Pure & Sure

Garam Masala

₹150.00(₹1.36 per gram)

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Size 100g

Ten spicesNo saltNo fillerNo coloursPepper-led

CLEANTen spices and nothing else.

A garam masala led by black pepper and cardamom rather than by the cheap spices, which is the difference between a blend that finishes a dish and one that just makes it dusty. Ten spices, each named, each organic, with mace and clove doing the aromatic work and fenugreek adding the savoury backnote. There is no salt in it, no starch and no anti-caking agent, so it clumps a little in humidity and tastes stronger spoon for spoon than a salted blend.

Add it at the end of cooking, not the start.

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₹150.00

Why We Like It

Sourced organically and roasted slowly to keep the natural oils and aroma.
Ten spices, every one named, with no salt, no filler and no anti-caking agent.
Pepper and cardamom lead the list rather than the cheaper coriander or cumin most blends open with.

Ingredients

Organic black pepper

First on the list, which makes this a pepper-led garam masala

The traditional structure, and a more expensive one than cumin- or coriander-led blends.

Organic cardamom

Second by weight

Cardamom is the costliest spice in the blend, and its position here is a genuine quality signal.

Organic fenugreek

Note

Adds the slightly bitter, savoury backnote. Not in every garam masala.

Organic coriander and cumin

Note

The rounding spices, carrying the sharper ones. In cheaper blends these lead the list because they cost least.

Organic chilli, clove, ginger

Note

Heat and warmth, from whole spices rather than a seasoning premix.

Organic cinnamon bark and mace

Note

Mace is the other expensive inclusion here. No species on file for the cinnamon bark, the same gap as on the brand's standalone cinnamon.

No salt

Unusual and worth knowing

Many masala blends are part salt by weight, so you season separately and control it.

No filler, anti-caking agent or colour

Not used

No starch, no rice flour, no silicon dioxide (INS 551), no added colour and no flavour enhancer.

Pure & Sure Garam Masala versus other garam masalas

What to compare	Purepicked	Regular garam masala
Ingredient list	Ten spices, nothing else	Often salt, starch and anti-caking agents too
Spice order	Pepper and cardamom lead	Coriander or cumin lead; cheaper to make
Salt	None added	Frequently a major ingredient by weight
Colour	From the spices themselves	Synthetic colours are documented in masala
Flavour enhancer	None	MSG (INS 621) common

Is It For You?

Good for

Finishing curries, dals and biryani

Anyone controlling their own salt

Households avoiding anti-caking agents and MSG

North Indian gravies and kebabs

Avoid if

Anyone who wants a pre-salted blend they can spoon in without adjusting — there is no salt in this

Cooks who add garam masala early; it is a finishing spice and long heat flattens it

Anyone expecting a mild blend — this is pepper-led and stronger spoon for spoon than salted supermarket versions

How to use

Add in the last few minutes of cooking. Garam masala is a finishing spice and long heat flattens it

Start with less than you think; unsalted blends taste stronger spoon for spoon

Sprinkle over dals, curries and biryani just before serving

Mix into marinades for kebabs and tikkas, where it has time to work on the meat rather than in the pan

What to look for in Garam Masala?

Read the order of the ingredient list. Salt or starch high up means you are buying filler priced as masala.

Count the spices. A blend naming ten spices is telling you more than one naming 'spices and condiments'.

Anti-caking agents keep blends free-flowing. A blend without them may clump in humidity, which is the honest trade.

'Permitted colour' and 'nature-identical flavouring' are legal, but they exist to compensate for weaker spice.