Bengali Garam Masala – A special spice blend

What do you mean Bengali Garam Masala, my husband asked me incredulously as I was making this blend this morning? It baffles even Indians how many different variations we have of the same spice blend across the country. I had recently posted this Bengali shrimp recipe and realized that I did not have a recipe for the Garam Masala on my site. Actually, I realized it once a reader asked me for the recipe.

My Bengali Garam Masala Story

I will confess that I could do a better job of posting these essential recipes on this site. Anytime you need one however give me a holler and you will ultimately see it show up on the site. Another weekend with work to finish, does not make me happy. However, I did spend the morning cooking up some old favorites.  Such as this garam masala.

So what you wonder is distinct about the Bengali garam masala. It is more minimalist.  It is made with just three ingredients – cinnamon, green cardamom seeds and cloves. So think of it as a Mark Bitman version of the more common garam masala. The net result is that it yields a more arromatic and sweeter version of the more commonly found North Indian garam masala.a blog post on this right here.

The net result is that it complements the sweeter milder Bengali cuisine better. I have also not typically seen these spices pre-toasted before powdering them. In fact, my mother usually coarsely grinds them using her grinding stone aka sil nora in Bengali. Without fail, I use this blend for all my mother’s recipes.

I almost feel that lightning might strike if I do not. Although mom will tell you, all this is just for show, she takes enough liberties with my recipes anyway.

What can I say mom? I try, even on these super busy insanely crazy days that I sometimes have. And now here is another interesting recipe using garam masala in a very different way.