Curry powder is a combination of chilli powder, coriander powder and various spices. This is a recipe which I used to help my mother make, since my school days! When my father brought the ground curry powder from the local flour mill, the whole house was engulfed with the amazing strong roasted scent of curry powder. It actually made us hungry!
All throughout her life, my mother never bought ready- made curry powders and made no compromises, where taste and flavour was concerned. Now, that I have been making my own curry powder for quite a while, I cannot dream of using packets of ready-made curry powder in my cooking!
A Chilli Powder Ingredients:
- 2 pieces of dry turmeric (manjel/dry haldi) – approx. 1 tablespoon, slightly crushed
- 4 tablespoons raw uncooked rice (white rice preferred)
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
- 200 grams of dry chillies – medium hot
Method
- Dry roast all the ingredients separately over a very low flame.
- Cool and grind them in small portions in your dry mill / coffee blender.Sieve it 3 times after each round of grinding.
- Cool and store in an airtight jar. It can last you months!
- Chillies – It should be crispy when cooled but not burnt.
- Dry roast the uncooked rice until it swells and turns colour or starts to pop
- The cumin and fennel seeds should start to change colour, smell slightly fragrant or even pop. Switch off or remove from the flame.
- Roast the fenugreek seeds very slightly until you get the slight scent of them. Immediately, transfer them to a bowl as it can continue to cook in the heat. Over roasted fenugreek tastes bitter and can spoil your chilli powder.Take care!
- Slightly roast the dried turmeric and black peppercorns
- Coriander Powder Ingredient:
- 100 grams coriander seeds or more as required.
- Before roasting, you can wash and dry it outdoors on a very hot sunny day.
- At the slight scent or whiff of roasting coriander, switch off the flame.
Method
- Dry roast on very low heat.
- When slightly fragrant, switch off the flame.
- Leave to cool and grind in a dry mill blender.
- Sieve 3 times after each round of grinding.
- Cool the coriander powder and store in an air-tight container.
Curry powder Ratio: 1 chilli powder 1: 2 or 3 coriander powder (as desired)
Note:
- For those who prefer mild curries, use Kashmiri chillies.
- I tend to use mild Kashmiri chilli powder with a little of roasted hot chilly powder whilst cooking. But if medium hot dry chillies are available, use that.