Chicken curry with toasted garam masala, tested against untoasted and unbloomed versions

Toast whole spices (or leave untoasted for the comparison batch) and grind them into garam masala.

Marinate chopped chicken thighs with salt and lemon juice and let sit.

Mix a yogurt marinade with ginger, garlic, ground cumin and ground paprika, pour over the chicken, and add the garam masala (toasted for one batch, untoasted for the other).

Marinate for one hour, then broil until brown and cooked through.

For the sauce, bloom the spices in oil and cook them through the sauce, about 30 minutes; for the comparison batch, add the same spices right at the end of cooking.

Plate rice with the chicken and the sauce, with pickled onions.