Topic: Curry Powder

[Madrasandy]

Found this on the Internet , made it and it is wonderful, use it all the time now

Curry Powder-

1 cup coriander seeds
1/3 cup cumin seeds
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons cardamom pods
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cloves
8 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 300

[chewytikka]

Hi MA
Do you use this curry powder as part of your BIR mix powder or instead of?

cheers Chewy

[Madrasandy]

CT,
I use it in my mix powder, it has a wonderful fresh smell as opposed to the shop bought curry powders and I make it in a smaller scaled down batch

[livo]

Just out of interest @madrasandy, what do you think it is that makes this blend a good powder? Is it the proportions of spices and the actual contained spices?  Or is it the roasting in the hot oven rather than dry frying in a pan? or Both?

Just wondering because this is my next task. To better understand the subtle variations in actual Curry Powders, and also Mix powders. I want to understand why certain spices are included or omitted from different variations of what is often the same thing in name.  eg Mild Madras Curry Powder can be so many different things depending on where you shop or where you look at a recipe to make it yourself.  This makes for very confused novices unless actual Brands are specified and available.

I found a recipe for a homemade Curry Powder a few years ago which was made from single spice ingredients only.  I made it and it was terrible, flavourless and dusty.  Might have been bad old ingredients to start with or just a bad mix combination, I'm not sure. I had a container of cheap supermarket generic Curry Powder that I didn't think much of either so I tipped them both together and just put it away.  A fair while later I needed some powder to just make Curried Sausages and that was all I had.  It made the best curried sausages you could imagine and my father wanted it as he had been unable to find a powder as good.  Now I can't buy the generic powder so I can't reproduce it.

[Madrasandy]

I like it because the spices are whole, roasted and ground giving the most fresh powder, shop bought powders can be a little stale and flavourless 

[livo]

Not sure how this will work copying and pasting from my spread sheet, but here are 4 "Curry Powders", including the one you've just provided @madrasandy (by Vikas Khanna) for comparison.  All have been converted to quantities that use the same 6 Teaspoons (2 Tablespoons ) of Coriander Seed and the other spices vary from that reference point.  I have used 1 Tablespoon = 3 Teaspoon and 1 Cup = 16 Tablespoon for conversion.

This clearly illustrates the variation seen in what is simply and loosely referred to as "Curry powder".

Basic     Simple Sweet     Madras (Mild)    Vikas Khanna 1   Coriander Seed         6 tsp              6 tsp                6 tsp                  6 tsp 2   Cumin Seed              6 tsp             3 tsp               3 tsp                   2 tsp 3   Mustard Seed         3 tsp               1 tsp                 3 tsp                       - 4   Fenugreek Seed     1 tsp                -                      3 tsp                    - 5   Black Peppercorn    3 tsp             1/2 tsp                1 tsp              1 single corn 6   Curry Leaves          12                     -                      12                    - 7   Kashmiri Chilli     3 chillis             1/2 tsp               5 chillis                      - 8   Tumeric              3 - 6 tsp            3 tsp                     6 tsp                3/4 tsp 9   Fennel Seed      1 tsp                    1 tsp                   -                    - 10   Cloves              1 tsp                        -                          -                1/2 tsp 11   Ginger powder       -                    1 tsp                  -                   - 12   Cassia Bark       -                       -                4" piece or sub 13           - 13   Cinnamon Stick       -                       -              4" piece or sub 12           - 14   Cardomam Pods     -                       -                         10                   2 15   Cayenne               -                       -                          -               3/4 tsp 16   Fenugreek Leaf       -                       -                          -               3/4 tsp

I tried to line up the columns but it didn't work sorry. But you get the picture and this is without variation in which spices are roasted and how.  Fixed it a little bit.

[ELW]

Not sure how this will work copying and pasting from my spread sheet, but here are 4 "Curry Powders", including the one you've just provided @madrasandy (by Vikas Khanna) for comparison.  All have been converted to quantities that use the same 6 Teaspoons (2 Tablespoons ) of Coriander Seed and the other spices vary from that reference point.  I have used 1 Tablespoon = 3 Teaspoon and 1 Cup = 16 Tablespoon for conversion.

This clearly illustrates the variation seen in what is simply and loosely referred to as "Curry powder".

                         Basic     Simple Sweet        Madras (Mild)    Vikas Khanna
1   Coriander Seed     6 tsp            6 tsp              6 tsp                6 tsp
2   Cumin Seed     6 tsp            3 tsp              3 tsp                2 tsp
3   Mustard Seed     3 tsp            1 tsp              3 tsp                    -
4   Fenugreek Seed     1 tsp                -                      3 tsp                    -
5   Black Peppercorn 3 tsp           1/2 tsp              1 tsp            1 single corn
6   Curry Leaves      12                       -                        12                    -
7   Kashmiri Chilli   3 chillis           1/2 tsp             5 chillis                    -
8   Tumeric           3 - 6 tsp            3 tsp                     6 tsp                3/4 tsp
9   Fennel Seed   1 tsp                    1 tsp                   -                    -
10   Cloves           1 tsp                        -                          -                1/2 tsp
11   Ginger powder       -                    1 tsp                  -                   -
12   Cassia Bark       -                       -                4" piece or sub 13           -
13   Cinnamon Stick       -                       -                4" piece or sub 12           -
14   Cardomam Pods     -                       -                         10                   2
15   Cayenne               -                       -                          -               3/4 tsp
16   Fenugreek Leaf       -                       -                          -               3/4 tsp


I tried to line up the columns but it didn't work sorry. But you get the picture and this is without variation in which spices are roasted and how.

Do you reckon the chefs/cooks sweating it out in the kitchens are doing anything like this livo? 

[livo]

I hope not.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I tried to line up the columns but it didn't work sorry.

"Insert table" (icon 1, set 4, line 2)
** Phil.

[littlechilie]

Very interesting looking at it this way ELW I may make the Madras powder fresh for comparison.
Always make my own Garam Masala, and very little sprinkled tastes so potent.