How to Make Curry Powder

Introduction

• Making your own curry powder, rather than buying a glass jar of commercial curry powder at the grocery store, allows you to tailor the flavor of your curry to your own peculiar palate. Explore the spices that go into making curry powder to discover just what it is that draws you to that magical yellow dust.

Step 1: What You'll Need

Spices. (Creative Commons photo by Laura)

• No one recipe exists for curry powder. In fact, in India, the composition of a curry powder depends on the region in which it is made and what ingredients are readily available. You can follow an exact recipe, such as those listed below in the Resources section, or experiment to find your perfect combination.

Ingredients

• Coriander seeds—lightly sweet with hints of citrus and mint.
• Turmeric—brightly yellow with an earthy bitterness
• Fenugreek seeds (almost always included, though Alton Brown has his own way of doing things)—a sweet, yellow seed to be used with caution
• Cumin—strong, earthy aroma important to the overall flavor of the curry powder
• Ground or flake pepper (black, white, red or a combination included in most recipes)—white pepper is made from the same plant as black pepper but has a milder flavor; red pepper is made from dried chili peppers
• Mustard seeds or dry mustard (optional but usually included)—sharp, distinct flavor
• Cardamom (optional)—expensive member of the ginger family with a sweet, flowery aroma
• Fennel seeds (optional)—weaker licorice flavor than anise, slightly sweet
• Caraway seeds (optional)—strong anise flavor
• Ginger (optional)—sweet and spicy, best to use fresh
• Cinnamon (optional)—sweet and flavorful; cassia is sometimes sold as cinnamon, but not as flavorful as the real thing
• Cloves (optional)—strong, distinct flavor; to be used in small amounts
• Mace (optional)—made from same plant as nutmeg with lighter flavor
• Curry leaves (optional)—aromatic leaves typical in southern Indian curries.

Equipment

• Coffee or spice grinder, blender, or mortar and pestle to grind spices
• Cake or sauté pan to toast spices (optional)

Step 2: Toast Your Spices

Cardamom Seeds. (Creative Commons photo by Zoya)

• Some recipes suggest toasting certain spices before including them in the mixture. Cardamom pods must at least be husked to obtain the seeds before use, if not toasted. You may also want to bake the other seeds you intend to use or toast them in a saucepan. You can also dry roast your chili peppers.

1. To bake:
   1. Preheat oven to 350°.
   2. Put seeds and cardamom pods in an oven-safe container.
   3. Bake seeds for up to 7 minutes.
2. To dry roast:
   1. Put seeds and cardamom pods in a pan.
   2. Heat on medium burner, stirring to prevent scorching, until well toasted.

Step 3: Create a Base

• Once you've toasted any spices you choose, you can begin composing your curry powder. Start by including the most common ingredients.

1. Start with a tablespoon each of coriander, cumin, and turmeric, as well as 1/2 tablespoon of fenugreek.
2. Add a couple teaspoons each of dry mustard or mustard seeds and ground pepper. Many recipes call for red chili pepper flakes, while others use ground white or black pepper.
3. If you know what optional spices you want to include in your powder, add them now. Some typical additions include:
   1. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
   2. 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
   3. 2 teaspoons ginger
   4. 1/2 teaspoon cloves
4. Variations on curry powder less commonly call for:
   1. 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
   2. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
   3. 1 teaspoon mace

Step 4: Grind Your Spices

• If you aren't using pre-ground spices, you'll need to grind your spices to create a powder. Use one of the following items to do so. Make sure that whatever instrument you use effectively grinds the hard seed shells.

1. Coffee Grinder or
2. Spice Grinder or
3. Blender or
4. Mortar and Pestle

Step 5: Adjust Your Mixture

Store-bought Curry Powder. (Creative Commons photo by David Van Horn)

• Compare your mixture to a curry powder that you've tried and liked. Hopefully, you'll like your own mixture at least equally well. If not, try to determine what the commercial mixture has that you like and your mixture lacks.

1. Consult a reference such as McCormick's Enspicelopedia for the properties of different spices.
2. Smell and taste different spices singly to decide if you want to add more of them to your mixture.
3. If your mixture isn't spicy enough, try adding some more pepper or ginger.
4. If you want a sweeter mixture, try adding ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, or fennel.
5. To make your powder more yellow, try adding turmeric, cumin, or mustard.
6. You can always add more of the base ingredients as well.

Step 6: Use Your Curry Powder

• Once you've created the perfect curry mixture, it's time to put it to use in a delicious recipe.

Curry Recipes

• Epicurious: Curry Cumin Popovers
• Food & Wine: Aromatic Yellow Curry Sauce
• FoodNetwork.com: Singapore Pork Satay with Lemon-Curry Rice
• Martha Stewart: Chicken Curry
• PBS: Julia Child's Curry of Spinach and Eggplant

Conclusion

• Once you've made your first curry mixture, you can make different curries for different recipes. Perhaps you find certain spices work best when currying lamb, while others are perfect for curried chicken. Keep your curry mixture, either in powder form or un-ground, in an airtight jar. Your unground mixture should stay fresh for 6 months, while your ground powder will only last for two.