Curry Powders and Blends
Sri Lankan Garam Masala
The island's version: more cinnamon, less cumin, and it goes in at the end.
- Built on Ceylon cinnamon rather than cassia
- Sweeter and warmer than the North Indian style
- A finishing spice, not a base
- Ground fine so it disappears into a gravy
- Sold in small pouches, because aromatics fade
Available to pre-orderSKU: CC-BLD-GRM
Size: 75g
- Carefully packed and shipped to your door
- 14-day replacement on damaged items
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Description
Sri Lankan garam masala leans harder on Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom and cloves than the North Indian kind, and lighter on cumin and coriander. It is a finishing spice, stirred in during the last minutes so the aromatics stay bright rather than cooking away.
Garam masala travelled to Sri Lanka and changed on the way. Given that the island grows some of the best cinnamon and cardamom in the world, it is not surprising which direction the blend went.
So this is a sweeter, warmer masala than the one most people know. It is not a curry powder and it will not carry a dish on its own. It is the finishing touch that goes over a biryani, into a rich meat curry, or through a lamprais just before the parcel is wrapped.
Add it at the end. Cooked hard for twenty minutes, the delicate top notes you paid for are gone and you are left with the dull bottom half of the blend.
How to Use
- Stir through a biryani in the last few minutes
- Finish a rich beef or mutton curry with half a teaspoon
- Add to lamprais before the parcel is wrapped
- Dust over a devilled dish just before serving
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Frequently Asked
Job and timing. Curry powder is the base of a dish, added early and cooked. Garam masala is a finishing blend of warm aromatics stirred in at the end. Swap one for the other and you get a curry that tastes either thin or oddly perfumed.
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