Spices

I can say that I now live with a spice purist.... and I think I might be a convert.

I used to be one of those people that ambled down to my local grocery store and picked up the generically packaged (or scooped from the bulk-size bucket of) ground spices. I'd store those little glossy jars in a cupboard and pluck them accordingly for my cooking needs, sprinkling the various powders in pots of bubbling curries and stews.

Woah. Wrong picture. Well, right picture, but not in this apartment! Those jars are now filled to the brim with whole spices... and an old coffee grinder camps out on the table nearby, ready to grind any spices that come its way. I promise, it's a good thing. You won't believe the difference in flavor.

I guess my point here is that grinding your own spices isn't just an exercise for the bold and daring. It's actually pretty common in traditional cultural cuisine. And the real kicker is that it's not expensive at all. I mean, they're the same spices, just not ground up and ready to go. You can even grind a decent amount and store it in those cute little jars :)

So just in case you have an old grinder, and feel like being a tad adventurous, here's a recipe for Garam Masala... taken from this random website. The result was great- I'd make a curry right away if I were you!

Garam Masala
You'll need a grinder of sorts- I'm sure that a Cuisinart would work fine... but we used an old coffee grinder

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cardamom seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, broken up
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg (yeah... grate it yourself :))

Instructions:

Put all ingredients except the nutmeg in a skillet over medium-high heat and toast the spices for about 10 minutes- you'll want them to be a darker shade and to be emitting wonderful aromas! Then set aside to cool. When they're pretty cool, transfer them to a coffee grinder or Cuisinart and grind away. Then add the grated nutmeg and mix. After that, you can store the mixture in an airtight container for 3 months. This recipe yields 1/2 cup according to the site, but I'm convinced that we got more out of it.

Enjoy!