Sanjay Aggarwal's Top Tips for What to Do With Unused Spices and a Family Recipe for Garam Masala

What to Do With Unused Spices

Even the keenest home cooks end up with a collection of unused spices, sitting sad and unloved in a kitchen drawer or cupboard. Recipes demand that we buy long lists of ingredients…and then we often make something only once. 

Many people are surprised to learn that spices definitely have a shelf life, and so if you’ve got little jars or packets that have been lurking on a shelf for many years, then my advice is to have a really good clear out; if they’re dusty and old, they won’t do your dishes any favours. Ground spices should be vibrant in both colour and aroma; you can tell how they are by having a look and a sniff. Is the colour of the spice attractive to your eye, or is it dull and lifeless? Does the aroma inspire you to cook when you open the jar, or do you have to work hard to detect it? Your senses will let you know if your spices have any life left in them – and so trust them. If your spices don’t light up your senses then honestly, it’s time to say goodbye. 

But now, the good news: those vibrant spices with fragrant life in them can be put to so many uses! And so with what you have left, here are some ideas you might want to try. 

Making Your Own Spice Blends 

Growing up, my mum was always in the kitchen, often making batches of her spice masalas – the Hindi word for blends – perfected over many years and the backbone of our family meals. Because I watched and learned from mum, I’ve always loved using blends in my cooking, rather than getting out lots of single spices. You can add bags of flavour with just one spoonful – your dishes come to life in no time at all. 

What I love about making spice blends is that you can get really creative and make the mixes that you and your family will love. You can vary the ingredients according to your tastebuds; if you’re not a fan of heat then go easy on the chilli, hot-heads can spoon in as much as you like.

A well known and much-loved blend is Piri Piri, and the spices used tend to be ones most of us have at home. If you’ve got some onion and garlic powder, paprika (smoked, sweet or plain), oregano and chilli powder, then you’re more than halfway there. Simply mix a teaspoon each of these ingredients with a quarter of a teaspoon each of salt and granulated sugar, and you’ve got an amazingly versatile blend that will season everything from grilled chicken to roasted vegetables to fries. So easy, and makes midweek meals a cinch – reach for a blend to save time but really dial up the flavour. 

So, get creative! Take an inventory of your spice cupboard and see what blends you may be able to rustle up. You can freestyle, coming up with your own brief for the perfect BBQ seasoning or super spicy blend. Or you can have a search online, looking up ‘what spice blends can I make with…?’ and seeing what comes back. My best advice is not to get too hung up on exact ingredients; if you have most of the ingredients to make (for example) Ras El Hanout but are missing something, go for it anyway – you may find you like it just as it is, and if you don’t, you can add the missing ingredients later on. Go with what you have – let your imagination and taste buds be your guide.

A Note on Whole Spices 

Whole spices stay fresh for longer than ground spices, and you may find that you’ve got lots knocking around from mulling wine at Christmas, particularly cinnamon, cloves and star anise. These whole spices, along with seeds such as cumin, coriander and fennel will make aromatic, vibrant spice blends – your festive leftovers can be transformed into a fragrant BBQ rub for summer cooking (just be careful – a little goes a long way!). 

If you want to try grinding your own, I’d recommend a good quality granite (not wooden) pestle and mortar or a cheap coffee grinder. My mum still uses a 100-year old coffee grinder that has been in our family for generations; while you don’t need something this special (or antique!), it is worth a little investment if you get into the habit of blending your own. 

Whole spices are also great for desserts and other drinks. If you’ve got some whole green cardamon pods knocking around and you’ve never tried a Rose and Cardamon Lassi then you are in for a beautifully fragrant treat.  All you need is a 500g of plain yoghurt, two cardamon pods, six big ice cubes, two tablespoons of rose syrup, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Blitz all of these ingredients together in your blender and carefully pour into tall glasses. You can garnish with rose petals if you have any, but don’t worry if not. Then drink up and enjoy… 

How to Make My Family’s Garam Masala

This Garam Masala is the best and easiest way to bring together unused Indian spices in your kitchen cupboard – and fantastic for adding bags of flavour to curries, stews and soups.

The recipe has been in our family for generations and I’ve shared the recipe in my new cookery book, Spice Kitchen. Until recently, it was our best-kept secret, but I'm sharing it here so you can enjoy it too. 

Garam Masala is used extensively in India, and there is no single recipe. Not only do many variations exist across different regions, but also from family to family and even between each individual chef.

This Garam Masala blend is super quick and easy to make. The blend can be stored in a jar or other airtight container and will last about six months if kept out of direct sunlight or heat. 

Ingredients 

Whole spices:

1 tbsp cumin 

2 tbsp coriander 

2 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cinnamon 

1 star anise

5 green cardamom 

Ground spices:

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

Method 

Tip your whole spices into a spice grinder (or use a pestle and mortar), add the ready-ground spices and crush to a fine powder. Store in a sealed jar for up to six months, adding to your dishes as needed.