Home Made Garam Masala Powder & How to Keep Green Chillies &Curry Leaves fresh?

Mom's recipes & tips never fail,I agree ..Do you??I started cooking only after marriage but always stood beside by my mom helping her chopping vegetables,helping in snack making,making dosas /chapathis at times when mom is not at home(happens once in a year:-)) But when I actually stepped into the same shoes and was in kitchen for the first time(mom was not near) that I could realise cooking was not that easy when you start from scratch;exceptions now a days is that you get all frozen and ready made masala powders.And am a person I could never smell the aroma of the masala powders in the ready made packets somehow was not satisfied.That's the time I started preparing my own reserve of garam masala powder especially as per mom's instructions.And in a way,am happy too..Recently did I got to know that one of the leading brands of spice powders 'Eastern' is adulterated with some toxic chemicals.So,friends this is for all those who miss their moms aromatic garam masala powder !!

Ingredients

cinnamon 1 whole strand(10 pieces 1"long)

cloves 15

fennel seeds 3tbsp

cardamom 20 pods

poppy seeds 2 tsp

star anise 2

whole pepper corns 1 tbsp

Method

-Heat a non stick pan in low flame and add all the spice powders,just warm it up.(takes 5-7 minutes,don't burn)

-Put these in the blender and grind it to a fine powder.

-Store in air tight jars for future use.

(SEE NOTES BELOW)

How To keep Green Chillies  & Curry leaves Fresh at home?

The green chillies that you buy from the market or grocery store stays good in a refrigerator for 2weeks at the maximum.Sometimes when I visit the Indian grocery stores here,the green chillies & curry leaves may be out of stock and that's how I started storing these in my refrigerator well in advance. By this method,you can preserve them longer for a 40 days .

-The best way to keep them is remove the stalk of green chillies with your hands without damaging the chilli.And preserve them in a moisture free air tight containers.

-To preserve curry leaves,remove stalk and separate the leaves alone.Put this in an moisture free air tight container. 

NOTES

* This amount makes a small jar of 100 gms.You can increase the ratio accordingly for larger amounts.

* Don't prepare garam masala in large quantities as it loses its aroma with frequent opening of jar.I usually prepare it every 1 1/2 months.

* Always the keep the lids tightly closed.Otherwise it may not work good.
* Adding pepper corns is my mother's tip,you can omit them if u wish.

* If you wish to wash & preserve them ,You can do that but the only concern is wipe them dry without any little moisture left.Then preserve as listed.