You will need this Indian Curry Powder Recipe if you are a serious spice lover.
The subtle aromatic flavors of the Curry spice mix will fit perfectly into your kitchen. Making your own is well worth it!
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Did you know that you can make your own curry powder from scratch?
Curry Powder is a popular spice blend in many countries in Europe and Asia, and this recipe is all yours if you want to easily add flavors to your recipes.
What is Curry Powder?
Curry Powder is a blend of spices. The spice blend is a British invention, from their time when they colonized India.
It is said that the ground blend of spices was conveniently transported from Madras (South India) to the West.
Curry Powder doesn't exist in India, and people in India won't know what it is if you ask them.
Today, the rest of the world, however, loves this spicy seasoning.
Types of curry powders exist such as the Japanese, German, Caribbean, Thailand, Vietnamese, and British Curry Powder to just name a few.
The most basic blend is the so-called Madras Curry Powder, and this recipe is a madras version of the yellow powder blend.
Ingredients
To make your own homemade curry powder, you will need a set of spices.
I recommend you use whole spices, but you can make it with ground spices too.
Entire spices are more fragrant when you temper and grind them, and that can make your spice blend all the more amazing!
- dried curry leaves
- cayenne pepper
- coriander
- cumin
- brown or black mustard seeds
- green cardamom
- black pepper
- dried ginger
- dried fenugreek leaves
- turmeric
- clove
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
I don't recommend skipping any of the spices. Each completes the spice blend.
Curry leaves grow on the curry tree. It's commonly used in India to season curries. Don't skip it!
📖 Recipe
Madras Curry Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper Ground
- 10 Curry Leaves dried and crushed
- 2 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds Ground ground
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Cumin Seeds Ground
- 1 Teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds Ground
- 1 Teaspoon Green Cardamom Ground
- 2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger Ground
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves dried and crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Turmeric Ground
- Pinch Clove Ground
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon Ground
- Pinch Nutmeg scraped (no need to dry)
Instructions
- If you use whole spices, temper them first in a dry pan, a minute or two, to release flavors.
- Allow spices to cool.
- Grind whole spices in a spice/coffee grinder or mortar and pestle or small blender one by one.
- Mix all ground spices together in a bowl.
- Store in an airtight jar, in a cool and dry place. Keep away from direct sunlight.
Notes
- If you have to dry the fenugreek and curry leaves, dry in a dehydrator or in the oven only.
- You can use ground spices too. In that case, just mix all the ground spices together.
- Some spices do not need to be dried to grind them, such as nutmeg. Just scrape off with a nutmeg grater or a knife.
- It is always better to use quality whole spices, to temper them, so to release the aroma and to prepare smaller batches instead of larger quantities. This is because the quality of spices, and their flavors, deteriorate in time, especially ground ones.
Nutrition
How to use it?
Add a dash or a teaspoon of curry powder to your soups, stews, curries, and sauces.
Here are some quick ideas:
- Curry Mayonnaise Recipe
- Curry Flavored Ketchup to make German Currywurst
- Mulligatawny Spiced Soup
- Singapore Style Noodles
Use it creatively, such as by making Fries with Curry Sauce or adding a dash to your Curried Chicken Salad.
Add some to your cream cheese, a little into your bread dough, or season your meat, seafood, and vegetable with it.
FAQs
Keep it in an airtight glass container with a lid. Glass so that you can see your curry powder, and you don't forget about it.
Reduce the quantity of cayenne pepper for a mild curry powder. To make it more hot and spicy, add more cayenne pepper powder.
No, it's not the same. Garam Masala is a popular and very common brown-colored spice blend in India. The combination of quantity of spices is different from curry powder.
thanks for sharing the recipe.best curry powder av used so far❤️
Thank you Zubeida for taking the time to leave us feedback. 🙂
Hi before preparing these spies like hygiene do we have to wash first?
Hi there, No please don't wash the spices. The spices need to be as dry as possible, if they are not dry but humid, you will have a hard time grinding them. To make sure that your spice blend is hygienically prepared, I recommend to use and buy only packed quality spices from a reliable source.
You published a recipe for Madrass Curry Powder. How about a true Goan Xacuti powder recipe ?
yes good idea, thanks for your suggestion! 🙂
Being a south indian from hyderabad I am quite fond of powders or podi as they are usually called here and these lovely pictures of the curry powder have made me even more curious to try it out...
Look at that color! This looks way better than my store brought one 😛 I need to try your's once my store brought one is over.
Just for completeness sake: Making a generic "Currywurst" is simple - fry some Bratwurst and slather it in warmed up ketchup (the better Currywurst places - often called "Wurstbuden" - in Germany use Heinz or Develey ketchup, there should be no problem getting that stuff anywhere in the world) then simply sprinkle some curry powder/mild madras on top and eat.
Some places use something called "Curryketchup" instead, which is simply ketchup mixed with curry powder (this Madras masala seems a good fit). I suggest sprinkling it on top instead, though.
The type of sausage used will differ depending on the region of Germany you visit and each region claims to make the best currywurst (of course).
You can also use british "bangers" as sausages or whatever other sausage you like. Polish sausages (Krakow) also work great. It's not 100% original but it's an often found variation of the currywurst here in Germany. I personally love it.
Thanks for taking the time and sharing some more info about the curry wurst. 🙂
If we eat use more curry powder I'd totally make it from scratch. It sounds fun and my friend does make her own curry powder too. It's nice to adjust to your family's taste!
I've heard of Currywurst but never had one. Sounds like something I'd enjoy! Good recipe for Madras Curry Powder. I often use this when I'm cooking Chinese dishes - it's a kitchen staple for me. (When I cook Indian I usually just mix my own masala.) Good stuff - thanks.
What gorgeous pictures and I love the color of the curry powder! Great story about curries! I knew that curry powder was a blend of some type but still thought it was used in Indian cuisine. Now I know I was wrong. Loved the part about eating curry in India and meeting the "fire devil". Cute. 🙂 I do love your blend! You've introduced me to a couple of new chillis that I'll have to look up. I may or may not be able to find them here. I'm sure your blend FAR surpasses the bottled stuff I buy off the grocery shelf. Great post!
Actually, curry powder is a British invention. Which is why you never find it in India. 🙂