Bengali Garam Marsala

Bengali garam masala is a different creature from the North Indian version most people know.

Where northern blends pile on a dozen spices, the Bengali approach is refined and restrained: just four warm spices ground together. Cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves.

This blend is typically stirred in at the end of cooking, not at the beginning, so its fragrance stays bright and forward in the finished dish.

Use it to finish dals, curries, biryanis, and stews. A little goes a long way.

Pro Tips

• Grind whole spices fresh if you can. Pre-ground spices lose their potency fast. A quick blitz in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle will give you a noticeably more aromatic blend.
• Store in a tightly sealed glass jar away from heat and light. It’ll keep its punch for about 2 to 3 months.
• Add it at the very end of cooking, just before serving. Bengali garam masala is meant to perfume the dish, not cook down into the background.