By Raghavan Iyer, via Dr. Urvashi Pitre

Makes 1/2 cup

What You’ll Need

• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds (green or white pods)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 3 dried red chiles
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken up

What to Do

1. In a clean coffee or spice grinder, add all ingredients.
2. Grind until the spices form a medium-fine powder. Stop and shake the grinder several times during the process to evenly grind all the seeds and bits.
3. Pour the garam masala into a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 4 weeks.

(Robb’s not-as-good, but OK cheater alternative: mix already ground versions of these things together in roughly those proportions.)