The Big Book of Curry Recipes (54 page)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Place a dry, non-stick, frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry leaves, star anise and chillies and dry fry, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until the chillies begin to darken. Take off the heat and turn onto a plate.

Put the pan back on the heat and use to separately toast the whole seeds until aromatic (about 1 minute a time) then turn onto the plate and fry the next spice. Set the spices aside to cool then place in a spice or coffee grinder. Grind to a fine powder then add the turmeric, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Grind again to mix.

Spoon into a jar and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dark cupboard. This spice blend should keep for up to 2 months.

East African Curry Powder

Origin:
East Africa
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional East African recipe for a classic curry spice blend that forms the basis of many East African (particularly Tanzanian) dishes.

Ingredients

1 tbsp black cardamom (or Ethiopian cardamom)

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp ginger

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp chopped dried chillies

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together, render to a paste in a blender or coffee grinder then store in an air-tight jar until needed.

Ga Lei Fan (Chinese Yellow Curry Powder)

Origin:
China
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic spice blend that forms the basis for Chinese-style yellow curries.

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp ground cardamom

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground yellow mustard seeds

Method:

Mix all the spices together in a bowl. Spoon into an air-tight jar, secure with a lid and store in a cool, dark, cupboard.

Use 1 tbsp for a typical Chinese-style curry.

Hot Curry Powder

Origin:
Anglo-Indian
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe for a classic hot curry spice blend that can be used as the base for spicy curries.

This is a classic Anglo-Indian recipe for a hot curry powder. In this case, the more usual curry leaves have been substituted with dried bayleaves (as is common in many British curry powders)

Ingredients

10 tbsp cumin seeds

8 tbsp coriander seeds

4 tbsp fenugreek seeds

2 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

2 tbsp ground ginger

4 tbsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp hot chilli powder

1 tbsp dried bayleaves, crumbled

Method:

Separately toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns and black mustard seeds in a dry pan until aromatic.

When done, combine all the ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder and process until you have a fine powder.

Use as the base for any curry where you want it to have a ‘kick’.

Hot Jalfrezi Spices

Origin:
African Fusion
       Period:
Modern

This is a modern African Fusion recipe for a classic curry spice blend, based on an Indian original, but with an African twist that makes it much more potent.

This is a recipe based on the classic Northern Indian Jalfrezi masala that incorporates a number of changes to make it more acceptable to the West African palate. The most important change being the addition of hot dried piri-piri chillies.

Ingredients

4 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp black mustard seeds

2 cinnamon sticks 3cm (1 1/4 in) long

10 green cardamom pods

12 whole cloves

6 bay leaves

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

2 tsp methi (fenugreek) curry leaves

3 tsp dried piri-piri chillies

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp of hot chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric

Method:

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Use this to dry roast the coriander seeds, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, cloves, bayleaves and fenugreek seeds until coloured and aromatic (about 5 minutes). When ready allow to cool a little and transfer to a coffee or spice grinder. Add the Methi curry leaves and piri-piri chillies and grind to a fine powder.

Mix this powder with the ginger, hot chilli powder and turmeric and store in a dark air-tight container. This will keep in a cool cupboard for about 6 weeks.

Indonesian Island-style Curry Powder

Origin:
Indonesia
       Period:
Modern

Indonesian Island-style Curry Powder is a traditional Indonesian recipe for a classic curry powder spice blend that contains zedoary root as one of its components.

Ingredients

8 black cardamom pods

6 tbsp coriander seeds

3 tbsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tbsp celery seeds

5cm (2 in) length of cinnamon stick

8 cloves

1 tbsp hot chilli powder

1 tsp ground, dried, zedoary root (substitute galangal)

Method:

Heat a non-stick frying pan. When hot add the cardamom pods, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, celery seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves and dry-fry until aromatic (a couple of minutes). During this time, stir the spices constantly so that they do not have a chance to catch and burn.

Turn into a bowl and allow to cool. When they have cooled, remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and discard the pods. Place the toasted ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder and render to a fine powder. Mix in the chilli powder and zedoary root then store in an air-tight jar.

This spice blend will keep for up to a month in a cool, dark, place, but is best used immediately.

Jalfrezi Curry Powder

Origin:
India
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic hot, sour and aromatic spice blend that is used as the flavour base for jalfrezi curries.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp green cardamom pods

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground amchoor (green mango powder)

Method:

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and separately toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves, black peppercorns and cardamom pods. Dry fry for between 1 and 2 minutes, or until aromatic.

When done, combine the toasted seeds in a spice grinder or coffee grinder with the remaining spices. Render to a fine powder and store in a screw-top jar.

This is a hot and fragrant spice powder that makes and excellent base for jalfrezi-style curries.

Jamaican Curry Powder

Origin:
Jamaica
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Jamaican recipe for a classic West Indian curry spice blend that includes allspice into the basic mix.

Though they are based on Indian curry powders, the curry powders of Jamaica and Trinidad are quite different in that they use local spices (most notably allspice) and there tends to be less cumin. As a result, if you want to cook a West Indian curry it’s much better to create your own blend, like the one below.

Ingredients

4 tbsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander seeds ground

1 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp thyme (Jamaican or common)

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds

Method:

Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix then transfer to a lidded jar or tin and store in a cool cupboard. If you want more of a kick add chilli flakes or ground piri-piri chillies to the mix. Many often add celery salt and black pepper to the basic curry mix but in my opinion it’s better to add these at the end of cooking then you can adjust the levels to your own taste.

Japanese Curry Powder

Origin:
Japan
       Period:
Traditional

Japanese Curry Powder is a traditional Japanese recipe for a classic curry powder made from the standard curry components, but with the addition of allspice, oregano and cocoa powder.

In Japan curry typically comes in a ready-made paste that you add to your dishes. But I prefer knowing what goes into my food and I try not to cook with MSG. So I have attempted to re-create a Japanese-style curry powder from scratch.

Ingredients

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ground turmeric

1 tsp Green Cardamom Seeds

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 x 5cm (2 in) Cinnamon sticks

2 dried bayleaves

1/2 nutmeg, freshly grated

4 Black Cardamoms

1 tsp allspice berries

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp cocoa powder

Method:

Creating this blend is simplicity itself: simply place all the ingredients in a clean coffee grinder and grind for at least a minute. Test the mixture by rubbing a sample between your fingers. You need a finely-ground mixture, which should not feel gritty to the touch.

Spoon into an airtight container and store in a dark place such as a cupboard.

Korma Curry Powder

Origin:
India
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic mild and aromatic curry powder typically used in the preparation of creamy kormas.

Ingredients

6 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp white peppercorns

2 x 4cm (1 1/2 in) long cinnamon sticks

4 green cardamom pods

4 cloves

Method:

Separately toast all the spices in a dry pan until aromatic.

When done, combine all the ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder and process until you have a fine powder. Sore in an air-tight jar.

Use as the base for any creamy Korma-style curry.

Madras Curry Powder

Origin:
India
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic hot and aromatic curry powder that makes a flavour base for Madras-style curries and kedgerees.

Ingredients

120g (1 cup) coriander seeds

60g (1/2 cup) cumin seeds

4 tbsp fennel seeds

4 tbsp dried red chillies, broken into pieces

2 tbsp whole black peppercorns

2 tbsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp (heaped) curry leaves

Method:

Separately toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, chillies, black peppercorns, black mustard seeds and fenugreek in a dry pan until aromatic.

When done, combine all the ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder and process until you have a fine powder.

Use as the base for any Madras-style curry.

Malawi Curry Powder

Origin:
Malawi
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Malawi recipe for a classic curry spice blend that’s used throughout East Africa.

Ingredients

10 dried piri-piri chillies with stems removed

3 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp black peppercorns

3 tbsp poppy seeds

2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp turmeric

10 cloves

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Heat the whole ingredients in a dry frying pan until lightly-toasted and aromatic. Then transfer to a coffee grinder and grind in an airtight container. This hot chilli powder will keep for several months.

Malaysian Kurma Powder

Origin:
Malaysia
       Period:
Traditional

This is a traditional Malaysian recipe for a classic aromatic spice blend that forms the basis for Malaysian coconut-based curries (kormas).

Ingredients

200g (2 cups) coriander seeds

35g (1/2 cup) cumin seeds

35g (1/2 cup) aniseed

35g (1/2 cup) black peppercorns