely to have follow the instructions on the site. Garam masala is a blend of spices, but like most people, I buy them already ground.

Yep, that's basically it. Thanks for the info!

Marie1249. - I understand exactly what you're saying and now plan to toast and grind all for future use.

Thanks for the input everyone! Looking forward to playing with this!