Recipes Using Garam Masala – Are you curious about how to use garam masala? You’re in luck! We’ve compiled some of our favorite recipes that use garam masala and they are just as mouth-watering as they look. Even just a pinch of this warm spice will take your dish to the next level.
WHAT IS GARAM MASALA?
Garam masala combines whole spices that are toasted and ground, which is where the spice blend gets its name, “hot spice,” or garam masala. I know what you might be thinking- is it spicy? Not at all. Instead, hot spice is a nod to the warming process of toasting whole spices to draw out the flavor and aroma before grinding them.
- 1. Grilled Tandoori Chicken
- 2. Chickpea Spinach Curry
- 3. Moong Dal (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
- 4. Mushroom Masala
- 5. Butter Chicken Masala
- 6. Punjabi Shahi Paneer
- 7. Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
- 8. Paneer Butter Masala
- 9. Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
- 10. Saag Paneer
- 11. Slow-Roasted Salmon Sandwiches
- 12. Authentic Chana Masala Recipe
- 13. Coconut Lamb Curry
- 14. Kashmiri Mutton Rogan Josh
- 15. Tandoori Chicken Tikka
- 16. Lamb Vindaloo
- 17. Chocolate Garam Masala Cookies
- 18. Aloo Keema
- 19. Chana Saag
- 20. Kaleji Recipe
- 21. Instant Pot Black Dal
- 22. Indian Eggplant Curry
- 23. Paya Soup
- 24. Healthy Samosas
- 25. Indian-Spiced Shepherd’s Pie
RECIPES USING GARAM MASALA
Garam masala is widely used in South Asian cuisine to flavor meat, vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, and even desserts; we’ve compiled some incredible meals for you to try!
1. Grilled Tandoori Chicken
Grilled Tandoori Chicken is juicy on the inside while maintaining a nice char on the outside, and it has all the eye-catching color you’d expect. Ours chicken is coated in a tandoori marinade and flavored with fresh ground spices like garam masala.
2. Chickpea Spinach Curry
This quick and easy vegan Chickpea Spinach Curry is a great dinner option for busy weeknights! It includes coconut milk and warming spices; you will love this creamy, comforting dish. It’s perfect for meal prep too!
3. Moong Dal (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
Moong Dal or yellow lentils create a flavorful dish infused with garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and warm, fragrant spices.
4. Mushroom Masala
The mushroom Masala Recipe is a rich, creamy, and superbly flavorful Indian mushroom curry and the meal comes together in 20 minutes.
5. Butter Chicken Masala
Let’s make Butter Chicken complete with tender pieces of chicken simmered in a robust, fragrant, and creamy sauce that’s seasoned with fresh spices.
6. Punjabi Shahi Paneer
Punjabi Shahi Paneer has a flavorful masala consisting of cashews, tomato passata, and warming spices like garam masala.
7. Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
This Easy Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe is a delicious British Indian recipe with a rich and creamy tomato curry sauce loaded with bold spices and chicken.
8. Paneer Butter Masala
Restaurant-style Paneer Butter Masala or Paneer Makhani is a popular Indian dish that is rich, creamy, and delicious, prepared using ingredients like butter, onion, tomatoes, paneer, cashews, and cream.
9. Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Our quick Instant Pot Chicken Biryani cooks in one hour and combines chicken, long-grained basmati rice, caramelized onion, and warming spices! Treat yourself to mouth-watering biryani without setting aside most of your day to make it
10. Saag Paneer
Saag Paneer features a unique ingredient, Swiss chard. It combines with lightly-spiced greens and fried paneer to make a savory meal.
11. Slow-Roasted Salmon Sandwiches
This slow-roasted spiced salmon sandwiches are made with spiced salmon, an apple slaw, and an easy mustard sauce spiked with garam masala.
12. Authentic Chana Masala Recipe
Our Authentic Chana Masala Recipe cooks in a spiced tomato-based curry consisting of onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro.
13. Coconut Lamb Curry
Enjoy this hearty, warm Lamb Curry with coconut milk and Indian spices. It’s perfect with a bowl of fluffy rice.
14. Kashmiri Mutton Rogan Josh
Kashmiri Mutton Rogan Josh is an aromatic curry known for its deep red color and the distinct taste of signature spices.
15. Tandoori Chicken Tikka
Restaurant-quality Tandoori Chicken Tikka is easy to make on the grill; it’s healthy, tasty, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
16. Lamb Vindaloo
Spicy Lamb Vindaloo recipe is a curry from the Goan region of India. It’s made with spices, dried chilis, and vinegar; this restaurant-style Indian recipe is easy to make at home.
17. Chocolate Garam Masala Cookies
Chocolate Garam Masala Cookies feature an unlikely combination of ingredients. Garam masala and rich chocolate pair up to create an indulgent dessert you’ll crave.
18. Aloo Keema
Our authentic, one-pot Aloo Keema is a delicious combination of seasoned ground meat and potatoes sautéed in tomato, onion, garlic, ginger and warm spices.
19. Chana Saag
This delicious Chana Saag is a vegan dish brimming with Indian flavors and loaded with greens. It’s hearty and filling, thanks to the protein-rich chickpeas.
20. Kaleji Recipe
Our Beef Kaleji Recipe simmers in an onion, ginger, and garlic-tinged masala. Served as is or with fresh bread like paratha, our kaleji masala fry is delicious.
21. Instant Pot Black Dal
Inspired by the famous Black Dal at Dishoom restaurant in London, this Instant Pot dal makhani recipe is rich and creamy, yet it takes a fraction of the time of the original.
22. Indian Eggplant Curry
A carefully balanced blend of our favorite spices and seasonings come together to create this Eggplant Curry dish. It is the simplest way to enjoy your favorite vegetables!
23. Paya Soup
Paya Soup is popular for its health benefits and is perfect for colder months. Stew beef feet and bones into a soothing broth and serve it with warmly-spiced baghar to make paya.
24. Healthy Samosas
The perfect, healthy Indian Samosa recipe (baked samosa and air-fryer samosa) is made with six simple pantry ingredients for a healthy and delicious side.
25. Indian-Spiced Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie with a twist, this is a deliciously comforting combination of spiced mince topped with creamy golden mashed potatoes. You’ll never go back to the traditional pie again!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Okay, so you’ve selected a recipe using garam masala to make for dinner tonight, but now you need something to pair it with; here are a few suggestions.
- Basmati Rice, Jeera Rice, Saffron Rice, Quinoa
- Cauliflower Rice
- Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Easy Raita, Chutney, Serrano Crema
- Roti, Naan, Paratha, Poori, Chapati
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What’s in Garam Masala?
You can purchase the spice blend in most mainstream grocery stores, but you should know one thing- Garam Masala is not one size fits all. Throughout South Asia, you will find that recipes that are specific to each region, each one slightly different from the last.
The combination of whole spices and how much of each spice will vary from recipe to recipe, but the preparation is the same. Begin by measuring the whole spices, then toast them in a pan over low heat. Finely grind the spices, and preserve them for many meals to come!
What spices are used to prepare Garam Masala?
This list could go on and on, but here are some whole spices you can include in a garam masala recipe: green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon sticks, black cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, nutmeg, mace, bay leaves, black peppercorns, star anise, dried ginger, asafoetida powder, caraway seeds, and fenugreek. Try our Pakistani Garam Masala as a replacement for the store-bought version.
For a family-treasured recipe, check out our North Indian Garam Masala Recipe.
What does Garam Masala taste like?
Garam Masala is a warm, fragrant spice blend with layers of flavor. The taste depends on the amount of each spice used, but overall I would describe it as savory sweet.
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Shariq
Sunday 16th of October 2022
What a great collection of Indian/Pakistani recipes. Now that I've mastered your garam masala recipe, it is easy to make many of these. We tried the kaleji, biryani, and daal and they were all rich and flavorful. Very authentic.