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Learn How to make Madras Curry Powder Recipe from the best whole spices & enjoy cooking the restaurant style Madras dishes at home. This homemade Madras Curry Powder is the secret spice blend that makes any Madras dish bowl licking good. It’s Gluten free & Vegan.
Recipe Video
Homemade Madras Curry Powder
Madras Curries – the heart-throb of every British Restaurant is made with Madras curry powder. The spectacular taste of any Madras dish lies in this special blend of spices.
If you enjoy Indian food & if you have a certain amount of weakness towards Madras recipes like Chicken Madras, Lamb Madras or vegetable Madras than don’t miss today’s authentic Madras Curry Powder recipe ever!
This homemade Madras Curry Powder recipe is all that you need to cook those signature restaurant style Madras dishes at home.
And when it’s homemade you know it’ll pack the best flavor.
Homemade masalas taste the best & once you begin making your own masalas at home you’ll certainly refrain from buying it anywhere else.
It’s a fun DIY, tastes much more superior than their store bought counterparts & saves some real money too!
Madras Curry Powder is the only secret spice that makes any Madras recipe finger licking good.
And you can save yourself several trips to the Indian restaurants easily with this homemade Madras curry powder recipe.
It’s fragrant, delicious, earthy, has a subtle chili kick & adds the soul to any Madras dish.
Today’s recipe gives this homemade masala blend the right amount of balance without making any particular spice taste overwhelming or intense.
It’s a great way to kickstart a DIY journey because the end result is quiet rewarding.
I would recommend to begin making small batches first & when you are confident enough you can make big batches & store for later use.
It makes excellent gift too.
Now that you know how to make Madras Curry Powder at home save yourself the trip to the best Indian restaurant in town instead cook your favorite curries at home.
You may even season your regular vegetable stir fries with this Madras Curry powder.
What is Madras Curry Powder?
Madras Curry Powder is an excellent blend of spices or Masalas that has an earthy, balanced taste with mild kick from chilies.
It is easily made at home by selecting the best whole spices, mildly roasting them & than grinding them to a powder consistency.
Madras curry powder is the signature spice blend that’s used to cook the Madras dishes that are very popular in the British restaurants.
It is typical to Madras dishes & to the land of UK. Nothing of that sort exists in India.
What does Madras Curry Powder contain?
Today’s recipe is made up of 10 ingredients. You can easily get all the ingredients from any Indian grocery store. The names in both English & Hindi are as follows:
- Green Cardamom or elaichi.
- Black whole peppercorns or Kalimirch.
- Black mustard seeds or Rai, Sarson.
- Cumin seeds or Jeera.
- Fenugreek seeds or Methi.
- Coriander Seeds or Dhaniya.
- Cinnamon or Dalchini.
- Turmeric powder or Haldi.
- Curry Leaves powder or curry patta powder (we used ready made but you can easily make it at home).
- Whole dry Kashmiri Red Chilis or Sukha Kashmiri Mirch.
Pro Tip: You can make Curry leaves powder easily at home. Dry roast the curry leaves until fragrant, the leaves curl up & look roasted. Grind them into a fine powder. Or you can grind the roasted leaves with the other ingredients.
7 Tips not to miss
The below tips are super handy & I learned them with experience.
Today I am super elated to share the same with you so that you can make the most fragrant & authentic version of this homemade masala.
- Pick the best whole spices: If the spices are sold loose at the store get a good whiff & than buy. The fresh & the best are always fragrant. If buying packaged spices check for the manufacturing date.
- Don’t miss dry roasting the Whole spices: This is super important to bring out the flavors of the whole spices & they are easy to grind too.
- Medium low heat is the key here: Keep the heat medium-low while dry roasting the spices. The low heat will help in evenly roasting the spices.
- Stir continuously: Don’t miss this or else a few spices might get roasted more!
- Roast not more than 2-3 mins: You need to be extra careful while dry roasting the spices. If they become burnt you cannot use them. Burnt or over roasted spices will remarkably change the flavors of the Madras curry powder & it might also leave a strong bitter taste.
- Use a good quality spice grinder: A coffee grinder works great too.
- Make small batches & store right away: For best flavors make small batches & store in an air tight container right away. Do not leave the freshly ground masala powder open for a long time. It’ll loose potency.
Storing tips
For preserving the best flavors of todays homemade masala powder you need to store it correctly. This is what you can do:
- Store the ground Madras Curry Powder right away. The fragrance will begin to fade if you keep open for a long time.
- After grinding the whole dry roasted spices preserve them in a clean, dry & airtight container.
- Store in a dark place. The back of the kitchen shelves works best.
- Want to store beyond 2 months? Do this: Mix in salt to the ground Masala & store in the fridge.
How long does Madras Curry Powder last?
The Madras curry powder lasts with full potency until 2 months when you store it properly following all the above methods shared in the “Storing tips”.
The homemade masalas lose the flavors & become mild with passing time. And today’s Madras Curry powder recipe is no different.
Though few people do prefer making large batches & store them for long 6 months.
But, we love enjoying the best flavors of the homemade masalas every single time & thus small batches works for us.
It’s a personal preference, choose what you like 🙂
If you choose to store it beyond 2 months fridge is the best place to store.
Pro Tip: Ground spices tastes best until 2 months. After that the fragrance begins to fade & the flavor begins to change or deteriorate. For BEST flavors store them not more than 2 months!
Is Madras Curry Powder hot?
Madras Curry Powder is not super hot, it’s mildly hot.
The heat in the recipe comes from the use of peppercorns whereas the whole dry red chilies are Kashmiri.
They provide a gorgeous red color to the masala powder & a very distinct flavor but minus the heat.
Where to buy Madras Curry Powder?
You can buy Madras Curry Powder from your regular supermarket, the ones that carry Asian products.
You can spot it in the Indian or Asian section of your local supermarket.
Here, in the USA almost every American supermarkets stock on Madras Curry Powder.
Is Madras Curry Powder gluten free?
Yes, Madras Curry powder is gluten free because there are no additives in the homemade version.
But commercial masala powder might contain gluten. It’s better to check with the manufacturer if you decide to purchase it from any store.
How much Madras Curry Powder to use?
It actually depends on the recipe.
I prefer to use about 3-4 tablespoons homemade Madras Curry Powder to cook Chicken Madras or Lamb Madras for about 4 people.
What is Madras Curry Powder used for?
Madras Curry Powder is typically used to cook the Madras Curry dishes in the famous curry houses in the UK & USA.
You can use it to cook:
- Chicken Madras
- Lamb Madras
- Dal Madras
- Vegetable Madras
- You can even throw this Madras curry powder while sautéing your veggies. It works as a flavorful seasoning.
When to use Madras Curry Powder?
While cooking any Madras curry recipes at home add the Madras Curry Powder before adding the main ingredient like the protein or vegetable & fry well until oil begins to leave the sides of the pan.
You can use Madras Curry powder to cook the British Curry House style delicious Madras Curry recipes at home.
How to make Madras Curry Powder? Step by Step
Steps in words below pictures
How to make Madras Curry Powder?
- Gather all the ingredients
Gather all the ingredients on a skillet except the curry leaves powder & the turmeric powder.
- Dry Roast the whole spices
Roast all the ingredients except the curry leaves powder + turmeric powder over medium low heat. Dry roast until fragrant. It should take your about 2-3 mins.
- Blend well
Once the roasted spices comes down to room temperature, transfer them to a spice grinder or blender jar or a coffee grinder & blend into a powder consistency.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients
Add the curry leaves + turmeric powder to the ground masala powder & mix well.
- Store immediately
For best flavors store the homemade Madras Curry powder right away in an air tight container.
More Homemade spices & pastes from Foodies Terminal.
Madras Curry Powder Recipe
Print Recipe Pin RateWatch Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds (whole)
- 1 tbsp Whole Cumin Seeds (whole)
- ½ tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 Cinnamon Stick (2″ long)
- 15 Green Cardamoms (whole )
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 12 whole dried Kashmiri Red chili
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tbsp curry leaves powder (or 15-20 fresh curry leaves)
Instructions
- Dry roast all the ingredients except the turmeric powder & the curry leaves powder for 2-3 mins over medium low heat. I used store bought curry leaves powder, homemade curry leaves powder recipe included in NOTES below.
- Allow them to cool down completely.
- Than, transfer them to a grinder jar & grind to a fine powder.
- Mix in the turmeric powder + the curry leaves powder with the ground masala powder.
- Store right away in an air tight container for 2 months or more (see NOTES below).
Notes
- Measuring units used, 1 cup = 240 ml & 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
- This recipe yields about 1 cup Madras Curry Powder.
- Storing beyond 2 months: Mix in about 1 tbsp. salt with the masala powder & than follow the mentioned storing tips. Store it in the fridge beyond the 2 months mark.
- How to make curry leaves powder at home? dry roast curry leaves over medium low heat until the edges of the leaves curl up, & they begin to look crisp. Grind them to a fine powder.
- You may also add the dry roasted curry leaves directly to the blender jar along with the rest of the ingredients & than grind everything into a fine powder.
- Madras curry powder has best flavors when stored for 2 months. The potency slowly begins to fade with passing time.
Nutrition
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Emma says
Hi! This recipe looks clear and easy to follow. I had a couple of questions before I go ahead and make this:
– What chilli powder would be best and how much of it if I didn’t have access to actual dry Kashmiri chillies?
– Would bay leaves be an appropriate replacement for the curry leaves? If so, how many?
– Finally, 15 cardomom pods sounds like a lot, wouldn’t this overwhelm the flavour?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Emma those are some great questions and I am happy to answer them one by one 🙂
1. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder Sub: The best sub would be Paprika or Kashmiri Red Chili powder (available in any Indian grocery store, you can grab any brand), I would not recommend any other chili powder because they are super hot. Parika and Kashmiri Red Chili Powder will lend a slight heat to the masala powder without making it mouth numbing hot. Quantity of Paprika: Add 1 tbsp and taste. The Masala Powder should have a slight kick and a gorgeous aroma. If you feel right stop there, if not add 1/2 tbsp more paprika and mix well.
2. Bay leaves are not a good sub for curry leaves. Unfortunately there’s no sub at all for these oriental leaves. Feel free to skip them. The spice powder will still be good.
3. 15 cardamoms is absolutely perfect for this recipe. But, as you might miss the curry leaves and replace the Kashmiri red chilies with paprika in that case reduce the quantity of cardamoms to 10.
Hope it helps Emma, I would be very happy to answer any more queries that you might have regarding the recipe. And if you make this Masala Powder do try the Madras Chicken Curry Recipe from my Blog, it’s one of our most loved recipes 🙂 Take care Emma and keep visiting this small space for more delicious recipes.- Meghna.
Sue says
Hi I am a huge fan of Indian Food and I tried your Madras Curry Powder recipe to make Madras Curry Chicken which also happens to be your recipe. I must say that this is the best ever Madras Curry Powder I ever tried. I am not buying it from the store again. Such handy tips and an absolutely amazing post. I needed this. Thank you so much!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Sue I am so glad that you loved the recipe and found the post so helpful. Thanks much for trying out both recipes 🙂 Keep visiting us and happy cooking to you Sue 🙂 – Meghna.
Madhu Agnani says
Fabulous
Well described
Foodies Terminal says
Thank you so much Madhu Ma’am for your lovely words and thanks a lot for stopping by 🙂
Lynne Barrett says
The best Curry powder ever thanks very much making more today never again will I buy store bought.🙂Lynne
Foodies Terminal says
So glad to know that you loved the recipe so much 🙂 Thanks much for giving it a try and sharing your lovely feedback with all of us here:) Hope you give our Chicken Madras Curry Recipe a try too from this blog Lynne:) Take care – Meghna.
Sangeeta Sethi says
Fabulous aromatic flavourful powder
Foodies Terminal says
Thank you so much Sangeeta Ma’am for stopping by on this blog post & thanks much for your lovely words 🙂