Garam masala

This is known as the ‘king of all spices’ when it comes to North Indian cooking. The word garam means hot and the word masala means spices. It’s a blend of whole spices which have been dried and then ground to a powder and is added to Indian appetisers, main course curries as well as some accompaniments. The spice is one of the secrets to achieving success when preparing a Punjabi dish. When making a curry dish it is essential to add garam masala towards the end of the cooking process so that all the flavours are retained as opposed to being lost if added towards the start. Home-made garam masala varieties are always good, especially those that include at least twelve of the main garam masala ingredients. Brilliant’s unique fifteen spice garam masala dates back almost 70 years and is the recipe of Bishen Dass Anand (my grandfather) and up until today we use the same blend which my father calls the recipe for our success. There are also various benefits of the spice, for example it is said to slow down the ageing process, help with weight loss and is also made up of powerful antioxidants.