Garam Masala Paste - Marathi Style

A few days back, I had posted a recipe for mix-daal in which a homemade garam masala paste is used. This paste gives this daal a unique flavour. My friend gave us a live demo for preparing this paste, which is her Mom's signature recipe. Thank you Pooja and of course Auntie, for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Cloves - 15-20
2. Black pepper -15-20
3. Black cardmom - 2
4. Green cardamom - 10-12
5. Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
6. Black Cumin (Shah Jeera)  - 2 tbsp
7. Star anise - 5-7
8. Cinnamon - 3-4 small sticks
9. Sesame seeds - 3 tbsp
10. Opium seeds - 3 tbsp
11. Dry coconut powder - 5 tbsp
12. Water to grind

Ain't it pretty!

Way to go:

1. Sauté all ingredients (other than coconut powder) on a low to     medium flame.
2. Add coconut powder just towards the end, when other ingredients have been sautéed.
3. When done, let the mixture cool.
4. Add water and grind the mix to a smooth paste.
5. Freeze the mix and it can easily be used for a couple of months. Make a fresh batch every 2-3 months.

                               All sautéed and ready for grinding

                              The paste is ready!


Uses:

1. Add a tablespoon of this masala towards the end in any bean curry like rajma, black eyed beans, black grams, whole moong, mix daal etc.
2. This can also be used to thicken gravies, in case any gravy turns watery. 

Go ahead and enjoy the goodness of spices.