Makes about 12 tablespoons
2 tablespoons ground chilli
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon star anise
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black onion seeds
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
½ cinnamon stick
Preheat an oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Mix all the spices together in a dry baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and roast the spices for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and stir, then return it to the oven and roast the spices for a further 4–5 minutes until they look and smell toasted, but not burnt! Immediately tip the spices out of the pan and leave to cool.
Transfer the spices to a spice grinder and grind, then sift through a fine sieve to leave a powder. Store in an air tight container until needed.