Garam Masala Substitute

Garam Masala substitute.  When it comes to curries there is little that can make it taste as great as using the herb blend that is garam masala.  Many recipes call for it, used in all sorts of ways for all sorts of meals.

But unfortunately not everyone can get hold of garam masala all the time.  It could be that you have never tried cooking with it before, or that you have run out and can't get to the shops.  whatever the reason it is not unusual to want to cook a lovely sounding Indian recipe but struggle because you have no real Garam Masala substitute.

There is good news and bad news.  The bad news first - there is very little by way of herb or herb combinations that make an effective garam masala substitute, because almost nothing tastes like a correctly mixed garam masala!

But that said there are two options available to you if you need to use something instead of the pre-bought herb mix.

The first one is probably the most popular - making garam masala!

There are a number of Garam Masala rcipes that are available on the Internet but probably my favourite one is this:

Garam Masala Recipe

2 teaspoon ginger 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
2 teaspoon black pepper 
3 teaspoon ground cumin 
3 teaspoon ground coriander 
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1 teaspoon ground cloves 

Grind into a powder, mix thoroughly and use.  Whilst you can leave parts out if you don't have it remember that will have an impact on the flavour.

If, for any reason, you are not able to make your own garam masala to replace that which you couldn;t buy then you either don't make the recipe or you use a garam masala substitute

The problem is, as mentioned, not much has a similar taste.  

From those herb blends readily available the most common is to simply use a generic 'curry powder' mix.  the sort that you can buy in almost any supermarket and many corner shops.  Outside of that you will struggle to find a suitable garam masala substitute