DESCRIPTION -
Whole garam masala, also known as Sabut garam masala in Hindi, consists of the same spices used to make garam masala powder, but used unground.
Whole garam masala consists of cinnamon sticks, brown cardamom, peppercorns, mace, bay leaf, cloves, cumin seeds, and star anise.
It's used in the preparation of dishes like biryani and pulao. Whole spices are first added to hot oil. When added to hot oil, they release their essential oils and add their aroma and flavor.

PREPARATION AND USE –
We use whole garam masala when we want the dish to be aromatic and have a slight earthy flavor from the whole garam masala spices, but we don't want the flavor to be as strong as garam masala powder.
We also use whole garam masala when the dish has its own blend of flavors, for example, biryani.
The flavors of whole garam masala are less intense than that of garam masala powder and therefore make the dish aromatic and add a mild spice flavor that complements the dominant spice blend, which in this case is the biryani masala.