How to Make Authentic Curry Powder (and what to do with it)

Mmmmm! Too bad blogs don’t have Smell-O-Vision. I wish you could enjoy the richly exotic, spicy fragrance of the curry powder I just whipped up in the kitchen.

You’ll recall the curry powders residing in the pantry came up wanting because they contain a lot of salt, an ingredient I’m supposed to avoid these days. Just one teaspoon of the Madras curry powder would dump 13% of your RDA into a dish — and a teaspoon is barely a taste in a good stir-fry or curry stew.

So, I wanted to concoct my own, something I’ve done in the past, to excellent effect. Here’s how to make a very fine

Curry Powder

(Click on the images for higher-resolution views.)

You need…

• 3 tsp turmeric
• 3 tsp coriander seeds or 3 or 4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp whole cardamom seeds, hulled (i.e., get the ones that are not inside the papery pods, which are a nuisance)
• 2 to 4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
• 1/4 tsp whole cloves
• 1/2 stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp dry, ground ginger
• 1/3 tsp yellow or black mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole white peppercorns (black would probably do)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Measure the ingredients into a blender jar. When everything is loaded into the blender, turn the machine to high and pulverize the bedoodles out of the stuff. It should be reduced to a fine, fragrant powder, with no chips of seeds left.

Yesterday, as I mentioned in passing, I bought a lot of these spices at Penzey’s, an upscale gourmet store, because I didn’t want to drive all over the city. However, if you have some time on your hands, many of the ingredients can be found much more cheaply at Asian or Mexican ethnic markets. Many, too, are packaged by American companies and retailed at ordinary supermarkets. So, by way of stocking up frugally, take a few days and seek out these goodies at decent prices. Try to get whole seeds, which make a much more fragrant, vibrantly flavored product.

Cumin is the dominant flavor of curry. I used four teaspoons because I happen to like it quite a lot. However, if it’s not your favorite flavor or you’d like to accent one or more of the other flavors, you could cut it back to two teaspoons.

Many US recipes ask for white peppercorns. However, the peppercorns and the red pepper are there only to give the curry a little “hot” kick, which, IMHO, ordinary black pepper will do just fine. Regulate the amount you put in according to your taste for heat. Same for the mustard seeds, which also add zing.

Turmeric is what gives curry its classic yellow color. It stains — don’t wear white clothing when you’re working with it, and be aware that it can stain tile grout. If this is a concern, cover the work counter with wax paper before beginning.

Use your product in any recipe that calls for curry powder. Here’s one brought back from my ten years in Arabia that’s as authentic as curry gets — in fact, curry powder per se is not especially authentic but is an artifact of the British Empire. That notwithstanding, it’s very delicious.

Here’s an impromptu curry stir-fry I came up with a while back:

Curried Stir-Fry

You need…

• chopped greens, such as Napa cabbage, bok choy, spinach, kale, or a combination thereof. If you’re using kale, cut it up fairly finely; other greens can be coarsely chopped. I use about 1/2 head of Napa cabbage for myself, which provides enough left-overs for a second meal.
• a clove or two of garlic, finely chopped
• about 2 Tbsp curry powder, more or less, according to taste
• two or three green onions with their green tops, cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch lengths.
• a carrot, chopped into small pieces
• other veggies such as tender asparagus, broccolini, bean sprouts, tiny canned corn-on-the-cob, etc., as desired; cut larger items into pieces
• some sweet mini-peppers or a ripe bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
• fresh ginger, grated (grate maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch off a piece of fresh ginger) (wash it first; no need to peel)
• a small can of coconut milk or an even smaller can of coconut cream (failing this, some chicken or beef broth will do, or white wine, or sherry)
• tamari or soy sauce
• animal protein as desired (optional): a few nice shrimp or scallops, or some thinly sliced beef, pork, or chicken
• a little olive oil (or a blander oil if you prefer)
• a little sesame oil

This is so easy! And it goes very fast once everything is cut up and assembled. While you’re cutting up the veggies, cook some rice or Asian noodles, so they’ll be ready about the time you start cooking the stir-fry.

Skim the bottom of a big frying pan or wok with the oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the ingredients in order, roughly from the longest-cooking to the shortest-cooking. Thus:

Put the carrots in the hot oil first. Stir to get them started cooking.  Add the peppers and any other veggies you have on hand, other than the greens. Stir some more, to coat with oil and get the cooking started.

If you have shrimp, scallops, or meat, add that next, along with the garlic and the ginger. Stir quickly until the meat looks cooked on the outside (this will be very fast with the shellfish, so pay attention). Be sure to keep stirring to avoid letting the garlic scorch. Add the curry powder at this point, too.

If you are not including meat, add the green onions right after the first round of veggies. Stir briefly. As the pieces from the tops turn bright green, add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder, stirring constantly.

Finally, stir in the chopped greens.

As the greens start to wilt, add the coconut milk (or broth or wine) and the tamari (or soy sauce). Continue stirring over a fast simmer  until the greens are nicely wilted and soften, but don’t overcook.

If you’ve prepared Asian noodles (or cooked some angel-hair or fettucine pasta), add these at the last minute. Stir around to saturate well with the sauce and serve it up in bowls.

If you’ve prepared rice, serve the stir-fry over the rice.

Very tasty, and good for you, too. Omitting the tamari (or soy sauce) will produce a dish that resembles Indian food (or at least, what Westerners imagine it to be). If you decide not to use the salty soy product, then season the dish with salt to taste, either before serving or at the table.