Homemade Indian Curry Masala Powder is fresh, flavourful and free from all artificial colours and preservatives. If you love curry flavoured food, then you need to try out this easy and inexpensive Curry Masala Powder that can be done in less than 15 minutes with some everyday kitchen cupboard ingredients.
This vegan masala can be used for any vegetarian or non-vegetarian curries and is an ideal gift for your foodie friend.
Learn how to make Homemade Indian Curry Masala Powder in this post.
Every now and then Mum makes a small batch of Chai Masala Mix along with various masala powders and fills them in tiny jars with labels on and stores them so neatly in one kitchen cabinet.
She prepares various types of masalas but on the blog, we have Dabeli Masala, Goda Masala and Sambar/Sambhar Powder.
To your surprise, you won't see curry masala powder in most Indian kitchens as instead, they use the right amount of various spices in different combinations which are added in the curry whilst preparing it.
Another reason for not using just one particular curry powder as in India every region has its own unique blend of masala powders or paste, and these are added at different stages of the cooking process.
It is a British concept to use in this powder in any curry. Brands began to sell curry powder in supermarkets aimed at the British market.
Curry powder is suitable for those who don't want to fill their kitchen cabinets with various spice blends or masalas, or just want to have a typical Indian 'curry'.
They benefit students who can't afford to buy too many spices also don't have enough space for storage.
The standard or generic curry masala powder is available in a yellow hue and mostly sold in mild, medium, hot or extra hot varieties in the UK. The hotter it is, more red chili powder is added in.
What is Curry Powder?
Indian Curry Powder is literally a mixture of dry masala which is widely used by non-Indians in Indian cooking.
The dry masala is a blend of exotic combinations of spices such as sweet, earthy and warm cardamom, ginger, cumin, fennel seeds, red chillies, and turmeric powder.
Just to make sure here that Curry masala powder is should not be mistaken as GARAM Masala powder.
I often use Madras Curry Powder in my recipes. This masala has slightly different ingredients.
What are the benefits of making my own curry powder at home?
There is no doubt that shop-bought masala can save you lots of time and hassle. However, they come with a high price and still, you are not going to get fresh masala.
By making your own Curry powder at home, you know what has gone into the blend. You can adjust the amount or tweak the flavours to suit your needs.
It is super easy and quick to make at home, so fresh and fragrant and works out cheaper in the long run.
How to use Indian Curry Masala Powder?
- Curry powder is best for basic Indian curries, but not all the traditional curries. It is suitable for vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes.
- Do not use for specific dishes such as authentic chana masala (chickpea curry) or Pav Bhaji as they require specific spice blends.
- It can be used in soups, stews, stir-fry or in noodles recipes.
- Curry flavoured marinade or rubs,
Curry Powder Ingredients
Although the westernized Indian curry masala powder is basic there are a variety of spices are used in this blend. This curry masala tastes more authentic. We feel that this masala blend lends delicious flavours, aroma, and taste to our curries.
- Whole Cardamom - Elyachi Green and Black)
- Kashmiri red chilli powder (you may use whole dry red chillies)
- Cumin seeds - (Jeera)
- Deggimirch - (hot red chilli powder)
- Dry Ginger Powder - Sunth
- Salt
- Carom seeds - ajwain
- Turmeric Powder - Haldi
- Nutmeg - Jaiphal
- Mace - Javentri
- Black Salt -Kala Namak - Sanchar
- Ground Coriander - Sukha dhanaiya powder
- Fennel seeds - Variyali-Saunf
- Star anise - Badian ke phool
How to make Indian Curry Masala Powder from scratch?
Making Indian curry Masala Powder from scratch is not rocket science, trust me. This can be done only in three steps.
Gather your whole spices.
Dry roast them on low heat.
and Grind!
Traditionally, any masala powder is made by first dry roasting the whole spices. When spices are roasted, the oil of the spices releases and make the masala more fragrant.
Then toasted spices are cooled before ground finely.
Ideal Christmas Gift
Anyone thinking of making their own edible Christmas gifts this year? We love to add a couple of edible gifts as they produce less waste so this isn't a gift that will be regifted or clutter up someone else's space (cause who wouldn't love this aromatic and delicious treats)
This Homemade Indian Curry Masala Powder could easily be a delicious and useful stocking filler or filled into pretty reusable glass jars with festive bows.
Storage
Once the masala is ground, let it cool completely then store in an airtight container.
Keep the bottle away from any direct heat.
Keep it away from direct sunlight.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Mild Curry Masala Powder
Ingredients
Whole Spices
- 2 teaspoon green cardamom skin left on
- 8 pieces black cardamom
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds
- 2 star anise
- ½ teaspoon mace or mace powder
Ground Spice
- 2 teaspoon kashmiri powder
- 2 teaspoon red chilli powder or dried red chillies
- 4 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 2 teaspoon dry ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon black salt kala namak
- 2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Dry roast all the whole spices 2 teaspoon green cardamom, 8 pieces black cardamom, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 3 teaspoon fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon carom seeds, 2 star anise, ½ teaspoon mace on a low heat without burning them in a frying pan.
- Do not roast the ingredients which are already ground.
- Let the spices cool down completely.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients into the blender jar, attach the grinding blade and grind until you get a fine powder.
- Transfer in another plate or bowl.
- Add 2 teaspoon kashmiri powder, 2 teaspoon red chilli powder, 4 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder, 2 teaspoon dry ginger powder, ½ teaspoon black salt and 2 teaspoon salt
- Mix well.
- Store the ground masala powder in an airtight container.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Sasmita says
homemade masala powder are always best with so much aromatic flavor. This curry powder is a must at my place . The clicks are simply amazing dear !
jayashree says
I love home made masala powder, they are fragrant and give a good taste to the dish. Having a curry masala powder is definitely helpful. Looks good.
Lathiya says
I love homemade curry powders which gives the best taste and aroma. You have captured it so well.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Making our own homemade masala is so much more cost effective and the flavors are spot on. Every family have their own blend for the masala powder and that gives it the uniqueness. This is a versatile recipe and can be used in an array of different recipes. It is important to have a good blender to make it properly!
Bless My Food by PAYAL says
Without an iota of doubt, this is indeed a recipe worth saving & trying. We are in the regular habit of making Garam masala at home but the present one is equally a "must have" ingredient.
And yes, can't miss to say, you have captured it beautifully.
Lata Lala says
The most important ingredient in indian kitchens is masala powder. And nothing can beat the homemade ones. You mentioned it right that they are fresh, flavourful and free from all artificial colours and preservatives.
Good to know about Wonder NutriChef has all in one.
Vandana says
Very nice masala recipe. I also prefer making curry masala at home. My mother also bought Wonderchef Nutri blend a few months back and loved it so much that she bought two more (one for me and one for my sister). My sister also loved it. I have still not gone to India since then so have collected my gift yet but reading your post can't wait to try it soon.
Mayuri Patel says
Love the colour of the homemade Indian Curry Masala, as mostly ready made ones lack the correct balance of flavours and usually have too much turmeric powder as you mentioned. Beautiful presentation. I'm hoping that Wonder NutriChef have made amendments as when they first came out, the motor of mine got burnt and the only thing I was using it was for smoothies.