Why it works: Turmeric and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,698 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Curry Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mortar.
Pound until reduced to a fine powder.
Sift the mixture.
Bottle and cork the powder.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,698 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,866 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Turmeric + cardamomtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together667 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Turmeric + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,776 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Coriander + cardamomtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together872 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turmeric
- Gives the blend its yellow colour and earthy, slightly bitter flavour.
- Coriander seed
- Adds a citrusy, warm aroma that lifts the blend.
- Black pepper
- Adds sharp heat that cuts through the other spices.
- Ginger
- Adds warm, peppery spice and a fresh edge to the blend.
- Cardamom seed
- Adds sweet, floral aroma.
- Cumin seed
- Adds earthy, toasty aroma.
The step that matters
Pound until a fine powder. Finer particles release aroma more readily and blend evenly into the mixture. Coarse pieces leave a gritty texture and uneven flavour, so keep pounding until the powder is uniform before sifting.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turmeric, coriander, pepper, ginger, allspice, cardamom, cumin):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against turmeric, coriander, pepper, ginger, allspice, cardamom, cumin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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