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
Pound all ingredients together until finely ground.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
Bottle and cork it well.
Use 1 teaspoon to season any dish.
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 + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,776 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Coriander + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Turmeric + coriandertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,253 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turmeric
- Adds earthy colour and a mild bitter flavour that gives the blend its yellow tone.
- Coriander seed
- Contributes citrusy, floral aroma as a base note of the spice blend.
- Cumin seed
- Provides warm, earthy aroma that defines the characteristic curry flavour.
- Cayenne pepper
- Adds heat, producing the spicy kick of the blend.
The step that matters
Pound until finely ground. Whole spices release their aroma only when broken down into small particles. Coarse pieces leave the blend gritty and uneven in flavour, so grind until the mixture is uniformly fine before sieving.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, pepper):
- Cardamomfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, pepper. 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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