Malay Garam Masala (Spice Mixture)

I am indebted to our famous Malay cooking queen, Cass Abrahams, for this recipe. I suppose it's for serious cooks who like experimenting with cuisines other than their own. It makes quite a lot, and as spices do not keep their flavour for much more than 3 months, you might want to halve the quantities. I give both US and metric ingredients. The prep and cook time given are mere guesses in this case!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Yields: 1 1/2 lbs

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 ounce cardamom pod
• 18  ounces  coriander seeds
• 5  ounces cumin seeds
• 1  ounce clove, whole (or use 1/2 the amount in ground cloves)
• 2  ounces black peppercorns
• 1  ounce cinnamon stick (or use 1/2 the amount in ground cinnamon)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius.
2. Spread the mix of spices in an oven dish or tin, and roast lightly for about 7 - 10 minutes. This brings out the flavours.
3. Grind all together -- a blender is best, but a coffee bean grinder also does a great job.
4. Store in an airtight container out of direct light. Use as recipes indicate.