Garam Masala

garam masala in soup....

garam masala in tea....

GARAM MASALA.

Go buy it right now. You can find a big 200g bag in the "ethnic" aisle at any supermarket for about $3. It's the missing piece of the puzzle!!

Since I've arrived home I have been steady recreating the dishes I ate in Southeast Asia. All of my curries were good but they were missing *something. Duh, garam masala. It's the spice mixture that gives Indian food and curries their DEPTH. Mmmmmmmm so good. Go figure, I make this discovery one week before I head back to the Motherland.

Curry Vegetable Masala Soup:
1. Toss a bunch of chopped veggies into a soup pot and sauté (with coconut oil) for a few minutes [I used celery, carrot, zucchini, onion and garlic]
2. Season with salt, curry powder and GARAM MASALA
3. Cover veggies with vegetable broth and let simmer for about 20minutes
4. Top with chopped cilantro

SO DELICIOUS. SO SATISFYING. SO SIMPLE. SO HEALTHY.

Another "Duh": My beloved "Masala Chai"....is tea (called Chai in India) with masala spice!! Putting a half teaspoon of garam masala in your tea or coffee will certainly elevate it! This morning I made a proper chai latte with hemp seed milk, xylitol, and garam masala.

The typical Indian version of garam masala contains:

Black and white peppercorns
Cloves
Cinnamon
Black and white cumin seeds
Black, brown + green cardamom pods