ready for the grinder...

...and what a treat to find a bagful of garam masala  ingredients.
From garam (hot) and masala (mixture of spices) garam it is a mixture of spices, the composition differs in taste regionally and by personal taste and used in dishes from the Indian subcontinent to Mauritius and South Africa.

This bagful of goodies contains cumin, blackpepper, coriander, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon dried ginger, bay leaf and caraway and this little lot is heading to a pot tonight in a  dish of 'keema aloo mattar' (less exotically known as mince, potatoes and peas!