To say that I love Indian food would be a tremendous understatement, as Indian food is probably my absolute favorite type of cooking, for so many reasons, among them that it is ultra flavorful, generally gluten free, pretty frugal, very versatile, and dare I say it- relatively easy too? You don't find this combination every day...
When I go to the city to run errands, I try my best to bring along enough food to keep me satiated until I get home, for three reasons. Cost of buying food on the go. Lack of ease of getting filling gluten free foods. And difficulty getting both of those that are healthy as well.
All that changed when I discovered this local Indian vegan restaurant. The food there is absolutely scrumptious, all gluten free, filling, chemical/additive free, and pretty cheap as well! While I still try to bring along my own food, because even so, it's cheaper, I sometimes treat myself and eat lunch or dinner at this restaurant. The proprietress, L, is a really sweet, warm, India born woman, who loves talking about cooking.
When I professed to her my love of Indian cooking, she was happy to share with me her tricks of the trade, including showing a willingness to share her wonderful recipes with me. She said she had no problem with me sharing her recipes on my site, because she was happy to help out "penniless parents". Don't worry- despite my knowing some of her recipes, she won't be losing me as a customer- in fact, she's bought my loyalty. She's still the best place to eat out when I am in the city, and her prices are terrific. From time to time, I'll be sharing some of her wonderful recipes with you.
One of the first things she and I talked about was the garam masala spice mixture. She uses it in nearly everything, and it is a very commonly used spice in the Indian kitchen. Garam masala can be bought from most spice stores, and for sure from Indian grocery stores, but traditionally, garam masala was always made at home.
This recipe for homemade garam masala is based on L's recipe, only I added an ingredient or two that I saw in a few other recipes and wanted to add. I also ground up the spice mixture, even though L doesn't, because I don't enjoy biting into large pieces of spice...
This recipe will be very useful to anyone who enjoys Indian cooking, because just about every type of cooking often calls for garam masala, from dal to curry to flatbreads, etc...
2 3 inch sticks cinnamin
1 1/2 tsp cardamom pods
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon grouns nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Instructions:
Stick all the spices in a coffee grinder.
Whiz up until no large chunks remain.
Thats it!
Enjoy!
Do you like Indian cooking?
Do you use garam masala ever? Do you buy it or make it? Does this look like a recipe you'd try?
When I go to the city to run errands, I try my best to bring along enough food to keep me satiated until I get home, for three reasons. Cost of buying food on the go. Lack of ease of getting filling gluten free foods. And difficulty getting both of those that are healthy as well.
All that changed when I discovered this local Indian vegan restaurant. The food there is absolutely scrumptious, all gluten free, filling, chemical/additive free, and pretty cheap as well! While I still try to bring along my own food, because even so, it's cheaper, I sometimes treat myself and eat lunch or dinner at this restaurant. The proprietress, L, is a really sweet, warm, India born woman, who loves talking about cooking.
When I professed to her my love of Indian cooking, she was happy to share with me her tricks of the trade, including showing a willingness to share her wonderful recipes with me. She said she had no problem with me sharing her recipes on my site, because she was happy to help out "penniless parents". Don't worry- despite my knowing some of her recipes, she won't be losing me as a customer- in fact, she's bought my loyalty. She's still the best place to eat out when I am in the city, and her prices are terrific. From time to time, I'll be sharing some of her wonderful recipes with you.
One of the first things she and I talked about was the garam masala spice mixture. She uses it in nearly everything, and it is a very commonly used spice in the Indian kitchen. Garam masala can be bought from most spice stores, and for sure from Indian grocery stores, but traditionally, garam masala was always made at home.
This recipe for homemade garam masala is based on L's recipe, only I added an ingredient or two that I saw in a few other recipes and wanted to add. I also ground up the spice mixture, even though L doesn't, because I don't enjoy biting into large pieces of spice...
This recipe will be very useful to anyone who enjoys Indian cooking, because just about every type of cooking often calls for garam masala, from dal to curry to flatbreads, etc...
Homemade Garam Masala Spice Mix
Ingredients2 3 inch sticks cinnamin
1 1/2 tsp cardamom pods
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon grouns nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Instructions:
Stick all the spices in a coffee grinder.
Whiz up until no large chunks remain.
Thats it!
Enjoy!
Do you like Indian cooking?
Do you use garam masala ever? Do you buy it or make it? Does this look like a recipe you'd try?
Tags
frugal recipes
frugal strategies
indian
made from scratch
recipes
spending money
spice mixes
spices