Garam Masala

Garam masala is not a curry powder and it is not there for heat. "Garam" describes the warm end of the spice cupboard — cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, bay — and the blend exists to lift a dish at the finish rather than to build its base.

That is also how to use it. Half a teaspoon stirred through in the last minute, off the heat or nearly, so the aromatics stay aromatic; put it in at the start with the onions and most of what you paid for goes up in the pan. It belongs in dal makhani, chhole, rajma, keema, a biryani layer and almost any north Indian gravy that tastes correct but flat.

Packed in 100 g and 250 g. A blend this aromatic is worth buying small and often — the whole point of it is the smell when the pouch opens.