I have been thinking about making chana masala for a while now, an Indian chickpea dish with lots of spices. One of the ingredients, garam masala, has been ridiculously hard to find in DC so I had to put it off. When I finally got my hands on a bottle, I had no idea what to do with it! So, I decided to use the spice mixture on a neutral vegetable like potatoes and roast it in the oven. This way, I could become familiar with the spice mixture and see how it was supposed to taste both cooked and uncooked.
Garam masala is a warm, not hot, spice blend typically containing peppercorns, cloves, mase, cumin, cardamon pods, nutmeg, coriander, and star anise. The spices are toasted and ground into the "masala" or mixture. I really got the warmth from the spice blend after roasting the potatoes and I can't wait to try it in other dishes!
