It takes a keen observation of each ingredient to fully appreciate the intricacies of a curry powder. Every home-made curry powder is truly unique for that reason, to decide what works best for the dish and those eating. A roasted curry powder is very versatile – add it into a curry, dust it onto some brinjals, marinade meat with it, sprinkle over pasta. Once you’re familiar with the spices that goes into a curry powder, 10 minutes is all it takes to make your own concoction.
Basic ingredients
Cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, curry leaves, cardamom. Note that there is no chilli powder added. This can be added during the process of cooking the dish itself so you may adjust to the taste of your party.
Optional: Fenugreek (nutty), mustard seeds (bitter), cinnamon sticks (sweet), cloves (bittersweet)
Method
Familiarize by observing, smelling and tasting (pound it to break apart!) a seed pod. Observe that each has a unique smell and flavor, some stronger than the others (such as cardamom), some more bitter than others (such as the curry leaves), some sweeter than the others (such as cinnamon). Next, have a think about what you will cook it with – whether this is meat (fat) or vegetables (bitter, sweet or perhaps bland).
On a hot pan (with no oil), add all desired seeds and roast on medium heat, continuously stirring the seeds. Once you smell the aroma, hear the seeds pop or see the curry leaves curl, immediately transfer to a plate. It is important not to keep it in the pan as it’ll continue cooking and potentially burn.
Grind (a small coffee grinder is recommended to keep it compact) till fine. There will be a slight bitter aftertaste to the powder. A roasted curry powder is fairly versatile with meat, fish and vegetable dishes. I have thought about using it to coat a chicken to be roasted which shall be reported in the near future.
There you go – in 10 minutes you have it, and a big difference the fresh curry powder will make to the curries you will make now and in the future 😊
A plate full of wonder 
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