Garam Masala

A mix of ground spices that most closely resembles our 'curry powder', this is used as a seasoning for spicy dishes. Note that there are a lot of different variants, this is just one of them (although most variants contain more or less the same ingredients).

Ingredients

8 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
4 cinnamon sticks of about 5 cm
10-12 pods green cardamom, bruised
4-5 pods black cardamom, bruised
10 cloves
1/2 nutmeg
3-4 leaves mace
1 tbsp black pepper corns
4 whole anis stars
3 bay leaves

Preparation

put all the ingredients in a thick-bottomed (preferrably non-stick) pan
heat on a very low flame for a minute or two, until the smell comes
cool down a bit and grind in a coffee grinder or mortar
keep cold and dark, preferrably in freezer or fridge