Hustle and Bustle of Markets and a recipe for Garam Masala

The memories of food shopping!

I remember going to the food markets with my mum, she would always take so long in making sure the vegetables she bought were the right ripeness, the spices had to be fresh and I would always get so frustrated and bored as I was hanging around the shops waiting for her.  Other things are far more interesting than going food shopping when you're a kid!

Looking back at my experiences of these places, (Queens Market in Green St, East London brings back so many memories!) I have learnt so much about what to look for in vegetables, which brand is the best to use for certain foods and most importantly making sure the spices are the freshest and the best, as these are what make Indian food so aromatic.

I now love the hustle and bustle of a market, the smells and atmosphere which you can't get in a sterile supermarket and the varieties of foods from all around the world is amazing.

Its quite easy to buy a garam masala mix from the supermarket but in Indian cuisine you must have the right blend of spices to make each recipe unique.

This is why we tend to make our own garam masala at home, but I will always have the ground spices separately too so that we can add a bit more cinnamon for example to get that uniqueness in Indian food.

So, you may be thinking what actually goes into a garam masala mix..... the quantities of how much to add of each spice is really down to the individual (the variations of recipes is vast and differs from family to family), below is a basic one, once you've made and used this, you can judge which spice you want more or less of.

Garam masala is best used when it has been freshly made, but if like me you haven’t got the time or patience, you can make a batch and store for several months in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 0.5 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp dry ginger
• 1 tsp black cardamom seeds(4 large pods)
• 1 tsp cloves (3 pieces)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (2 medium sized sticks)

Preparation

• Heat a heavy frying pan on a low/medium heat and gently roast the ingredients except the ginger, till they turn a few shades darker (this will take about 5-10 mins. Move the spices around to ensure even cooking

• When the spices are roasted turn the heat off and let them to cool.

• Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins and add them back with all the other spices.

• Grind them all together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder. Or if you have the time, the old fashioned way, in a pestle and mortar

• Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Now you know how to make it, don't buy it, give it a go and you will be amazed at how wonderful your food will taste.

Hope you enjoy making this and look forward to hearing your comments on how you have used this wonderful aromatic spice mix!