Authentic Curry Recipes

Curry powder recipes vary all over India and are suitable for different dishes, so I’m going to put a couple here and add more as I find them so to keep up to date, subscribe to my feed.

If you intend to grind your own spices, I highly recommend that you invest a very small amount in an Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder, which will save you a lot of time and elbow grease.

Keralan Spice Powder for Lamb

Dry fry or fry in 1 tbsp oil the following spices then grind.

2.5cm cinnamon stick
10 cloves
3 tbsp coriander seeds
5 dried red chillies
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
6 cardamom pods

If you don’t want the remains of the cardamom pods in your spice mix, remove the seeds before grinding and discard the pods.

Punjabi Spice Mix for Chicken Kebabs

1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
¼ nutmeg
5cm cinnamon stick 6 cloves

Mix and grind.

Gujerati Nut and Seed Spice Mixture

2 tbsp raw cashew nuts
2 tbsp charoli (see explanation below)
1.5 tbsp roasted peanuts
1.5 tbsp roasted chick peas or chana dal (yellow split peas)
1.5 tbsp watermelon seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
7 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp ground coriander
2.5cm cinnamon stick
6 dried hot red chillis
0.25 tsp ground turmeric

Grind to a fine powder in a coffee grinder.

Charoli (also called chironji) are seeds of Buchanania lanzan used as a cooking spice primarily in India. Charoli are tiny almond-flavoured dried seeds of a bush called Buchanania lanzan, which is cultivated across India, primarily in the northwest. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Spice Powder for Lamb Curry from Tamil Nadu

1tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
3 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika
0.5tsp ground turmeric

Grind the fennel and poppy seeds and add to the powdered spices.

Spice Powder for Steak from West Bengall

1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp brown mustard seeds
0.5 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Grind to a fine powder and mix with the following, ground to a paste

7.5 cm piece root ginger, peeled and chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped