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Indian · British

Madras curry powder

Vegetarian

A hot, turmeric-yellow curry powder in the Anglo-Indian Madras style: roasted coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seed, black pepper and fiery dried chillies ground with turmeric, dry ginger, a little cinnamon and cloves, and curry leaves.

Madras curry powder is an Indian condiment, ready in about 25 minutes and made with coriander seeds, dried whole chillies and turmeric. It serves 35 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A vibrant array of colorful spices including turmeric and curry powder on a white background.
Photo: ClickerHappy / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
10 min
Total
25 min
Serves
35
Level
Easy
Calories
10

Ingredients

35 teaspoons (about 3 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the coriander in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until a shade darker, then the cumin for 2 minutes, then the chillies for 1–2 minutes until crisp. Tip each out as it is done.

  2. Step 2

    Roast the peppercorns (opens in a new tab), mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), fennel, cinnamon and cloves (opens in a new tab) for 1 minute until the mustard begins to pop. Lower the heat, add the fenugreek (opens in a new tab) and roast 1 minute until reddish-brown, then add the curry leaves (opens in a new tab) until crisp.

    • 2 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Tip everything onto a wide plate in a single layer and cool completely, about 10 minutes. Warm spices release oil and steam in the grinder and turn pasty and clumpy.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Grind to a fine powder with the turmeric (opens in a new tab) and dry ginger. Sift and regrind the coarse remains.

    Food safety: Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar or spice tin, label with the date and keep away from the stove, light and steam. Always use a dry spoon.

About this dish

Origin
Madras (Chennai), Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedCurry powder as a single all-purpose blend was a British colonial trade product; 'Madras' came to mean the hotter style. This is a home formulation in that style, not a historical recipe.Also popular in United Kingdom, South AfricaMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), earthy, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Coriander seeds · Dried whole chillies · Turmeric · Cumin seeds · Black peppercorns · Fenugreek
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Dry grinding

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

10 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 3 g · recipe makes 35

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 57%
  • Fat 30%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy10 kcal324 kcal
Protein0.4 g13.8 g
Carbohydrate1.7 g55.7 g
Net carbohydrate0.8 g26.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.9 g29.3 g
Fat0.4 g14.4 g
Saturated fat0 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium2 mg58 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
48 mg
Calcium
17 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Magnesium
8 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
5 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
1 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Unlike garam masala, curry powder needs to be cooked: fry it in oil for a minute with the onions so the turmeric and coriander lose their raw taste.

Common mistakes

  • Adding it at the end of cooking, which leaves a dusty, raw flavour.

Serve with

  • Mulligatawny soup, British-Indian Madras curry and coronation chicken.
  • Curried eggs, lentils and roast potatoes.

Food safety

  • Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.

Storage

  • Airtight, cool and dark, for 4 months.

Variations

  • Mild curry powder: Use Kashmiri chillies and halve the black pepper.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Dry spice blend
Texture
Fine powder
One batch makes
about 106 g
Keeps
about 4 months
Store
Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe
Traditional

Madras (Chennai); Anglo-Indian trade blend. Makes Madras curry powder, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

None of our dish recipes use it yet — it keeps well, so it’s worth having on the shelf.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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