Garam masala is a mixture of spices used in home-cooking. Every household will have its own preferred recipe. Garam masala is more common to northern India, as the "hot spices" are preferred to chillis in the cold winters. In southern Indian vegetarian cooking, the equivalent is sambhar powder and in western India, goda masala and kholombo powder. In Punjab, tandoori masala is the most common, and in Bengal panch phoron. In Hindi, garam masala generally refers to a blend of cloves, cinnamon, green and black cardamoms and black peppercorns. In Bengali it is usually a mix of cloves, cinnamon and green cardamoms.
