A teaspoon of Madras Curry Powder turns a simple food into a delicious dish loaded with warm South Indian flavor. It's warm, earthy, and moderately hot, and it takes just 8 minutes on the stovetop. One batch makes about ½ cup, and it's easy to make milder or hotter.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
⭐️Fresher flavor: Dry roasting whole coriander, cumin and fenugreek right before grinding brings out their natural oils.
⭐️Real South Indian flavor and color: Made with everyday spices from Chennai (Tamil Nadu) kitchens, and Kashmiri chilies add a deep red hue and moderate heat (you can also get these from your local Indian stores).
⭐️Quick and budget-friendly: All you need is a skillet, a spice grinder, and about 18 minutes.
Hi, Madras curry powder is my favorite spice blend. It's the one I use in my Madras Lentils and as a rub for fish, shrimp, and chicken.
If you love Indian flavors and enjoy making spiced blends at home (like this chicken taco seasoning), this recipe is a winner. It's super easy, flavorful, and much more economical than store-bought. Once you have all the ingredients, you can whip it up effortlessly anytime.
Simply dry-roast Indian spices like red chilies, coriander, cumin, fenugreek seeds, and peppercorns to make a flavorful spice mix.
This spice curry powder gives all the flavors you expect from authentic Indian-style food. I hope you love it, too!
What is Madras Curry Powder?
'Madras' is the old name of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu in South India. The city was renamed in 1996. This region is known for its warm tropical spices and delicious cuisine.
Madras curry powder is a rich, flavorful spice blend with a bright yellow hue, warmth, and a hint of spice, made with unique South Indian spices.
The British popularized this Madras curry powder to introduce the essence of Indian cuisine to the West, and it has become a staple in kitchens worldwide, delivering the bold flavors of Chennai.
Ingredients
- Red chili pepper is the sole ingredient in this recipe, and it provides color and heat. You may increase or decrease the amount of red chili pepper to suit your heat level.
- Coriander seeds: The base of the blend, with a warm, lightly lemony flavor. Most US grocery stores carry them, and Indian stores sell bigger bags for less.
- Peppercorns: Opt for whole black peppercorns.
- Cinnamon and bay leaf: For a robust aroma.
- Mustard, Cumin, and Fenugreek seeds: You can buy them from the leading grocery stores. I got mine from my local Walmart in Pennsylvania. Fenugreek seeds are small, hard, and yellow-brown, with a slightly bitter, maple-like smell; also, a little goes a long way.
- Ground turmeric: Gives the powder its golden tint. It goes in at the grinding step, not the pan, so it won't scorch.
- Vegetable oil: Just ¼ teaspoon, to roast the chilies.
I keep this Madras curry powder blend simple, without curry leaves or cardamom, so you can make it with spices from a regular US grocery store. If you have dried curry leaves, toast a small handful with the seeds for a more South Indian flavor.
How To Make Madras Curry Powder
- Heat a pan on low and add mustard seeds, fenugreek, cumin, black pepper, coriander, bay leaf, and cinnamon. Dry roast, stirring often, until the seeds shrink slightly, turn golden brown, and smell toasty. Move them to a plate.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of oil and roast the red chilies in the same pan on low heat until they change color.
- Let everything cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Warm spices can clump in the grinder.
- Add the roasted spices, chilies, and ground turmeric to a blender jar. And blend into a fine powder. And store it in an airtight container for future use.
♨️Making Madras Curry Powder Milder or Hotter
This is moderately hot, and the red chilies in this recipe determine its heat.
Mild: Use Kashmiri chilies, or cut the chilies in half. You'll still get the red color.
Hot: Swap some of the chilies for hotter dried chilies, like chile de árbol, or add a pinch of cayenne at the grinding step.
The Storage
Store this Madras curry powder in an airtight container on the kitchen counter in a cool, dry place for up to four weeks.
To store longer, refrigerate for up to 6 months.
How To Use It (and How Much)
- How much: Start with 2 teaspoons for a curry that serves 4, then taste and add more.
- Curries & Soups: Try this Madras Lentils and Indian salmon curry. You'll feel like you're in an Indian restaurant at home.
- Meat & Veggies: I use it as a rub for fish, shrimp, and chicken. While cooking vegetables, sprinkle this Madras mix to taste (try it in my Indian Brussels sprouts, spicy curry roasted potatoes, spicy roasted butternut squash, or curry mac and cheese).
- Dips & Chips: Add a pinch to your dips and make the curried versions. Check this curry aioli and curry almonds for ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Madras curry powder has turmeric and plenty of dried red chilies, so it's red-gold and spicy. Garam masala usually skips turmeric and leans on warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, so it's brown and more fragrant than hot. I add Madras curry powder early, while the onions cook. Garam masala often goes in near the end.
Not quite. Madras curry powder is a type of curry powder, but it has more dried red chilies, so it's hotter and redder. Regular store-bought curry powder is usually milder and more yellow. You can swap one for the other. With regular curry powder, add a pinch of cayenne to bring back the heat.
Is it necessary to roast the spices before grinding?
Yes, this is the most crucial step, as it brings out the natural flavors by releasing essential oils, resulting in a flavorful curry. Keep the heat low and take the pan off as soon as the seeds smell toasty. Burnt fenugreek makes the whole batch bitter.
Regular curry powder with a pinch of cayenne is the closest swap. In a pinch, mix garam masala with a little ground turmeric and chili powder. Garam masala alone won't give you the color or the heat.
📖 Recipe
Madras Curry Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ tsp black mustard seeds
- ¾ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup coriander seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup Kashmiri red chilies dried - about 10 chilies
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
- Heat a pan over low heat. Add the black mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, coriander seeds, bay leaf, and cinnamon.
- Dry roast them until they shrink slightly and turn golden brown.
- Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, drizzle vegetable oil and add red chili peppers.
- Roast over low heat until the chilies turn a shade darker.
- Transfer to a plate and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Add the roasted spices, chilies, and ground turmeric to a spice grinder or blender jar.
- Grind all the ingredients, using a heavy-duty blender or a spice grinder.
- Store in an airtight container for future use.
Notes
- The heat level can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of red chilies to suit personal preference.
- Store Madras curry powder in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to four weeks or refrigerate for up to six months for longer shelf life.
- This spice blend is versatile-use it in curries, soups, roasted vegetables, meats, dips, or as a seasoning for snacks like curry almonds and curry aioli.
I use this so much, so I was really happy to find out how to make it myself. perfect flavour.
Thank you Dannii for sharing this kind review!
We love this blend. It is so fresh and the aroma is amazing!
Happy to hear your feedback Dina and Bruce!
this curry powder was so delicious with fish last night!
Great to hear! Thank you Paula!
Flavorful Curry powder..
Thank you Ruxana.