Preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat.

Add cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks to the skillet.

Toast spices, shaking the skillet frequently, until the cumin seeds turn reddish-brown and the cinnamon sticks become brittle.

Toasting should take approximately 1-2 minutes and spices should become highly fragrant.

Immediately transfer the toasted spices to a plate and allow them to cool completely.

Once cooled, place the toasted spices in a spice grinder.

Add fennel seed, black peppercorns, ground ginger, black cumin seeds, whole cloves, ground nutmeg, ground mace, and seeds from black cardamom pods to the spice grinder.

Grind all the spices until the texture resembles finely ground black pepper.

Store the spice blend in a tightly sealed container, away from excess light, heat, and humidity, for up to 2 months.