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South Indian · Indian

Kerala (Malabar) garam masala

Vegetarian

ഗരം മസാല · garam masāla

The garam masala of Kerala's Malabar coast: fennel is the main note, with star anise, cassia, cloves, cardamom and black pepper — and almost none of the coriander and cumin of the north. Sweet, anise-scented and peppery, it finishes Kerala chicken and beef curries, roasts and Thalassery biryani.

Kerala (Malabar) garam masala is a South Indian condiment, ready in about 22 minutes and made with fennel seeds, cinnamon stick and star anise / anise. It serves 30 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
7 min
Rest
10 min
Total
22 min
Serves
30
Level
Easy
Calories
7

Ingredients

30 teaspoons (about 2 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    In a dry pan over medium-low heat, roast the fennel seeds (opens in a new tab) alone for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until they turn a shade darker and smell sweet. Tip out.

  2. Step 2

    Roast the cassia, peppercorns (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab) and bay leaf (opens in a new tab) together for 2 minutes until the cloves swell; add the mace (opens in a new tab) for the last 20 seconds.

    • 3 min
    • medium-low heat

  3. Step 3

    Tip everything onto a wide plate in a single layer and cool completely, about 10 minutes. Warm spices release oil and steam in the grinder and turn pasty and clumpy.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Grind with the grated nutmeg (opens in a new tab) to a fine powder in short bursts. Sift and regrind the coarse remains; star anise (opens in a new tab) needs a second pass.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar or spice tin, label with the date and keep away from the stove, light and steam. Always use a dry spoon.

About this dish

Origin
Malabar, Kerala, Kerala, India · Commonly attributedTypical Kerala home proportions; Mappila (Malabar Muslim) kitchens are especially known for fennel-led blends. Proportions vary by family.More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, sweet, peppery
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Fennel seeds · Cinnamon stick · Star anise / anise · Black peppercorns · Cardamom · Cloves
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

7 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 2 g · recipe makes 30

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 67%
  • Fat 23%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy7 kcal332 kcal
Protein0.2 g11.5 g
Carbohydrate1.3 g64.9 g
Net carbohydrate0.6 g28.6 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.7 g36.3 g
Fat0.2 g11.9 g
Saturated fat0.1 g2.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium1 mg68 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
24 mg
Calcium
16 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • Mace: Nutmeg (FDC 171326) used as a stand-in; mace is the aril of the same seed.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Kerala cooks often add it twice: a little with the onions and a final pinch at the end.

Common mistakes

  • Swapping in Punjabi garam masala for Kerala curries — the cumin-coriander base tastes out of place against coconut and curry leaves.

Serve with

  • Kerala egg roast, kadala curry and Malabar chicken curry.
  • Thalassery and Malabar biryanis.

Storage

  • Airtight, cool and dark, for 3 months.

Variations

  • With poppy seeds: Some Malabar biryani masalas grind in 1 tbsp white poppy seeds for body.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Dry spice blend
Texture
Fine powder
One batch makes
about 59 g
Keeps
about 3 months
Store
Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe
Regional variation

Malabar, Kerala. Makes Garam masala, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Regional variations: Bengali garam masala, Biryani masala, Mughlai (shahi) garam masala, Punjabi garam masala

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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